Virginia Tech was defeated by Notre Dame 83-81 in a close, hard fought game in South Bend on Wednesday night. The Hokies dropped to 12-7 overall and 4-2 in the ACC, while the Irish improved to 13-5 and 4-2.
It was a frustrating loss for the Hokies, who led for 25:36 of the contest, including most of the second half. In the end, poor second half defense was their undoing. Notre Dame shot 54.8% in the second half. Tech’s ball screen defense was good for the first 20 minutes, but left a lot to be desired in the second half.
Four Hokies scored in double figures…
Zach LeDay: 22 points
Seth Allen: 20 points, 8 assists
Justin Bibbs: 12 points
Shane Henry: 11 points
Unfortunately, a very good offensive performance could not overcome a Notre Dame team that ranked #6 nationally in offensive efficiency coming into the game.
Virginia Tech led 45-37 at halftime. Seth Allen was fouled near the halfcourt line with 0.2 seconds remaining on a halfcourt heave, which led to three free throw makes. That gave the Hokies the momentum heading into the intermission.
However, Notre Dame steadily chipped into Tech’s in the second half. The Hokies led by six points at the first media timeout, they held a three-point lead at the second media timeout, and the game was tied after the under 4-minute timeout. Still, the Hokies led for the majority of the second half.
Despite Notre Dame’s rally, the Hokies held a 75-73 lead with 3:37 remaining following two Seth Allen free throws. However, the Irish took their first lead of the second half on the following possession. Demetrius Jackson drove the lane and hit a layup, and was fouled by Zach LeDay. The replay showed that LeDay’s feet were set under the basket, but the call went against the Hokies, and Jackson made the frree throw attempt to give his team a 76-75 lead.
Virginia Tech never led again, though the game came down to the final shot. After Jackson missed a shot with 10 seconds left, Seth Allen pushed the ball down the court quickly, and found himself wide open for a three-pointer from the top of the key. The shot went halfway down the cylinder, but rimmed out, and Notre Dame held on for the win.
Virginia Tech returns to action on Sunday night when they host #2 UNC. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30pm, and the game will be televised by ESPNU.
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No such thing as a good loss, but our guys are on schedule. Great to be competitive again. Thanks guys!
Does anyone know what status of Hamilton is? Is Buzz trying to redshirt him, injury, in dog house or not ready for prime time? I know he is a freshman, but at 7′-0″, you would think he could help some. Blackshear, Henry and Pierce get in too much foul trouble and have to sit too long.
I would love to see how this team responds to a home crowd like ND had last night. As hard as they’re playing, I could see them knocking off one or two of the ACC big boys in a packed Cassell.
Amen
Live among UNC faithful. Not one of them will be traveling north this weekend. Blacksburg is the bullseye for the big snow storm. Open the doors to students.
Is it just me but it seems we never block out on the boards. How many stickbacks did ND have? 6? 7?That was the difference. Great effort but sad to lose that game.
This game, more than any this season, showed the biggest weakness in our team. No big man defensive presence on our roster. At times, our wings were playing against their power forwards. If LeDay and Blackshear get if foul trouble, we have no one who can handle D1 power forwards or centers. Even they are overmatched.
Doesn’t bode well for UNC matchup.
Up until last night I saw a group of guys who were improving with their fundamentals and understanding of how hard you really need to play but felt we had little chance to win ACC games. For now that is. But when last night’s game started I realized Ladies and Gentlemen we have a real basketball team now!!!! No idea what that will mean in terms of wins and losses but these guys not only can play the game but they play as a team. That’s a big difference. I believe we are ahead of schedule on the road to rebuilding a program. Just no idea when we will arrive but getting closer for sure.
And it is well coached
Coached High School b-ball. On the road my philosophy was to play well enough to have a shot at the end. Mission accomplished by Buzz’s Boys. We are closer than you think.
Like many hokies i vented my frustration bout officiating on message board last night but overwhelming vibe a day later is pride bout how well buzz’s crew played. These guys can flat out play.
The team confidence is slowly building.
Curious to know when Buzz is going to give Seth Allen the red light on his 3pt shot. He must shoot lights out in practice or something. He shoots 25% in games AND has taken more than any man on the roster. How is that a recipe for success??? NOT the guy I want taking a 3 to win it. LeDay is standing right next to him at 44% when he let that shot go w/ 2.7 sec left. A good player makes his teammates better and knows his strengths and weaknesses.
And there’s your answer…2.7 seconds… Not enough time for a pass and slow released shot from Leday…sorry, but Allen or Bibbs is EXACTLY who I want shooting it at that time…I don’t care what his percentage is…he’s a better shooter than Leday.
Not according to the numbers, or facts as I like to call them, but you’re entitled to your opinion.
Has Leday even missed a 3 point shot in the last two games? Something like 6 for 6 I believe. Regardless, I will always take a game on the road where we are shooting for the win in the last five seconds.
LeDay maybe better during the game. But Seth is the quicker shooter. LeDay’s shot is more of a set shot, too much time to develop in this scenario. Only other person would of been Bibbs, but Seth was the right man for the shot at the time. He had a good look and shot it with confidence. If we had been able to call time out; I think Bibbs would of been pulling the trigger.
Sooooo close. Love watching those Hokies! Man it would have been sweet if that shot had fallen!
I dont understand how Hudson can just disappear like he does. Frustrating.
Dude had 9 pts and led the team in rebounds last night. Abra cadabra…
What I mean is from night to night he can either carry the team or be a small role player. Near the end of the game when everyone knew Seth was going to shoot it, he was getting rid of it like it was a hot potato. I love the progress the team is making don’t get me wrong. They had that game in hand and blew it.
Great game, so proud of these kids, would be nice to pack the Cassell Sunday night and give this team the home court crowd they deserve!
Should be – the game is sold out.
Great news – prime opportunity to show the program is going to matter again.
Unfortunately a lot of the formerly empty seats will be filled by folks wearing baby blue.
No way UNC gets their fans in through the snow.
Unfortunately there are alot of unc fans that live in the New River Valley. They’ll be at the game in full force.
Great game Hokies!!! Congrats on all your hard work!! VT is definitely getting better!