Over the years, our broadcasting duo of Bill Roth & Mike Burnop have had many memorable calls, describing the action for both Hokie football and basketball. What they described Wednesday night in College Park, Md. with just under a minute remaining in the first half was nothing short of classic. (Note that I watched the game on television and heard this clip later.)

Bill was in his normal play by play mode describing the action as jason mcalpin, a terp senior from Silver Spring missed the second of two free throws. Then…..

Bill: “Oh my goodness! Hudson is getting sick on the floor”.

Mike: “Wow Bill! That was humongous! That’s going to take a while to clean up”.

Simple, but to the point; everyone knew they had plenty of time to go get a beer out of the fridge. The Raycom television crew of Tim Brandt (terp alum) and Dan Bonner (uva alum) were pretty much clueless at first as to what was going on, thinking that perhaps Dorenzo had been elbowed in the face. If anyone needed a reminder that we have one of the best, if not the best play by play and color commentary tandems in the country, look no further than that.

While we’re on the subject of Hudson’s puking incident, anyone interested in becoming a terp basketball manager should first watch the tape of a scowling more than usual gary williams as he glared at his team manager indicating for him to “Get the hell out there and get it cleaned up!”, without saying a word.

Ok, you can go ahead and fess up now. After last Saturday’s 39 point loss to unc you were starting to count down the days until spring practice begins for that other game with the funny shaped ball that takes the odd bounces. Luckily, Seth Greenberg & crew did not have the same thinking.

Jeff Allen in particular had quite a homecoming in his return to the metro DC area, with an incredible 14 point 14 rebound performance. He had perhaps the game’s most spectacular play as he swatted away a bambale osby shot in the lane that directly led to an A.D. Vassallo three that gave Tech it’s first lead of the game with 3:32 left.

Allen was also involved in what I feel was the turning point in the game. Just as it appeared things were starting to slip away in the second half for the Hokies, kind of like they did in Raleigh against state after the Hokies had battled back to make things close, this time Allen came up huge. The play started with A.D. on the right wing as he drove to the basket as it looked like he had a lane. osby quickly converged on A.D. & blocked the shot into the hands of james gist. As gist turned to outlet the ball, Allen stripped the ball away from gist, one of the strongest players in the ACC no less, and then converted on the layup right over the bewildered gist. We all know how things eventually turned out from that point on.

Kudos to Seth for challenging big Jeff in front of the whole team before the maryland game to play more up to his abilities. This would be a must if the Hokies were to have any chance against the likes of gist & osby, especially with JT Thompson sidelined with an ankle injury. Whatever Seth said it worked. Lets hope it carries over for the rest of the season, as the Hokies are a much better team when Allen is on his “A” game.

Don’t be worried at all that ga tech may have an advantage over the Hokies going into tomorrow afternoon’s matchup in Cassell, after the jacket’s game with uva last night was postponed due to a leaky roof at the Alexander Coliseum, thus giving the jackets a full week to rest. The Hokies are much better off continuing the roll of their performance in College Park on Wednesday night, as opposed to the ga tech’s last outing, a heartbreaking one-point home loss to miami.

The Hokies should be plenty fired up by Greenberg’s comments right after the maryland game, “We will not quit. We WILL keep on fighting”! Bring on the jackets baby!

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THE SETUP

The Opposing View: georgia tech

All-Time Series: VT 7-3

At VT: VT 4-2

Since Joining the ACC: VT 3-2

Last Meeting: gt 81, VT 70 – at georgia tech on 1/19/08

Of Note: A.D. Vassallo will surpass the 1,000 point mark with his first point on Saturday. He is currently at 999. Vassallo will be the 39th Hokie to reach the century mark.

Also, VT is encouraging all fans to wear red and black in support of Northern Illinois as they cope with an on-campus shooting. The Hokies will be handing out 6,000 red and black t-shirts at the game.

Had it not been for VT’s win at maryland, this game would have featured two teams mired in bad slumps.   But the Hokies overcame a 14-point first half deficit and an 11-point second half deficit to pull away from the terps and complete a sweep.  Now the Hokies return home to the Cassell where the Hokies are 9-2 this season, but lost their last game at home to the canes.

The jackets are another story.  As a team, they were leaking oil coming into the week, having lost three straight and four of five, including a home loss to streaking miami.  Now, gt is leaking water!  Their game against uva was postponed on Thursday due to a leaky roof at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.  So the jackets could be rusty on Saturday, especially after what is due to be some hazardous travel plans on Friday.

