What to know about Notre Dame men's basketball vs. Georgia Tech
Notre Dame men’s basketball is no longer playing under the shadow of an extended losing streak. The Irish beat Virginia Tech 74-66 on Saturday, ending a seven-game skid and opening the door to a strong finish to head coach Micah Shrewsberry‘s first season.
“I wish we could bottle this and get the same exact thing,” Shrewsberry said after Saturday’s Notre Dame win. “Maybe the next game, we have to win it in a different way. You don’t know.”
Up next is Georgia Tech, who is tied with Notre Dame for second-to-last in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Irish have a realistic chance to build a win streak, as they’re set for a date with Louisville (8-17, 3-11 ACC) as their next game after the Yellow Jackets.
“Just sticking to the game plan,” Shrewsberry said when asked what Notre Dame has to do to stack wins. “Keep working on the fundamentals. Keep doing what we need to do. And do whatever it takes to win. I think that’s what they’re doing.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.
Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech game information
- Teams: Notre Dame (8-16, 3-10 ACC) at Georgia Tech (10-14, 3-10 ACC)
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 14
- Location: Purcell Pavilion in South Bend
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Television: ACC Network
- TV announcers: Ariya Massoudi (play-by-play), Tom Crean (analyst)
- Radio: 960 WSBT-AM in South Bend
- Radio announcer: Tony Simeone
Matchup notables
• Last time Notre Dame played Georgia Tech, the Irish won 75-68 in overtime to improve to 2-3 in the ACC. Freshman guard Braeden Shrewsberry led the way with 25 points off the bench, going 5-of-9 from 3-point range, and Julian Roper II splash from downtown gave Notre Dame the lead for good in OT.
• On the Georgia Tech side, junior guard Miles Kelly matched Shrewsberry with a 25-point night of his own. Freshman forward Baye Ndongo was a star as well, scoring 16 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. Ndongo forced overtime, drilling a 3-pointer with 5 seconds remaining in regulation.
• Ndongo is one of Notre Dame guard Markus Burton‘s competitors for ACC Rookie of the Year, having won the Rookie of the Week award three times to Burton’s two. The 3-star recruit from Denver — originally hailing from Mboro, Senegal — averages 11.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 57.7 percent from the field. That mark ranks 10th in the conference and first among ACC freshmen, while his rebounding number ranks eighth and first, respectively.
• Kelly is Georgia Tech’s leading scorer at 14.8 points per game, along with 5.9 boards (which would lead Notre Dame) at only 6-foot-6.
• The Irish are 8-2 in their last 10 games against the Yellow Jackets.
• Notre Dame turned in its most balanced effort of the season in its win over Virginia Tech, but Burton was still the star. He totaled 16 points (despite starting the game 2-for-11), 8 assists, 6 steals and 4 rebounds.
• Significantly, the Irish have back-to-back good games going from sophomore forward Kebba Njie, who has struggled and even looked lost at various points throughout the season. Njie played excellent defense against Duke forward Kyle Filipowski, the preseason ACC Player of the Year, for the second time. He followed that up with a season-high 11 points against Virginia Tech. Getting Njie — the team’s only true 5-man — going is imperative for the Irish as the season hits its home stretch.
