Walker Carey is an RTC Correspondent. He filed this report after Saturday evening’s game between Virginia and Notre Dame in South Bend.

Three Key Takeaways.

Virginia Came Through in the Clutch on Saturday at Notre Dame (USA Today Images)

1. Virginia’s defense is as good as advertised. The Cavaliers entered play Saturday second in the country in both points per game defense and field goal percentage defense. They lived up to those high marks Saturday, as Notre Dame was held to a season-low 56 points and shot just 33.9% from the field. Virginia guard Malcolm Brogdon was instrumental to the suffocating defensive effort, as he played lockdown defense on Notre Dame star guard Jerian Grant all night. Grant finished the game with just six points on 2-of-8 shooting. Virginia also did an exceptional job in taking the Notre Dame bigs out of the game, as Notre Dame’s post players  finished with just a combined five points on 2-of-11 shooting to go along with just seven rebounds. The win moved Virginia to 15-0 on the season and if it can maintain this level of defensive intensity, that unbeaten mark may stay clean well into league play.
2. The Cavaliers saved their best basketball for winning time. After Notre Dame swingman Pat Connaughton hit a three-pointer to give the Irish a 51-50 lead at the 4:53 mark of the second half, Virginia went on a 12-5 run to finish the game. Brogdon and fellow backcourt mate Justin Anderson each hit important three-pointers down the stretch that helped lead to the Virginia victory. In close games, the victor is usually determined by which teams executes better and plays with more poise down the stretch, and that was no different Saturday as Virginia made the right plays at the right times to help secure the win.
3. Notre Dame needs more out of its frontline if it wants to be a factor in the ACC race. When Notre Dame won at North Carolina this past Monday night, Irish forward Zach Auguste led the way with 18 points. Saturday was a different story for Auguste, as the junior battled foul trouble for much of the game and finished with just four points and five rebounds to go along with a team-high four turnovers in 22 minutes. Virginia forward Darion Atkins was able to take advantage of Auguste’s off-night, as the senior finished with 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting to accompany his team-high eight rebounds. There are plenty of solid big men in the ACC, and if Notre Dame wants to finish near the top of the league, it is going to need Auguste to become a much more consistent post presence on each side of the court.

Player of the Game. Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia. Brogdon finished the game right at his season average in points with 13, but his most significant contribution to his team’s winning effort came on the defensive end of the court. From the opening tip to the final buzzer, Brogdon played suffocating defense on Notre Dame star guard Jerian Grant. Grant entered the game averaging 17.3 points per contest and Brogdon held him to just six points on 2-of-8 shooting. Virginia turned in a dynamite defensive effort Saturday and no player was more important to that effort than Brogdon.

Quotable.

• “You have to be great defensively, but you also have to make plays.” – Virginia coach Tony Bennett, commenting on his team’s 12-5 run to finish the game.
• “Malcolm (Brogdon) just did not yield. Almost all game. He did a great job.” – Bennett, acknowledging his junior guard’s superior effort on the defensive side of the court.
• “What a great ACC game. I am really proud of our guys. We are disappointed. You have to give credit to Virginia. They made some big shots when they had to.” – Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, complimenting Virginia for coming out on top in a hard-fought conference battle.
• “They have been really focused. Last time we lost a game (November 23 to Providence), we bounced up off the mat pretty good.” – Brey, responding to a question regarding how he expects his team to respond to the tough defeat.

Sights and Sounds. While classes do not resume at Notre Dame until Monday, the Purcell Pavilion was a sellout for Saturday’s showdown. The home crowd was into the game all night and definitely did its best to contribute to the Notre Dame effort. In the last minute when it became clear that Virginia was going to steal the road victory, a small faction of Cavaliers fans made themselves known in the arena’s upper bowl.

What’s Next. Virginia is back in action Tuesday, as it hosts Clemson in Charlottesville. Notre Dame will look to rebound from the loss Wednesday when it travels to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech.

WCarey (318 Posts)

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 10th, 2015 at 9:15 pm by Walker Carey and is filed under Regular Features, rushed reactions. Tagged: darion atkins, feature, jerian grant, justin anderson, malcolm brogdon, mike brey, notre dame, pat connaughton, rushed reactions, tony bennett, virginia, zach auguste. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.