Pace: 71 possessions. Second-fastest game ND has played this year - replacing the Duke win in that slot. Virginia Tech tried really hard to speed this one up, it seemed to me.
Efficiency:
Notre Dame--117
Virginia Tech--114
Pretty interesting game. Notre Dame played a lot of "Ole!" defense, especially in the first half. Virginia Tech was getting so many runs at the rim, I asked Brey after the game if they were content to give up buckets to avoid fouling for two reasons - 1) Keep his players out of foul trouble, and 2) Keep VT off the foul line, where they get a ton of their points.
Brey didn't go as far as to say the team was content to give up buckets, but did say they were trying to avoid putting VT on the line (and that was unsuccessful, as VT ended up with 27 FTA's). He suggested they might take a look at more zone to see if that can help avoid putting opponents on the charity stripe.
Anyway, the defense is now giving up 1.05 points per possession when adjusted for strength of schedule. Their ranking has plummeted all season, and that continued after last night - ND now ranks 236th nationally in defensive efficiency, which is the worst for the Irish in Kenpom's history (dates back to 2002).
But I won't bring the hammer down too bad after a win. It seems the business model the last two games has been "whatever" with the defense, we're going to outscore you no matter what. It worked at Duke, and it (narrowly) worked against VT. As much criticism as Auguste has drawn (and some of it is deserved), he finished with a heck of a line - 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 15 boards (including six on the offensive glass). I still don't understand why he's incapable of flushing a dunk in the post, but whatever.
Jackson finished with 18 points, and both Bonzie (15) and Vasturia (14) were key contributors. Not one of the better outings for Beachem, who I hope can get back ontrack soon - he's really a great kid, you can't help but want to see him succeed.
Pflueger again played 18 minutes, and Ryan interestingly enough only played 12 after receiving the starting nod. As Pflueger has risen, Ryan has declined a bit, even though he moved into a starter's role. We'll see if that trend continues.
Notre Dame Identity Stats:
1) Effective Field Goal Percentage: 55.3 percent. This was okay, it was really dragged down by a 5-for-17 (29 percent) performance from three. Notre Dame was highly efficient inside the arc.
2) Turnover Rate: 9 TO's in 71 possessions is a 13 percent turnover rate. This is outstanding, especially after Notre Dame committed seven in the first half alone.
3) Defensive Rebounding Rate: 19 percent (six VT offensive rebounds in 31 opportunities). This is a tremendous effort, huge check mark here.
Summary/Looking Ahead: Notre Dame got the 'W', and finished with checkmarks in all three identity stats, including massive checkmarks in two.
So why does the tone of this recap give off a negative vibe? I'm not sure, maybe I'm looking at the win the wrong way, But that's how I felt for a couple reasons.
1) Virginia Tech is not as good as their ACC record suggests.
2) The defensive rankings continue to fall, which I know will hurt Notre Dame at some point, no matter how well they keep scoring.
Kudos have to be given to the Irish for not getting down after making so many runs at the Hokies but being unable to overtake the lead for so long. That mental toughness was big, among some other positives from the game. And a win is a win.
But there's still a lot of work to be done. An unbelievably challenging slate looms in just a couple weeks, starting with a Feb. 3 game at Miami. Notre Dame has got to find some defense before then, because as great as they are offensively, they still will not be able to score most games like they did at Duke. At some point, they're going to have to guard people.
Efficiency:
Notre Dame--117
Virginia Tech--114
Pretty interesting game. Notre Dame played a lot of "Ole!" defense, especially in the first half. Virginia Tech was getting so many runs at the rim, I asked Brey after the game if they were content to give up buckets to avoid fouling for two reasons - 1) Keep his players out of foul trouble, and 2) Keep VT off the foul line, where they get a ton of their points.
Brey didn't go as far as to say the team was content to give up buckets, but did say they were trying to avoid putting VT on the line (and that was unsuccessful, as VT ended up with 27 FTA's). He suggested they might take a look at more zone to see if that can help avoid putting opponents on the charity stripe.
Anyway, the defense is now giving up 1.05 points per possession when adjusted for strength of schedule. Their ranking has plummeted all season, and that continued after last night - ND now ranks 236th nationally in defensive efficiency, which is the worst for the Irish in Kenpom's history (dates back to 2002).
But I won't bring the hammer down too bad after a win. It seems the business model the last two games has been "whatever" with the defense, we're going to outscore you no matter what. It worked at Duke, and it (narrowly) worked against VT. As much criticism as Auguste has drawn (and some of it is deserved), he finished with a heck of a line - 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 15 boards (including six on the offensive glass). I still don't understand why he's incapable of flushing a dunk in the post, but whatever.
Jackson finished with 18 points, and both Bonzie (15) and Vasturia (14) were key contributors. Not one of the better outings for Beachem, who I hope can get back ontrack soon - he's really a great kid, you can't help but want to see him succeed.
Pflueger again played 18 minutes, and Ryan interestingly enough only played 12 after receiving the starting nod. As Pflueger has risen, Ryan has declined a bit, even though he moved into a starter's role. We'll see if that trend continues.
Notre Dame Identity Stats:
1) Effective Field Goal Percentage: 55.3 percent. This was okay, it was really dragged down by a 5-for-17 (29 percent) performance from three. Notre Dame was highly efficient inside the arc.
2) Turnover Rate: 9 TO's in 71 possessions is a 13 percent turnover rate. This is outstanding, especially after Notre Dame committed seven in the first half alone.
3) Defensive Rebounding Rate: 19 percent (six VT offensive rebounds in 31 opportunities). This is a tremendous effort, huge check mark here.
Summary/Looking Ahead: Notre Dame got the 'W', and finished with checkmarks in all three identity stats, including massive checkmarks in two.
So why does the tone of this recap give off a negative vibe? I'm not sure, maybe I'm looking at the win the wrong way, But that's how I felt for a couple reasons.
1) Virginia Tech is not as good as their ACC record suggests.
2) The defensive rankings continue to fall, which I know will hurt Notre Dame at some point, no matter how well they keep scoring.
Kudos have to be given to the Irish for not getting down after making so many runs at the Hokies but being unable to overtake the lead for so long. That mental toughness was big, among some other positives from the game. And a win is a win.
But there's still a lot of work to be done. An unbelievably challenging slate looms in just a couple weeks, starting with a Feb. 3 game at Miami. Notre Dame has got to find some defense before then, because as great as they are offensively, they still will not be able to score most games like they did at Duke. At some point, they're going to have to guard people.
