Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between Virginia and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Notre Dame 38-23.

Virginia entered the matchup having won four straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it five, or will Notre Dame step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.

Who’s Playing

Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ Virginia Cavaliers

Current Records: Notre Dame 7-13, Virginia 15-5

How To Watch

What to Know

Notre Dame has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they’ll head out on the road. They and the Virginia Cavaliers will face off in an ACC battle at 7:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday at John Paul Jones Arena. Notre Dame is expected to lose this one by 13 points, so we’ll see if that gives them a bit of motivation.

Notre Dame’s game on Saturday was all tied up 23-23 at the half, but sadly for them it didn’t stay that way. They fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 61-58. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Notre Dame in their matchups with the Eagles: they’ve now lost four in a row.

Despite the loss, Notre Dame got a solid performance out of J.R. Konieczny, who scored 15 points along with eight rebounds and three steals.

Meanwhile, Virginia had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.7 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Saturday. They enjoyed a cozy 69-52 victory over the Cardinals. Winning is a bit easier when you work as a team to rack up 13 more assists than your opponent, as Virginia did.

Virginia can attribute much of their success to Ryan Dunn, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds. Dunn is trending in the right direction, as he’s improved his point production for four games straight. Reece Beekman was another key contributor, almost dropping a double-double on nine points and nine assists.

The Fighting Irish’s defeat was their fifth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 7-13. That rough patch could be blamed on the team’s lackluster offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 57.6 points per game. As for the Cavaliers, their victory bumped their record up to 15-5.

Wednesday’s game is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Notre Dame have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.4 rebounds per game. It’s a different story for Virginia, though, as they’ve been averaging only 33 rebounds per game. Given Notre Dame’s sizable advantage in that area, the Cavaliers will need to find a way to close that gap.

Notre Dame took their win against the Cavaliers when the teams last played back in December of 2023 by a conclusive 76-54. The rematch might be a little tougher for Notre Dame since the squad won’t have the home-court advantage this time around. We’ll see if the change in venue makes a difference.

Odds

Virginia is a big 13-point favorite against Notre Dame, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 13-point spread, and stayed right there.

The oddsmakers are predicting a defensive showdown and set the over/under low at 116 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Virginia has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Notre Dame.

• Dec 30, 2023 – Notre Dame 76 vs. Virginia 54
• Feb 18, 2023 – Virginia 57 vs. Notre Dame 55
• Jan 29, 2022 – Notre Dame 69 vs. Virginia 65
• Jan 13, 2021 – Virginia 80 vs. Notre Dame 68
• Dec 30, 2020 – Virginia 66 vs. Notre Dame 57
• Feb 11, 2020 – Virginia 50 vs. Notre Dame 49
• Feb 16, 2019 – Virginia 60 vs. Notre Dame 54
• Jan 26, 2019 – Virginia 82 vs. Notre Dame 55
• Mar 03, 2018 – Virginia 62 vs. Notre Dame 57
• Mar 09, 2017 – Notre Dame 71 vs. Virginia 58