Don’t forget – the Hokie Celebration is in the Jamerson Athletic Center before, during, and after the game.  Here’s pics of Niemo at last year’s Hokie Celebration.  Think they’ll be a ban against arm-curling this year?  I do.

THE NUMBERS

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In this installment of the Opposing View, the real Tech does a Q&A with the other, lesser tech. You know, the one down in the ATL with the not-so-good-looking women (though not many of them), georgia tech. Maybe you’ve heard of them.

INTERVIEWEE:
Thanks to Mr. Smith from In the Edge – gt for taking time out to let us interview him. His site is all about raincoats; aka: yellow jackets. Mr. Smith is a graduate of georgia tech in Computational Media (’07) and is currently a grad student there.

OPENING QUESTION:
Q: You said you on your site that you questioned the “classiness” of VT fans at Lane Stadium. Why?

A: Let me start off by saying my two trips to Lane Stadium have probably been my favorite away trips as I love the stadium and atmosphere. Unfortunately, I’ve had to deal with some less than friendly fans. Being down on the field some fans behind our bench have yelled things that went a little beyond heckling in my opinion. I’ve also talked with some other GT fans that have had that experience walking to the stadium. I understand supporting your team and all but some VT fans take it to a level that it shouldn’t be. Although, all schools have fans like this but GT fans just found them more prominent at VT.

Niemo’s Note: Ha! Glad he didn’t see or hear me at the game in ATL this past Fall. I was even worse! No intimidation at all at ga tech, aka: Baby D Stadium.

BASKETBALL QUESTIONS:

Q: What are the strengths and weaknesses of this yellow jacket team?

A: The strengths of our team are that we play very physical and usually with a lot of energy. If we are playing our best we can frustrate another team very quickly. Also, if our offense is clicking then we can score in bunches very quickly.

The weaknesses are that we are very inconsistent. We were playing well for a stretch of games but have not played so well lately. It’s almost a flip of a coin as to whether or defense plays like it should and on offense we are often caught standing around which is very easy to defend.

Q: What are the key match-ups in this game?

A: I would say it is whether or not the Jackets can shut down A.D. Vassallo. 3-point shooters have killed us in the past, including Jack McClinton this past weekend. If we don’t guard him well and he starts to heat up then it is not a good sign for the Jackets.

Q: gt has stunk on the road over the last few years, including losing something like 19 straight in opponent’s arenas until last season. Is this year’s squad any more resilient?

A: We are actually better on the road than at home this year. We won three straight at UVA, NC State, and Wake and played pretty well at UCONN. However, we played very poorly at Clemson, but I would look for us to at least make it a close game against the Hokies.

Q: Will Matt Causey be giving VT a thank you card for not guarding him in Atlanta and saving his career? He owes us one.

A: I don’t expect him to drop another 30 but he may be in the range of 10-15. I think the ACC is glad he is only here for one year because he can be a very fiery and scrappy player that can annoy the crap out of opposing fans. I would like to see VT fans chant a clever nickname for him (he’s already had ones such as Hobbit, Frodo, and a few others).

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TechHoops.com Recap | Box Score

I’m still not entirely sure how we pulled that one off on the road against a much improved maryland team, but I’ll take it. I guess Malcolm calling out his teammates and saying that they “quit” had a big impact on the team’s mentality. I think we’re seeing the development of this team’s leader for the next four years. Oh, and there’s a slow-motion highlight of Dorenzo Hudson upchucking all over the floor.

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Hey, gus, we are Virginia Tech, and we just prevailed… AGAIN!!!

gus walking off the court after yet another loss to the school he turned his back on.

The maryland message boards were mocking this photo of me and gus the other day… twerp board Wonder what they are saying now?

OK, enough about benedict gilchrist. Let’s take a look back at my night in maryland at the arena better known as the Communist Center…

 

 

ROAD TRIP RECAP

4:45 PM – Getting a jump on traffic and heading to the game! I just have 18 miles to go, almost all on interstate, so I should be there in about 20 minutes!!!

4:55 PM – Already off 270 and onto I-495, better known as the Beltway! Making great time. Should be to the Communist Center by 5:20!

5:10 PM – Had 8 miles to go when I got on 495… have 7 miles left to go…

5:25 PM – OK, finally getting somewhere. I’m to where I-95 North breaks off so I’m sure traffic is going to lighten up. Just one mile to go for the Route 1 exit.

