Jan. 22, 2015

Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery

Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey’s opening statements …

I’m really pleased with our effort tonight on both ends of the floor. I thought overall we were really good defensively in both halves. What helped us tonight was we were able to get one-and-dones on the run and when we run we are really potent. I don’t think a lot of people in the country play like us and move the ball like us. It’s just a heck of a weapon. Jerian Grant, I just don’t know if there is better player than him in the country and how he kind of stirs the drink for his team. Great to have Zach Aunguste back in rhythm after a week last week where he was distracted with some academic stuff, because we need him to score and rebound for us.

Brey on the big difference …
I think its because we got some in transition before their defense could be set. Pat Connaughton goes and gets 10 rebounds and we’re out, and we’re running. We got really clean looks. We make 12 threes and V. J. Beachem goes 0-for-7, he hasn’t kind of missed a shot in a month. That’s amazing really. I thought Zach [Auguste} and Bonzie [Colson], our big, kicked the ball out to some guys for some clean looks.

Brey on how Notre Dame made it a tough shooting night for Tech …
You’re worried about them, they make nine threes a game, I thought we did a good job for the most part getting out on the arc. We gave up a couple drives because we were kind of aware of three-point shooters, but we actually blocked some shots around the bucket that helped us. I think our defense was great because [Tech] was never really able to get into a rhythm. We switched some ball screens, played a little bit of zone just to change the tempo, and that helped us some too.

Virginia Tech Head Coach Buzz Williams on the Notre Dame offense …

Specific to Notre Dame, offensively they are just so potent. It’s hard to figure out where your help can come from. They make you pay based on your decision of where you’re going to help. You can change your ball screen coverage, which we did. I told coach, they are as good a team as they have had. I thought at times in the first half we did okay, but we became very offensive sensitive in the second half. I think when you are playing against a team and constantly taking the ball out of the net, you want to turn it into a scoring contest and you think your stops will come after you score a basket. That’s not the right way to play period, but it’s for sure not the right way to play against Notre Dame because they’ll win.

Specific to Joey, I have handled it, I promise you, the best possible way that I believed to handle it. He’s a good kid, it was not an easy decision in any sort of way. He’s in school, he’s going to graduate. That’s important to him, it’s important to his family. That was the decision that I made and obviously I didn’t make it very quick.

Williams on Notre Dame’s transition threes …
I told our team, I think it was the first timeout I called in the second half, I said this is the first time I’ve ever said this to you because we’ve never had this problem, but we’ve got to get back in transition. When Devin had his second fouled in the first half, we played Shane [Henry] and Satchel [Pierce] together and we were discombobulated in transition and they shot open shots, they just happened to miss them. In the second half, their first four possessions they scored in transition and or got fouled. I think that time frame was when we became offensive sensitive.

Williams on the upcoming game against Coach Bennett and the Cavaliers …
I know coach real well, I have great relationships with his entire staff and we scrimmaged Virginia every year over the last four years, not this year. We did USA Basketball together. I completely understand what they do and that will very much be a challenge for us. Everyone talks about the backline. They are as good as there is in the country defensively, but they are also really good offensively. I think that’s why they are undefeated. They are playing on one side of the ball, they’re playing both. I think Notre Dame would prefer it to be a scoring contest, and if it is, they win. I think Virginia doesn’t want that and doesn’t want to allow you to get to the paint and not foul you and only give you one shot.