Virginia got revenge against Notre Dame with a 65-53 victory Wednesday night in John Paul Jones Arena
It was a striking contrast to the embarrassing 76-54 defeat the Cavaliers suffered against the Irish on Dec. 30.
UVA has now won five straight ACC games and stretched the nation’s longest home winning streak to 22. The Cavaliers have not lost at JPJ since December 2022 against Houston.
In the loss at South Bend, the Irish jumped out to a 13-0 start and never looked back.
Not the case Wednesday.
The Virginia offense hit on all cylinders throughout the contest, fueled by a season-high 13 three-pointers, including nine in the opening half of play.
And the three-point barrage was a group effort.
Most of the year, it has been Isaac McKneely as UVA’s main three-point threat.
Against the Irish, McKneely, who had three three-pointers, had plenty of support.
Jake Groves had six from behind the arc, including going 5-of-6 from deep in the opening 20 minutes.
Reece Beekman, who had a game-high 21 points connected on 4-of-7 from behind the line.
The Cavaliers, in staggering out the gate in ACC play with a 2-3 record, struggled during that stretch in their offense to get good looks from behind the arc.
Wednesday’s performance against Notre Dame was encouraging.
The Irish arrived in Charlottesville losers of four straight and six of eight.
Virginia’s performance might be tempered, considering the tailspin the Irish have been in the last few weeks.
But a deeper dive into the Notre Dame stats might prove otherwise.
The Irish entered the contest ranked second in the ACC in scoring defense and third in field goal percentage defense.
Notre Dame gets at it on defense.
On offense, a different story.
The Irish offense is among the worst in basketball, scoring only a tick above 62 points a game.
That will fall even lower after Wednesday’s 52-point total.
Virginia finishes the first half of ACC play with a 7-3 mark.
Long-range shooting accuracy will be crucial for the Cavaliers as they head into February.
Without a consistent inside threat on offense, UVA will need to find and connect on the deep shots.
Ryan Dunn, who had a career-high 19 points Saturday against Louisville, was shut out in the scoring column, attempting just a single shot Wednesday.
If that trend continues, UVA must develop more offensive threats, in facing stiffer second-half conference competition.
Groves offered hope in that capacity against Notre Dame, as he connected on his first four three-pointers in the first half. His 15 points in the opening half gave the Cavaliers a 15-point lead at the break.
Life will certainly turn a bit tougher for Virginia, beginning with another Saturday road game, against Clemson.
UVA’s second-half ACC slate includes matchups with UNC and Duke, and a trip to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech.
Fun with numbers
- Notre Dame is winless in nine road games at Virginia. John Paul Jones Arena is the only road venue where the Irish have not won since joining the ACC in 2013-2014.
- The Irish led for 39:35 in the teams’ first meeting. Wednesday, Virginia held the lead for 38:57.
- 5714: the number of strikeouts that Hall of Fame Pitcher Nolan Ryan recorded in his career. Ryan was in attendance Wednesday night, on his 77th birthday.
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