5:35 PM – I was wrong.

5:45 PM – Seriously, is this the most poorly designed exit ever? We have 22 lanes converging into 2 lanes on Route 1. maryland!

6:00 PM – Outside the arena. 32,000 empty parking spots. 17,000 seat arena. All parking spots are reserved. Hmm. Even L.A. would find this ridiculous.

6:05 PM – I’m parked, but I might as well be at “McBryde Hall” and be walking to Cassell.

6:20 PM – Tickets in hand! A maryland employee hooked me up. She told me these were great seats but also said, “Don’t wear Virginia Tech gear.” I now know why… I’m in the maryland student section. My seats aren’t even together, my buddy is in the row behind me. What do I care, they’re free.

6:35 PM – Buddy picks me up back at my parking spot. Off to the bar!

6:45 PM – DOUBLE BOURBON and coke!! Seriously, that’s how she made them. I’m not even sure there’s any Coke in them. Not complainin’, just sayin’.

6:55 PM – DOUBLE BOURBON and coke, Part II!!

7:15 PM – OK, enough of that. Single bourbon and Coke time. I want to remember the game.

7:20-7:45 PM – [scene missing... dang double bourbons!]

7:45 PM – I find myself in a debate about which conference is the worst BCS football conference. I say the ACC. RichRod says the Big East. Neither of us make any actual points, sticking to the always popular, “dude, it just is” or “you haven’t made a good point yet” or “because it just is” arguments. Seriously, we should both be politicians. We have their debating style down pat.

8:05 PM – Closing my tab. Bartender actually asks me what I had. Not sure how to answer this. Completely caught off guard. In reality, I had 2 double bourbons, a single bourbon, 3 Miller Lites, a Philly Chee-Steak, and enough mini-egg rolls to feed Hank Thorns for a year.

Devil on shoulder: “You had a single bourbon, a Miller Lite, and a Philly Chee-Steak.”

Angel on… hmm, where the heck is he? Probably stuck on the Route 1 exit. Needless to say, I went with the above tab. $20. Hey, is it my fault she doesn’t know how to bartend?

8:15 PM – Stopping at a drive-thru liquor store that is inside a trailer. Seriously, you can’t make stuff like this up. Only in maryland. For their sake, thank goodness for west virginia. 6-pack, bottle of Wild Turkey, here we go!

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The Hokies outscored the twerps 32-18 in the last 11 minutes of the ballgame to complete a sweep of maryland for the first time ever by the score of 69-65. A.D. Vassallo had 11 points in the final 3 and a half minutes to lead the Hokies down the stretch including a 3 bomb from the top of the key at the 3:32 mark to give the Hokies their first lead of the game. A.D. followed up that shot with another 3 at the 1:29 mark, giving Tech a 61-54 lead. He closed the game by going 5 of 6 from the line.

The Hokies got off to a horrendous start in the first half, as it appeared they were still hungover from the carolina game. Too many turnovers, sloppy fouls, and poor shooting (sound familiar?) led to a 28-14 deficit. To add insult to injury, Coach Greenberg came rather close to being ejected before the halfway point of the first half. The start of the game had an all too familiar script, especially when the Hokies started to chip away at the lead. An increase in the defensive intensity led to the comeback as maryland started making all the mistakes. Deron finally hit a three at the 8:12 mark to begin the comeback. The Hokies closed the half on a 15-3 run, cutting the deficit to 2 points as maryland led 31-29 at the half.

First Half Stats:

Field Goal Shooting:
Good Guys – 11/27 (40.7%)
twerps – 13/29 (44.8%)

3 PT shooting:
Good Guys – 2/7 (28.6%)
twerps – 3/7 (42.9%)

FT%:
Good Guys – 5/9 (55.6%)
twerps – 2/7 (28.6%)

Rebounds (OFF/DEF):
Good Guys – 21 (7/14)
twerps – 16 (4/12)

Turnovers:
Good Guys – 9
twerps – 8

The second half started rather sluggish for both teams. maryland picked up their first block of the game during the first Hokie possession, which was rather surprising since the twerps lead the ACC in blocks. At the 16:40 mark, the twerps had only one score in their last 23 possessions. However, the turtles went on a mini-run and at the 11:13 mark they were up 47-37.

