No. 2 Virginia at Virginia Tech, 1 p.m. Sunday NBC29
The Cavaliers travel to Blacksburg for a meeting with the Hokies on Sunday. Virginia Tech is is still looking for its first ACC win of the season and stands at 8-10 overall and 0-5 in the conference. The Hokies are in the middle of a brutal stretch: 78-63 loss at No. 6 Louisville, 68-53 loss at No. 15 North Carolina, and 85-60 loss at home vs. No. 8 Notre Dame. The closest Tech has gotten to an ACC victory was a 68-66 setback against Syracuse in Blacksburg on Jan. 3. That was new coach Buzz Williams' first game in the ACC. The Orange led, 42-23, at the half but Tech got within two points, 51-49, with 6:34 remaining before Syracuse scored eight of the next nine points. Tech battled back and got within a possession at the end when Syracuse missed two free throws but Tech's Malik Muller missed the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
If nothing else, Williams -- who coached at Marquette for six seasons before Tech and compiled a 139-69 record (went to the Elite Eight at the end of the 2012-13 season) -- has brought energy to the Hokies program. He frantically gestures and dances on the sideline during the games and the players seem to have mostly bought into his upbeat philosophy.
It remains to be seen, though, whether this team is much better than last season's Tech team, which was 8-10 at this point as well with an overtime ACC win against Miami. Tech is one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the country (28th) at 39.1 percent, but its best shooter from beyond the arc and leading scorer, Justin Bibbs (47.1 percent and 13.6 ppg), will be out for the third straight game with concussion symptoms. That leaves the Hokies' leading scorer to be Adam Smith (12.4 ppg), and he can shoot the 3 pretty well, too (44.2 percent). Will Johnston (44.4 percent) is the only other player that shoots better than 33 percent from 3 but he only averages 3.7 ppg and 13 minutes per
game, though he has played 20 or more minutes in three of the Hokies' five ACC games.
I said that the players have mostly bought into Williams' style because Joey van Zegeren, one of Virginia Tech's only big men at 6-foot-10, was recently kicked off the team. He apparently had a
nasty run-in with a coach at a practice recently. He was the Hokies' third-leading scorer (9.8) and leading rebounder (5.3), so Tech might be missing his presence inside, though Williams of course said the Hokies are better off without him. He had not played in any ACC contests and looking at his game log, you can see his minutes were kind of decreasing throughout the season. Tech is one of the worst rebounding teams in the country so UVa should be able to dominate the boards. If Virginia wants to get aggressive on the offensive glass, which is not always something the 'Hoos do since they like to get back on defense, they can probably fare well, because Tech allows opponents to rebound nearly 40 percent of their own misses (stat found on StreakingtheLawn.com). Satchel Pierce is a 7-foot freshman that has been getting more minutes with van Zegeren out. He's started two ACC games and is getting 21 mpg while averaging 3.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game on the season.
Two other solid players for the Hokies are Ahmed Hill (8.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and Jalen Hudson (6.3 ppg). An X-factor could be point guard Devin Wilson (7.4 ppg, 4.3 assists per game), who can shoot pretty well and scored 25 points in two games against the Cavs last year as a freshman. He also penetrates the lane well. In the game in Blacksburg last year, he hit five of his seven shots and the Hokies led, 28-21 at halftime and by 11 in the second half before UVa stormed back for a 57-53 victory. Virginia won the first game of the season between the rivals, 65-45, in Charlottesville. This season, the Hokies come to John Paul Jones Arena on Feb. 28.
Interestingly, despite shooting the ball well from beyond the arc, Tech is one of the worst free-throw shooting teams in the country at just a tad over 60 percent.
