Buzzketball Drops Heartbreaker At Notre Dame 83-81

11 days ago, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team fell flat against Duke on the road and lost by 24. On Saturday, Notre Dame beat the same Blue Devil squad in Durham in a tight four point game. If you believe in the transitive property in sports, the Hokies' contest on the road against the Fighting Irish would be a one-sided event.

Instead, it was quite the opposite.

Buzz Williams' squad lead for 25 minutes, built up an eight point advantage by halftime and yet couldn't hold on as they drop an 83-81 heartbreaker in South Bend. Star upperclassmen Zach LeDay and Seth Allen each turned in 20 point performances, Justin Bibbs threw in 12 and senior Shane Henry contributed a surprising 11, but it all wasn't enough down the stretch.

During the best of times, throughout the opening period and into the second, the Hokies controlled the tempo and attacked relentlessly. Notre Dame struggled to contain Allen, as he not only got into the paint but was able to kick out to shooters surrounding the arc.

But as the night wore on, multiple things trended against the visitors. Tech's youth showed as they moved too fast early in the second half, rushing shots and missing rotations as the Irish chipped away at the deficit. Notre Dame big man Zach Auguste proved impossible to guard as he crashed through the lane time and time again, finishing with 22 and a game leading 15 rebounds.

"They're the number one team in offensive efficiency in the country," Williams said. "It's a little bit of pick your poison. I don't think you can guard their ball screens the same over and over because they just pick you apart.

"I think you have to have multiple plans on matchups and ball screen coverage. For the most part I think we did that ok. Brey doesn't have a guy on the court who can't play, pass and shoot."

Throw in the stout Bonzie Colson, and Williams' guys were outmanned underneath. The pair wrecked havoc as the Tech coaching staff rotated Henry, LeDay and Kerry Blackshear Jr. as much as possible through foul trouble.

As the youngsters ran out of steam, a disjointed pace controlled primarily by the whistle of the referees squashed any remaining momentum the Hokies may have had. Tech was called for 14 fouls in the final 20 minutes, as the Irish's aggression put them on their heels.

To their credit, they did not wilt in the closing moments. Seth Allen still had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but instead his three pointer touched every part of the hoop except the bottom of it, and his team picked up their second conference loss.

Though it's always difficult to take positives from a defeat, the result was another step in the right direction for a group who has shown surprising growth against the ACC.

"When you're part of an arduous process such as this it's really hard to remove yourself from the intensity and pace of it," Williams said. "I think the only way that you can progress is literally to just be consumed with the day. I think we showed great maturity today. It's easily the best game we've played on the road since we've been here."

Things won't get easier for Williams, as he gets ready to play North Carolina in Blacksburg on
Sunday. The second ranked Tar Heels have been the class of the conference thus far, and will challenge the Hokies in all facets of competition. But the Hokies have been good at home, can they show another leap against possibly the best team in the country?

A few quick thoughts

The offense is leaps and bounds better when LeDay hits his threes, or at least enough of them to worry the defense. Coming into the matchup against the Irish, he hit eight of his 10 triples in the month of January (and made two more in South Bend) and it opens driving lanes for everyone else.

Notre Dame's forwards had to respect his shot, and with a big man out of the paint, the guards got to the basket. But what makes him such a headache for opposing coaches is that it's tough to put a smaller player on him, because they'll find their guard posted up for a relatively easy two.

Here's the thing, though. Is this sustainable, or just a statistical anomaly? As great as it is to watch him jack up those herky jerky heaves, you have to remember he's really only done this over the last five games. Personally, I want to believe in the LeTrey (we can do better, right? It was all I could come up with), but it's still too small a sample size to expect them to fall every night.

I know it's simple to point to the officiating as the fulcrum for the loss, even someone who staunchly supports the refs would have raised an eyebrow or two at some of the calls. But it's hardly the reason for the Irish's comeback. The Hokies took some bad fouls, with Blackshear and Henry over aggressively hedging or chasing Auguste 30 feet from the rim.

And though a handful of decisions could have gone either way, surrendering 46 points in the final 20 minutes of regulation was the culprit behind the rally. Tech couldn't get a stop for long stretches, and gave up tons of barely contested looks.

The Hokies were the better team for most of the night, which is refreshing considering it wasn't the case in a few of their wins, but the defense must improve if further progress is to be made. The Irish are great offensively, but are just one of many in a league full of others who can light it up. Tech can't give up 50% shooting every time out, and will be tested against everyone else remaining on the schedule.