The Hokies wouldn’t allow the twerps any more, and began to chip away (again). With J.T. Thompson out with an ankle sprain, Jeff Allen came through with a huge game. Allen scored 14 points, collected 14 boards, and had 3 blocks and 3 steals. He scored 4 of the first 6 points in the Hokies second half comeback. Hank Thorns had a couple critical plays during the final run. First, Thorns stole the ball from the md super punk at the 8:25 mark, which led to a Deron jumper that cut the lead to 47-45. Then after A.D.’s three ball to take the lead at the 3:32 mark, Hank followed up with one of his own from the top of the key at the 2:13 mark, which gave Tech a 58-54 lead. Thorns finished with only 5 points, but had 6 steals in 19 minutes of play.

Second Half Stats:

Field Goal Shooting:
Good Guys – 13/32 (40.6%)
twerps – 14/29 (48.3%)

3 PT shooting:
Good Guys – 4/10 (40%)
twerps – 2/7 (28.6%)

FT%:
Good Guys – 10/15 (66.7%)
twerps – 4/7 (57.1%)

Rebounds (OFF/DEF):
Good Guys – 19 (5/14)
twerps – 20 (3/17)

Turnovers:
Good Guys – 5
twerps – 10

When you compare the second half stats with the first half stats, the only things that stick out are the turnovers and maryland’s free throw shooting. Clearly though, our defense enabled us to halt the maryland onslaught in the first half and sparked us to victory in the second (along with a some key shooting down the stretch).

It was an especially sweet win for Coach Greenberg and the Hokies. The last time that Tech won in College Park was January 15, 1951. As I wrote earlier, it’s the first time that Tech has swept maryland. Tech has played the twerps twice in one season 10 times with the last time being 2004-05. Since the Hokies entered the ACC, they are 4-2 against maryland; winning all 3 games at the Cassell and going 1-2 in college park.

gus gilchrist was in attendance, and received the wrath of Niemo’s heckling as he headed to the locker room.

The most bizarre moment of the night was Dorenzo Hudson hurling towards the end of the first half. He blew chunks as the twerps were going to the line, and the clean-up effort halted the game for about 10 minutes. I can’t blame him. I would blow chunks if I had to be in the same place with 17,000 twerp fans. Hudson came back in the second half, new uniform and all (wearing #4). He finished with 7 points in 21 minutes of play.

So, what does this do to the big picture? Are we back on the bubble? Probably not, but we are one win away from stamping a ticket for post-season play. With the next 3 at home, we have a legit shot to finish over .500 in conference play. That’s amazing. The 2004-05 team that shocked everyone finished 8-8 and last year’s team was 10-6.

So you D.C. area Hokies better talk some trash around the water cooler tomorrow. It’s going to be sweet.

Niemo’s Notes:
- Whoa, whoa, Wick. Over .500 in conference play? You do realize this is the same team that just lost three in a row, right? And lost by 39 a few days ago? I would be VERY happy winning 2 of these next 3 at home. All are winnable – gt, bc, wake – but you can’t expect to win all 3 with this young squad. Even 2 would be an accomplishment, locking up atleast a .500 in conference record heading to clemson where we owe them for last year’s finale.
- Jeff Allen got his 7th double-double of the season with 14 points and rebounds. But this was his FIRST double-double in ACC play. Add in 3 blocks and 3 steals and he had a heck of a game, despite the fact he did not score in the first 18 minutes of the game.
- Deron stepped up tonight. I know he didn’t even see my article about benching him, but nonetheless, he proved his worth. He had some early missed wide-open jumpers and turnovers, but had a strong game overall with 12 points on 4/10 shooting (only the third time he’s shot 40% or better in an ACC game) and 7 rebounds. Deron hit some easy shots that got his confidence going. He also had 5 assists. Hopefully this will continue.
- They only list Thorns with 3 rebounds, but all 3 of them were clutch defensive rebounds in traffic. Scrappy-Doo is living up to his name.
- Formula: Win Rebound Margin + Win FT Attempts + (<15 turnovers) = VT win. Book it.
- Tonight: +4 RM, +10 FTA + 14 TO = win

GIVE ALL THE CREDIT TO GREENBERG Say what you will about the players stepping up, but this is deja vu all over again. VT lost at duke by 35 three years ago. They responded a few days later by winning at miami. This team, with a completely different team except for Deron Washington, rebounded from a 39 point loss by winning at maryland. You have to give this to Seth. He’s doing a lot of things right, including knowing what buttons to push to get the team to respond after losses that could have completely deflated a team. Instead, the seasons are saved and the team grows even more. Kudos, Greeny.

