SOUTH BEND, Ind. _ Poor weather forced Virginia to arrive in South Bend around 10:30 p.m. Friday.
But Saturday afternoon, Notre Dame was the ice-cold team.
The Irish missed their first nine shots and never recovered, falling to the third-ranked Cavaliers, 82-55, at Purcell Pavilion.
"That's men verses boys," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. "They kind of took our spirit. We couldn't get into any offensive rhythm and it affected us defensively and it affected our fight, which was disappointing. We played discouraged, which a lot of people do against them."
Virginia (18-1, 6-1 ACC) scored the game's first 12 points and any thoughts of an upset quickly vanished for the Irish (11-9, 1-6). Notre Dame's first points came on a basket by John Mooney with 13:35 remaining in the first half.
"When they punched us in the first half, we didn't really have an answer," said Notre Dame guard T.J. Gibbs. The junior had nine points.
"It's hard to start off down so much and having to fight back the whole game, especially against a good, active defensive team," Gibbs said. "We just have to have a better start than that in both halves and keep pushing through and fighting."
Gibbs couldn't pinpoint a particular reason for the rough start.
"We got some good shots that just didn't go down for us," Gibbs said.
Mooney had his sixth consecutive double-double, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds. But overall, Notre Dame never found its shooting touch. The Irish shot 36.1 percent from the floor. Virginia shot 52.2 percent.
"I can't say enough with how impressed I am with (Virginia)," Brey said. "They can win the national championship. They are men that have won together and who are polished and we are the exact opposite right now searching and trying to build it.
"That was a perfect storm that hit us right between the eyes."
Five Cavaliers scored in double figures. De'Andre Hunter led Virginia with 19 points. Kyle Guy made six of his eight shots, including going 3 for 5 on 3-pointers, for 15 points.
"I told our guys before if you're ready to play, you're ready to play, regardless of when you get here," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. "It's always important to get off to a good start, but certainly on the road where the crowd maybe pushes them back a little early."
Virginia went on a 23-5 run in the second half to push the lead to 30 points and send the Irish to their fourth consecutive loss.
Things don't get any easier for the Irish, who play No. 2 Duke Monday at Purcell Pavilion. Brey's immediate attention was on having a solid Sunday practice.
"If you're not ready to compete, you're going to take another big punch," Brey said.
