THE SETUP – SHEAR THE turtle!

Spread: VT is favored by 3 1/2

Alright, Hokie fans, its time to quit whining about Stinespring (I know, it is hard) and focus on Hokie Hoops! In case you haven’t noticed, and judging by the attendance, you haven’t, the season is halfway done with nothing but ACC games from here on out. So strap it on and let’s get ready to “welcome” in one of my most hated schools to the Cassell, where the Hokies are 6-0 this season.

All-Time Series: md 25-6 (yeesh)

Series since Tech joined the ACC: 2-2 (VT is 2-0 at the Cassell)

Last Meeting: 1/21/07 – VT 67, md 64 (OT) – The infamous Ice Bowl. Ice and snow pelted Virginia, leading to the Tech Administration opening up the arena to all students and making it General Admission. The students nearly packed the Cassell and turned the place into a very hostile atmosphere.

THE GAME

maryland comes in to this game having won four in a row. But only four of their 16 games have been played away from the friendly confines of the Communist Center in college park. They have only played one true road game, a 76-72 win at charlotte. The terps are 0-3 in their other three games away from home. So they do not come into this game familiar with playing on the road or with much confidence, and they are a young team. Let’s hope they struggle like the Hokies have on the road due to their youth.

maryland is red hot after losing three straight games, all at home, to fall to 6-6. This included a loss to ohio, bc, and american. The natives were getting restless but the terps have since responded.

The terps love to crash the boards on the offensive end and have a high-riser in James Gist. If you don’t put a body on him, you could end up on a poster. Bambale Osby is a Cheick Diakite clone inside but with a better offensive game. Tech will likely counter with Diakite guarding him. He doesn’t have great post moves, though, so Allen might be able to guard him without risking fouls.

The terps are really a two-man show in ACC Super Punk greivis vasquez (think Bill Laimbeer combined with super-spaz, Tyler Hansbrough). He is a complete offensive player: he can shoot the three, take the ball to the hole, and hit medium jumpers. I would expect to see Delaney or Washington on him, or Bell or Thompson when they are in the game.

Niemo arm-curling vasquez like a little baby. Niemo owns him!

Don’t expect to see a lot of Hank Thorns in this game. Due to the length of the maryland lineup, Thorns would be at a huge disadvantage on defense. He is 7-9 inches shorter than their guards!

And finally, the Hokie fans need to bring the noise! I hate maryland. I really hate maryland (article from last year). If it wasn’t for uva, they would be Public Enemy #1. Their fans were scared to let me interview them for this article. So let’s get in there, get loud (just like the Ice Bowl), and send these punks back to their two-bit state. Are you with me???!!!

Projected Starters

^ I predict Diakite will get the start over Witcher, but both should see a lot of minutes, or at least more than they’ve seen of late. maryland, as you can see from their heights, is a very tall and also physical team.

* Eric Hayes, from Dumfries, VA, sat out maryland’s last game with an ankly injury. It is unknown at this time if he will be able to go on Saturday. If he can, he will play point guard and vasquez moves to shooting guard.

Keys to the Game

• Stop James Gist: ACC Super Punk, greivis vasquez, is going to get his points. He is averaging 17 per game and 18 in their six losses. But Gist is another story. He is averaging just 9 points per game in the terps losses, five and a half points below his average overall and half of what he averages in maryland wins. He is a slasher and a world class athlete. Tech must get a body on him to keep him from getting easy dunks or offensive putbacks.
• Allen Avoids Dumb Fouls: Jeff Allen will likely be guarding Bambale Osby, practically a goon inside, or James Gist. Gist is much more athletic and quicker than Allen. He will likely try to attack the hoop. Allen must position himself between Gist and the hoop and not reach. Having Jeff guard Osby would be safer, since Osby is a back to the basket type of player.
• Pack it in: maryland is a bad three-point shooting team, ranking 10th in the ACC. Also, their best shooter, Eric Hayes, may miss this game with an ankly injury. greivis vasquez is their only true three-point threat, though freshman Cliff Tucker is getting better. Tech must collapse inside and force the terps to beat them from long range. The terps get to the line a lot, so the Hokies need to draw charges and avoid challenging too many shots. The 2-3 zone might be a good option but Tech must not let penetrators slip through seams and find a man to box out on misses.
• Make the extra pass: maryland leads the ACC in blocked shots with 7 per game. The Hokies cannot wildly attack the hoop. The result will be a charge, free throws, or a ball in the third row off a rejection. The terps will collapse and go after the block. The Hokies need to move without the ball and look for a feed from the penetrator.
• Make the extra (short, bounce) pass: Tall players are less likely to deflect/steal bounce passes. The Tech guards must do a good job of setting up the offense and make their pass from the 3-point line in, not 30 feet away. And bounce passes are key to avoid turnovers/steals.
• Turn Turnovers into Transition: The terps turn the ball over a lot at 17 times per game. And if Hayes doesn’t play, that should go up. The terps won’t have a true point guard, at least not an experienced one. Tech can get easy hoops if they can take turnovers and get out and run the court. This will avoid half court sets, where maryland’s D is at their best.