Though he has fouled out of four straight games, Rodney Howard has been productive. He did not play in Tech’s first meeting with Notre Dame. (photo by Danny Karnik)
When he studies the film of Blake Wesley, Josh Pastner sees a familiar player staring back at him.
With his combination of burst, confidence and fearless shot-making, Pastner says Notre Dame’s 6-5 freshman guard bears a not-so-passing resemblance to former Yellow Jacket Josh Okogie. Notre Dame already knew it was stocked with veteran shooters, but as it bids for its first NCAA Tournament in four years, it’s Wesley who actually leads the Irish in scoring (14.7 ppg). A strong finisher and explosive in transition, Wesley poured in a team-high 22 points in Notre Dame’s 72-68 overtime win over Tech in January. Like Okogie, he’s come out of nowhere to appear in the first round of several NBA mock drafts.
The Irish started most of their offense last month with a side pick-and-roll and the corner clear. If they couldn’t score on that side, they reversed and continued the action through the other big, hoping to get Tech’s defense elastic enough for back cuts or “pop” threes. They still have plenty of cunning scorers like Dane Goodwin, Cormac Ryan, Nate Laszewski and Prentiss Hubb. They still rank second in the ACC in three-point percentage in conference games (38.2 pct.). But Wesley is the straw who stirs the Irish’s drink, giving them the kind of slashing, bucket-getting X-factor they had lacked in recent seasons. His usage rate is comparable to Wake Forest’s Alondes Williams.
Look for 6-4 Dane Goodwin (14.4 ppg) to get engaged early Saturday – the senior has slogged through back-to-back games with single-digit points after only having one in his 26. He missed all five of his three-point attempts against Tech, but he excels at running off pin-down screens, and he gets his shot off well. Can the Jackets take the Irish out of their flow state and turn the game into a grind Saturday? And can they defensive rebound out of their area better? Notre Dame ranks among the poorer teams in the country in offensive rebounding (No. 335 in offensive rebound percentage), but Virginia Tech collected some back-breaking offensive rebounds off of long caroms Wednesday.
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Georgia Tech allowed 32.9-percent field goal shooting to Syracuse, its lowest in an ACC loss since… Notre Dame. The Jackets allowed 32.8-percent shooting but fell to the Irish 69-59 at Purcell Pavilion February 10, 2019.
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“He’s got to protect his first foul, because the first foul is just as important as the third or fourth foul. And protecting your first foul doesn’t mean you’re not playing hard. Protecting your first foul [means] being really sound and fundamental.”
That from Josh Pastner on his radio show about center Rodney Howard. The junior picked up his first foul at the 18:15 mark of the first half against Virginia Tech and only lasted 18:45 before fouling out. It snapped a streak of four straight games in double figures for Howard, who continues to be a late-season revelation at center.
Howard didn’t play in Georgia Tech’s first matchup against Notre Dame, still sidelined with a sprained ankle. That opened the door for 6-9 grad transfer Paul Atkinson Jr. (12.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg) to catch pick-and-roll passes and carve out deep seals around the rim. The ACC’s leader in field goal percentage (57.6 pct.), Atkinson finished with 16 points and eight rebounds against the Jackets. He poured in 20 points and a career-high 17 rebounds against Syracuse Wednesday.
Unlike last month, Howard will be on the floor Saturday to guard Atkinson. Can he stay on the floor though? He’ll also need to be nimble defending the pick-and-roll – guard Prentiss Hubb (No. 1 in the ACC in assist/turnover ratio) is an especially clever passer in that action.
