Preview: Notre Dame at Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Va. (Interstat) — Two Atlantic Coast Conference teams looking to halt slides will meet Saturday when the Virginia Tech Hokies host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Cassell Coliseum.

The Hokies (13-5) have dropped three of their last four, including a narrow 77-76 road loss to SMU on Wednesday. Jailen Bedford led Virginia Tech in that defeat with 22 points, continuing a stretch of high-volume scoring. Over his last five games, Bedford is averaging 14.2 points, highlighted by a 25-point performance in a loss to Wake Forest on Jan. 3.

Virginia Tech’s recent outings have been defined by tight finishes, with three of their last five games decided by three points or fewer, including an epic 95-85 triple-overtime victory over Virginia.

Notre Dame (10-7) arrives seeking to end a three-game skid. The Fighting Irish are coming off an 81-69 home loss to Miami on Tuesday. Freshman guard Jalen Haralson has been a consistent bright spot, scoring 18 points in each of the last two contests and averaging 17.4 points over his last five games.

The Irish have struggled offensively during their losing streak, failing to reach 70 points in losses to Clemson and Miami. Their defense, however, kept them in games earlier this month, holding Stanford to just 40 points in a win on Dec. 30.

Saturday’s matchup will feature a contrast in momentum within ACC play. Virginia Tech aims to protect its home court and improve its conference standing, while Notre Dame desperately seeks a road victory to stabilize its season before a daunting stretch that includes games at North Carolina and Syracuse.

The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tipoff on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026.