Around The World (Wide Web)
Terps take a big step back with loss | Diamondback Online
Allen rallies Hokies | Raleigh News Observer
Shell Shocker | Collegiate Times
Terps Gag, Hokies Puke: The Story | D.C. Sports Blog

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Update from Niemo: J.T. Thompson is in street clothes. Not good.

I’ve just received word that the King of TechHoops.com is taking his game to the md student section. Don’t be worried though. Niemo has rooted for the opposition at eagles games (that’s philadelphia), but look for the Tech gear in the md student section tonight.

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THE SETUP – SWEEP THE turtle!

Note: There will be no Opposing View for this game.  I don’t associate with terrapins, and frankly, I don’t care about their opinion.

All-Time Series: md 25-7

Series since Tech joined the ACC: VT 3-2 (The home team has won every time)

Last Meeting: 1/12/08 – VT 67, md 66

Back in 2005 a young Hokie team responded to a 35 point woodshed loss at duke by winning at miami three days later.  Let’s see how this team responds just four days after their 39 point loss at unc. 

One of the keys will be rebounding.  After winning the rebounding margin in each of their first eight ACC games, Tech has been dominated on the boards in their three straight losses.  unc had more offensive rebounds on Saturday than VT had defensive rebounds!  And in the first meeting, the terps controlled the boards by a 23-14 margin in the first half.  But the Hokies responded by outrebounding the terps 26-14 in the second half.  VT must get stops, including keeping bam osby and james gist off the offensive glass to have a chance in this game.

Another key will be Tech’s shooting: hitting shots and hitting free throws.  The Hokies shot just 26% on Saturday.  They had 28 free throws.  Tech is at their best when they are shooting well from the field AND getting to the free throw (yes, I know, Captain Obvious).  Shooting well isn’t enough, considering VT shot 54% and 47% from the field against miami and nc state respectively and still lost both.  VT must attack the glass and get to the line.

Hopefully VT can step up from behind the arc, too.  The catalyst is Vassallo.  He is just 2 for his last 19 from three-point range on the road.  Tech had seven threes at home against maryland.  If A.D. can hit an early three and get his touch back, it could open up the offense.

Also, VT needs to be more unselfish on the break.  It seems as if whomever has the ball in transition always shoots.  Find the open man and it will lead to an easy deuce, something Tech is starving for lately.

NUMBERS

THE GAME

maryland comes in to this game having won five of six. In fact, they’ve won seven straight against teams not named “duke”, including a win at #1 unc.  So the terps are going in the complete opposite direction of the Hokies, who have lost three straight and been blown out in their last two road games.  I’ll pile on by adding that the home team has won all five ACC games between these two teams.  But hey, the Hokies know they can beat this team.

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) and james gist. greivis is a complete offensive player: he can shoot the three, take the ball to the hole, and hit medium jumpers. He also leads the team with almost seven assists per game. I would expect to see Delaney or Washington on him, or Bell when he is in the game.  Gist is much more athletic and likes to get to the hole.

maryland also has Woodbridge native eric hayes at their disposal in this game.  He missed the game in Blacksburg with an ankle injury.  hayes is a spot-up shooter and cannot kill you on the drive.  Tech must not lose sight of him.  hayes averages 11 ppg and two threes.

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

-Photo courtesy of DuffHokie

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The ACC announced the 2008 Men’s Basketball Tournament Legends yesterday. Glen Combs, who played for Tech from 1966-68, is this year’s Virginia Tech representative. Read more about Combs and the rest of the legends at theacc.com.

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With Black History Month upon us, let’s look at coaching opportunities for minorities in the ACC. 

The schools that make-up the ACC cannot be accused of prejudiced hiring practices, at least when it comes to men’s basketball.  Despite being known as the best basketball conference historically, the league’s schools have shown modern, integrated hiring practices.  A total of seven ACC men’s basketball programs are led by non-white coaches (miami, nc state, bc, georgia tech, clemson, fsu, and uva).  Throw in the fact Seth Greenberg is Jewish, and you have two-thirds of the teams being led by coaches that are not white Christians. 

