No. 9 Notre Dame 85, Virginia Tech 60: Pat Connaughton went 5-of-6 from the 3-point line for 17 points and 10 rebounds as the visiting Fighting Irish easily downed the Hokies.

Jerian Grant had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists as Notre Dame (18-2, 6-1 ACC) went 12-of-26 from the arc - the seventh time the Irish have hit at least 10 3-pointers. Zach Auguste added 16 points and eight rebounds and Demetrius Jackson had 12 points.

Ahmed Hill had 13 points, five rebounds and four assists to lead Virginia Tech (8-10, 0-5), which has lost six straight. Jalen Hudson added 12 points and Devin Wilson scored 11 as the Hokies played without freshman standout Justin Bibbs because of a concussion.

Grant's three-point play gave the Irish an 11-point lead seven minutes in and Connaughton and Grant hit 3-pointers in a 90-second span to push the lead to 27-15 with seven minutes left in the first half. The Hokies got within seven on Hill's 3-pointer, but the Irish answered with a pair of 3s and Steve Vasturia stopped another Hokies run with a putback for a 38-28 halftime lead.

The Irish hit their first three 3-pointers of the second half and Grant added a three-point play for a 53-34 lead with 15 1/2 left. Connaughton, who hit both of his 3s in the second half, had a steal and layup for a 75-49 lead with less than five minutes remaining and the Irish cleared their bench minutes later.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Irish have their best 20-game start since a 19-1 mark in 1973-74 and matched the program's best conference start (6-1 in 2002-03 in the Big East). ... Connaughton became the 11th Notre Dame player with 1,200 points and 700 rebounds. ... The Hokies went 7-of-24 from the 3-point line and were outrebounded 43-29.