Home UVA Basketball: ‘Hoos lay egg, blown out at home by Notre Dame, 74-59
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UVA Basketball: ‘Hoos lay egg, blown out at home by Notre Dame, 74-59

Chris Graham
uva basketball
Photo: Mike Ingalls/AFP

The UVA Basketball team, in need of another win in its quest for an ACC Tournament bid, hosts Notre Dame on Saturday (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

The Irish (8-10, 2-5 ACC) had the midweek bye this week, after losing its last one, at Syracuse, by a 77-69 final last Saturday.

Second-year coach Micah Shrewsberry was 13-20 in Year 1 after taking over for Mike Brey, who only took Notre Dame to one NCAA Tournament in his last five non-COVID seasons, after going to back-to-back Elite Eights in 2015 and 2016.

Shrewsberry has back from his first team 6’0” sophomore point guard Markus Burton (19.8 ppg, 3.6 rebounds/g, 3.3 assists/g, 45.1% FG, 36.7% 3FG), who averaged 16.0 points and 6.0 assists in the two games between UVA and Notre Dame last year.

You’ll also remember Braeden Shrewsberry (14.8 ppg, 43.6% FG, 37.0% 3FG), who is, yes, the head coach’s son, and a 6’4” sophomore.

Tae Davis, a 6’9” junior, has become a bigger weapon for Notre Dame (16.4 ppg, up from 9.2 ppg last year).

Davis’s numbers are up because he’s getting more shots (11.1 FGA/g, vs. 6.7 FGA/g last season), and he’s improved as a finisher (50.3% FG, vs. 48.4% a year ago).

The other top contributor is Princeton transfer Matt Allocco,  6’4” senior (10.2 ppg, 4.4 rebounds/g, 3.0 assists/g, 46.9% FG, 47.1% 3FG).

How they match up


Davis and 6’10” junior Kebba Nije (6.7 ppg, 6.1 rebounds/g, 56.1% FG) give the Irish size in the post.

Shrewsberry will go roughly 10 minutes per game with a four-guard lineup, with 6’7” junior JR Konieczny (4.3 ppg, 42.3% FG, 35.5% 3FG) and 6’6” freshman Sir Mohammed (2.9 ppg, 34.6% FG, 21.4% 3FG) as the stretch fours, with Davis moving over to the five spot.

I can see UVA interim coach Ron Sanchez sticking with his two-bigs lineup against the Notre Dame four-guard set, because of the defensive versatility of 6’8” junior Elijah Saunders (12.3 ppg, 5.4 rebounds/g, 45.9% FG, 40.7% 3FG) and 6’9” freshman Jacob Cofie (7.4 ppg, 5.2 rebounds/g, 49.2% FG, 23.5% 3FG).

My concern would be, who guards Burton.

This is where Dai Dai Ames (5.9 ppg, 1.8 assists/g, 38.4% FG, 37.5% 3FG) can be important.

Ames, at 6’1”, might be the best option for Sanchez to try to keep Burton somewhat in check.

Forecast


  • KenPom: Notre Dame 65-64
  • BartTorvik: Virginia 62-61
  • EvanMiya: Notre Dame 66-64
  • Haslametrics: Notre Dame 63-62
  • ESPN BPI: Notre Dame +0.5

First half


First media timeout: Notre Dame 8, UVA 3, 15:44/1st

Notre Dame is double-teaming the post with UVA’s post-to-post doubles, and UVA didn’t read either of them correctly. Turnover on one, missed an open Isaac McKneely on the second.

Dai Dai Ames has two fouls trying to guard Markus Burton, who has all eight Notre Dame points.


UVA timeout: Notre Dame 14, UVA 3, 13:36/1st

No continuity on offense: 1-of-7 from the floor, two turnovers.


Second media timeout: Notre Dame 14, UVA 9, 11:44/1st

The offense is: hey, Isaac, shoot it. Three contested threes, all touching the bottom of the net.


Third media timeout: Notre Dame 21, UVA 11, 7:21/1st

McKneely is 3-of-4; the rest of the team has one make in 12 attempts.

Not missing on good looks. Honestly, the three makes by McKneely weren’t good looks; they were tough makes.


Notre Dame timeout: Notre Dame 22, UVA 18, 5:49/1st

McKneely has 14 (5-of-6 FG, 4-of-5 3FG).


Fourth media timeout: Notre Dame 34, UVA 23, 1:48/1st

McKneely has 14 points and two assists. Responsible for 18 of the 23 points.

Markus Burton has 15 for Notre Dame (4-of-8 FG, 4-of-5 3FG, 3-of-3 FT).

Virginia has just one make at the rim (1-of-5). Notre Dame is 4-of-10 at the rim.

Half: Notre Dame 39, UVA 27


First observation: We need to designate TJ Power for assignment. Kid is a lost cause as far as this season is concerned.

The analysts who contributed to him being rated a five-star need to lose their accreditation.

Next: I’m trying to figure out how Notre Dame shot 41.2 percent and has 39 points at halftime.

They’re 7-of-15 from three, so that’s an EFG of 70 percent on those shots.

UVA, though, is 5-of-12 from three, which works out to 62.5 percent, so, that’s close.

They’re 4-of-4 at the line and 4-of-10 at the rim.

(UVA: no FTA, 3-of-8 at the rim.)

Only have 31 possessions, but that’s three more than UVA has.

‘Tis a mystery.

UVA’s defensive rebound percentage is 65.0 percent (13 defensive rebounds/seven offensive rebounds for ND).

Ideas for what to fix/how to fix it:

  • I don’t know what UVA does to check Markus Burton. Three of his four makes from three were tough makes.
  • The UVA offense has felt disjointed from the get-go. I don’t have a fix there, either.

There, I’ve been a big help.

Second half


First media timeout: Notre Dame 49, UVA 31, 15:33/2nd

Notre Dame is 3-of-5 from three this half. Good dribble penetration and kickouts to open shooters. Pretty basic stuff.


Second media timeout: Notre Dame 53, UVA 32, 12:14/2nd

Sanchez and the staff didn’t have this team prepared to play this game, and made no tweaks in the second half to address what they failed to game-plan for.

The shooters are running off the screens, catching it with a decent look, and passing up the look to cycle through the next series of screens.

No one is attacking the paint until the final 8-10 seconds of the shot clock, so, no pressure on the defense.

The ball is above the three-point line way, way too much.

The shots that our guys are getting are freelanced.

It’s hard to think that they wouldn’t be more effective just playing it like it’s a pick-up game.


UVA timeout: Notre Dame 63, UVA 36, 8:05/2nd

Remember how, in my halftime report, I said, I don’t know what to do.

Yeah, neither did the coaching staff.

They’re not even mailing it in anymore.

Virginia has 36 points in 32 minutes against KenPom’s 157th-rated defense.


Notre Dame timeout: Notre Dame 63, UVA 46, 5:41/2nd

A 10-0 UVA run could only cut the deficit to 17.

Final: Notre Dame 74, UVA 59


The final score masks how thoroughly Notre Dame (9-10, 3-5 ACC) controlled this one.

The Irish shot 59.1 percent (13-of-22) in the second half, 5-of-8 from three, led by as many as 27.

Virginia (9-11, 2-7 ACC) didn’t make a basket from the field for an 8:59 stretch of the second half.

Isaac McKneely had 14 points, but his last basket came with 5:50 to go in the first half.

Jacob Cofie had 17 points, but 11 came after the game had gotten out of hand.

Just not a lot of good stuff to write about.

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].