This is quite refreshing for a conference with deep Southern roots.  By comparison, the ACC is much more well integrated than the other major Southern conference – the SEC.  The SEC currently has just two non-white head coaches in men’s basketball and one of them, Butch Pierre at lsu, is only an interim head coach and he is replacing a white coach.  Georgia is the other school with a non-white head coach.

When you shift the focus to football, the picture is no where near as positive.  The ACC has just one non-white head coach, Randy Shannon at miami.  And the SEC has just one also, Sylvester Croom at mississippi state, the first and only black head coach in SEC football history.  This isn’t a condemnation on just these two conferences though considering the number of black and hispanic head coaches in all of Division I-A is in single digits.  In fact, there’s as many African-American head coaches in ACC basketball as there are in all of Division I-A football, I believe.

While the numbers are great in the ACC, it is interesting to look at where those minority coaches are at.  If you broke up the ACC into football schools and basketball schools, I would shake the institutions out as such:

Clear-Cut Football School

• Virginia Tech
• miami
• florida state
• clemson

Clear-Cut Basketball School

• unc
• duke
• nc state
• wake forest
• maryland

That leaves bc, georgia tech, and uva.  boston college I certainly don’t see as a football school.  I would throw them on the basketball side of things although they only had about 200 students at their home game against uva on Sunday.  georgia tech is in a college football mad city, but it is a SEC city.  I would lean towards calling georgia tech a bball school despite their history in football.  And uva I would call a lacrosse school, though if I had to pick between these two sports, I’d say they support football more.  They just aren’t any good at it.  [Click below to read on...]

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If you had to use one word to describe the 2009 Recruiting Verbals for VT, it would be “winners”.  Erick Green’s Millbrook team is 22-1, #1 in Virginia AA rankings, and the Northwestern District regular season champs.  They have already won their district tournament opening round game.  Ben Boggs’ Hidden Valley team is also 22-1 and are the River Ridge District Champs, also in Virginia AA Group. 

Could this be a potential state title match-up of two future Hokie guards?

2009 Recruiting Class

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Deron Washington has played in every ACC game Virginia Tech has played in except for one, the game at wake in 2006 that he was suspended for.  He has started 115 of the 118 games he’s played in at VT.  But he is really struggling on offense right now.  On a team with so many pups, it is hard to imagine benching your lead dog, but that might be what it takes to shake up this slumping Hokie team and help break Deron Washington out of his current slump.

I’m not talking about cutting down Deron’s minutes much.  He averages 36 minutes a game in ACC play.  Cutting that down to 30 and giving Cheick Diakite (or others) those extra minutes would help keep Deron fresh and focused while out there and not cost VT much on defense or the boards.  Deron was only playing 28 minutes per game last year and shot over 50%.  Plus, it would give guys who are going to be around next season that much more experience.  I’m not talking about giving up on this season, but just helping better prepare the underclassmen.

To say that the Human Highlight Film is in a shooting slump is an understatement.  Deron is in a shooting recession, depression, and crash.  In ACC play, he is hitting just 31% of his shots.  Let’s look at what he’s done from the floor in ACC games:

• 1/7 at wake,
• 1/8 against maryland,
• 4/11 at uva,
• 3/11 at ga tech,
• 2/9 against duke,
• 8/19 at bc (one of only two games he’s shot over 40%),
• 4/14 vs fsu,
• 3/14 vs uva,
• 5/8 at nc state (the only game he’s shot 50% or better),
• 3/9 vs miami, and
• 2/7 at unc.

This is an odd development since Deron’s shooting percentage had gone up every year coming into this year.  He shot 48% as a freshman, 49% as a sophomore, and over 50% last season.  Overall, he is just under 40% this year. 

Behind the arc it has been even worse.  Washington missed 14 straight threes until finally hitting one at unc on Saturday, and is shooting just 14% on threes in ACC play (3/22). 

All is not awful though.  Deron is getting to the line a lot.  He is averaging more than eight free throws per ACC game, which puts him in the top 5 in the league.  That’s a good sign for an athletic player that needs to be going to the rack.  He’s also leading the team in offensive rebounds in ACC games with 23. 