The game is sold out. Obviously, a lot of 'Hoos are making the trip, but I'm sure a lot of Hokies will be there as well and they will be fired up to "welcome" the No. 2 in the country and their arch-nemesis. If Tech can get some quick 3-pointers to fall early, the Hokies could definitely hang around for awhile. Slowing down Wilson will also be a key for UVa since he is good at penetrating, another kryptonite to Virginia's Pack-Line. Virginia has a distinct size advantage, so it should be able to take advantage inside the paint and on the boards. Overall, it is tough to not feel good about the game on paper, but the tough contest at Cassell Coliseum last season gives me pause. I think Tech and the frenetic Williams will throw the kitchen sink at the Cavs. Tony Bennett and the 'Hoos need to be ready to respond.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 5-10.
The Cavaliers travel to Blacksburg for a meeting with the Hokies on Sunday. Virginia Tech is is still looking for its first ACC win of the season and stands at 8-10 overall and 0-5 in the conference. The Hokies are in the middle of a brutal stretch: 78-63 loss at No. 6 Louisville, 68-53 loss at No. 15 North Carolina, and 85-60 loss at home vs. No. 8 Notre Dame. The closest Tech has gotten to an ACC victory was a 68-66 setback against Syracuse in Blacksburg on Jan. 3. That was new coach Buzz Williams' first game in the ACC. The Orange led, 42-23, at the half but Tech got within two points, 51-49, with 6:34 remaining before Syracuse scored eight of the next nine points. Tech battled back and got within a possession at the end when Syracuse missed two free throws but Tech's Malik Muller missed the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
If nothing else, Williams -- who coached at Marquette for six seasons before Tech and compiled a 139-69 record (went to the Elite Eight at the end of the 2012-13 season) -- has brought energy to the Hokies program. He frantically gestures and dances on the sideline during the games and the players seem to have mostly bought into his upbeat philosophy.
It remains to be seen, though, whether this team is much better than last season's Tech team, which was 8-10 at this point as well with an overtime ACC win against Miami. Tech is one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the country (28th) at 39.1 percent, but its best shooter from beyond the arc and leading scorer, Justin Bibbs (47.1 percent and 13.6 ppg), will be out for the third straight game with concussion symptoms. That leaves the Hokies' leading scorer to be Adam Smith (12.4 ppg), and he can shoot the 3 pretty well, too (44.2 percent). Will Johnston (44.4 percent) is the only other player that shoots better than 33 percent from 3 but he only averages 3.7 ppg and 13 minutes per
I said that the players have mostly bought into Williams' style because Joey van Zegeren, one of Virginia Tech's only big men at 6-foot-10, was recently kicked off the team. He apparently had a
Two other solid players for the Hokies are Ahmed Hill (8.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and Jalen Hudson (6.3 ppg). An X-factor could be point guard Devin Wilson (7.4 ppg, 4.3 assists per game), who can shoot pretty well and scored 25 points in two games against the Cavs last year as a freshman. He also penetrates the lane well. In the game in Blacksburg last year, he hit five of his seven shots and the Hokies led, 28-21 at halftime and by 11 in the second half before UVa stormed back for a 57-53 victory. Virginia won the first game of the season between the rivals, 65-45, in Charlottesville. This season, the Hokies come to John Paul Jones Arena on Feb. 28.
Interestingly, despite shooting the ball well from beyond the arc, Tech is one of the worst free-throw shooting teams in the country at just a tad over 60 percent.
The game is sold out. Obviously, a lot of 'Hoos are making the trip, but I'm sure a lot of Hokies will be there as well and they will be fired up to "welcome" the No. 2 in the country and their arch-nemesis. If Tech can get some quick 3-pointers to fall early, the Hokies could definitely hang around for awhile. Slowing down Wilson will also be a key for UVa since he is good at penetrating, another kryptonite to Virginia's Pack-Line. Virginia has a distinct size advantage, so it should be able to take advantage inside the paint and on the boards. Overall, it is tough to not feel good about the game on paper, but the tough contest at Cassell Coliseum last season gives me pause. I think Tech and the frenetic Williams will throw the kitchen sink at the Cavs. Tony Bennett and the 'Hoos need to be ready to respond.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 5-10.
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