The problems, as I see them, are pressure, shot selection, and results.  Deron was a role player in past seasons, the jelly to Dowdell and Gordon’s peanut butter.  This season, he knew he’d be the focal point of other teams’ defenses and be the main creator on VT’s offense.  This is clearly not working out.  Deron struggles as a go-to guy on offense.  As a result, Deron has forced things at times.  Since no one else on the team is accomplished at creating his own shots, other than Vassallo, Deron has been out of control at times and taken wild shots that had little to no chance.  Also, he should have given up on the three long before his slump got to 14 straight misses.  Finally, even when he’s gotten good looks, his mid-range game has completely left him.  Deron has not been able to hit his jumpers from 12-20 feet.

Perhaps by bringing Deron off the bench, it will help jump-start his game.  It will take the pressure off him to be Tech’s offensive leader.  It might relax him.  It might give him some favorable match-ups as other teams are also starting to go to their bench.  Instead of having the opponent’s best defender on him, he might get a lesser guy.  Kind of like dropping a slumping clean-up hitter down in the batting order to get him better pitches.  It can also help the team by giving the Hokies an energy boost about 5-8 minutes into the game, when VT has really struggled.  The middle part of first halves have been anemic for the Hokie offense of late, causing them to fall into double-digit deficits in the first half of 5 of their last 8 games.

Tech could start Cheick Diakite in Deron’s place.  Cheick continues to be a shot-blocking force inside and could pick up Deron’s rebounds.  VT has been awful on the glass the last week, so they can’t afford to go small.  Delaney, Vassallo, Thompson, Allen, and Diakite could give them a solid rebounding group.  This would force guys like Delaney and Thompson to pick up their offensive creativity.  Delaney can be a good penetrator but he has been hesitant to do this at times.  Without Deron on the court, other guys will be forced to start opening up their game more.  Plus, this might lead to more post feeds for Jeff Allen, which is always a good thing.

It is hard to imagine not having Deron in the starting lineup.  He is one of my all-time favorite Hokies, not just because of the dunks, but because he gives 100% every time out.  He has never mailed it in like a Randy Moss or Derrick Coleman.  Deron maxes out on both ends every game.  But maybe it is time to put him back as a role player and bring him off the bench, at least until he settles into that role and the other guys pick things up on offense. 

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unc came, saw, and kicked VT’s butt by a 92-53 score. unc led by 20 at the half, and thanks to 12 straight misses by the Hokies to open the 2nd half, they blew the game away, leading by as many as 46. The only question was would unc double VT’s score. The answer was “no”, thankfully.

This was easily Tech’s worst effort of the season. They were dominated in every aspect of the game. Most of all, the Hokies were absolutely embarrassed on the boards, outrebounded by a 54-24 margin. 24 rebounds for the whole game! It was so bad that unc actually had more offensive rebounds than VT had defensive rebounds, 18-16.

VT shot less than 26% for the game, and as mentioned above, missed 12 shots to start the 2nd half. They hit only 14 shots for the game while committing 21 turnovers. Vassallo continued his road slump on threes, going 0/5 and 3/13 from the floor overall. Tech’s starters went just 12/46 from the floor and they got just 8 bench points.

Delaney was the only Hokie in double-digits. Meanwhile, Hansbrough had 23, Ellington a “quiet” 19, Green 12, Stepheson 11, and Graves 10 for unc.

The disturbing thing is not that Tech is 5-6 in ACC play. If you had told me before the season that VT would be 5-6, I’d be shocked and thrilled. The disturbing thing is the fact VT is getting worse as the season goes on. Since entering the halfway point of ACC play at 5-3, the Hokies have gone 0-3 and not really been competitive in any of those three games. Sure, Tech only lost by 3 to miami, but it really wasn’t that close. Tech never led, or even tied, the game in the second half. You hope that freshman get better as a year goes along, and that clearly isn’t the case with this team. They are getting worse.

The basic lesson I’ve learned in the last week is that VT was lucky as heck in the first half of the season. They trailed for most of the 2nd half in 3 of their 5 ACC wins. They just happened to go on a run at the right time, and pulled out victories in those games. They aren’t doing that now, largely because their deficits are too much to overcome.

So, let’s look at the positives from today:

• Malcolm Delaney took a huge step forward today. He was the only VT player that looked ACC worthy today. He shot the three well (3/6), got to the line (9/11), and competed (20 points). He also had 4 steals.
• Deron Washington broke out of his 0/14 slump on threes by hitting a three early in the 2nd half. However, he is shooting under 31% from the floor in ACC play and under 20% on threes (3/22).
• Cheick had four blocks and was a force in his 11 minutes. He needs more playing time. I saw a stat the other day that said he blocks 1/8 2-point shots an opponent takes while he is in the game. That’s amazing.
• VT got to the line 28 times, just one less than unc. In the last two losses to nc state and miami, the Hokies had not been getting free throws. That was not the issue today. This is a good sign for a team that doesn’t shoot the three well. You have to be aggressive and go at the basket. The problem was that the shots VT wasn’t fouled on weren’t dropping and turnovers were too high.
• A very young VT team lost by 35 at duke back in 2005. That team grew a lot that day, even beating duke at home later that season. I think that game really instilled a fire in Dowdell, Gordon, and the rest of the team. Let’s see if the same happens with this team. This was VT’s first real “ACC road experience”. Let’s see if this loss hardens the Hokies. They need it.

Long story short, VT must develop another outside threat to compliment Vassallo (or replace him on the road). Delaney made strides in that respect today. Dowdell was a terrible three-point shooter as a freshman, but worked his butt off before his sophomore year. Someone (Delaney, Thorns, Hudson, etc) is going to have to make the same kind of commitment this offseason.

Around The World (Wide Web)
UNC 92, Virginia Tech 53 | UNC Basketball Update
Hokies give up against Heels | Gaston Gazette
Hansbrough, UNC roll past Virginia Tech | Hoops World
5th-ranked Tar Heels crush Virginia Tech | The State
UNC 92, Virginia Tech 53 | Carolina March
Carolina routs Virginia Tech, 92-53 | Yardbarker

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THE SETUP

UPDATE: Danny Green (flu) and Deon Thompson (knee) are questionable for today’s game. Ty Lawson is out (ankle).

Spread: unc by 13.5 (Awfully high with their injuries. And the O/U is 151 which I think is high with Lawson out and VT’s offensive difficulties.)

The Opposing View – unc

All-Time Records:

• Series: unc 55-12
• At unc: unc 25-5
• Since Joining the ACC: Tied 2-2
• Streak: VT – 2

The Hokies end their week layoff by facing their seventh opponent from North Carolina this season on Saturday. This time, it is the unc-chapel hill tar heels. VT is 3-3 against NC schools on the year, but 0-3 in conference. Tech lost at wake and nc state, and fell to duke at home. But the Hokies did manage to sweep the tar heels last season, beating then #1 unc at home 94-88 and winning at chapel hill 81-80 in OT. The problem is not many of the current Hokies experienced that thrilling win.

Though you never hope for injuries, Tech’s best hope in this one might be if Point Guard Ty Lawson is unable to go for the heels. He has missed unc’s last three games completely, and was out for the final 40 minutes of the fsu game. In those four games, unc has been taken to overtime by fsu and clemson, and won by just one point at 1-9 uva. The heels lost at home to duke by 11 during that stretch, too.

Lawson is the best true point guard in the ACC. He has the quickness of sean singletary but without the turnovers. He gets unc’s transition game going, which is something they rely on heavily to help feed their 90 ppg average. Without him, they have averaged “just” 75.5 ppg in regulation, compared to 87 ppg in regulation in ACC play with him.

Still, even if Lawson can’t go, you have to deal with POY candidate Tyler Hansbrough. The super spaz is back for a third season and still not on valium. He is averaging a double-double per game with 23 ppg and 11 boards. In conference play his numbers are even higher, averaging an ACC-high 23.4 ppg and 12.5 rebounds. He loves to attack the rim and jump into contact, averaging more than 10 foul shots per game! Even worse, he can power through the contact and still make the shot for an and-one. The Hokies must hope this game is not called tightly so Diakite, Allen, Witcher, and the player doubling Tyler can block his shot or stop him without sending him to the line. But Tyler gets the calls usually.

The other key is how Wayne Ellington fairs. He struggled without Lawson against duke and fsu, scoring just 8 in each game. But he has regained his stroke and poured in 47 in the last two games. If he’s hot and Hansbrough is getting to the line, VT is in real trouble.

The Hokies must reverse their recent trends. After winning the rebounding margin in their first 8 ACC games at a clip of +6, the Hokies were -10 on average in their two losses last week. The heels spread you out with their inside-outside threat, and transition game, so everyone on Tech’s team will have to work hard to find a body to block out.

Also, the Hokies aren’t getting to the line of late. In Tech’s first 8 ACC games, the Hokies were averaging 7 more free throw attempts per game than their opponent. Last week, they were -33 on free throws.

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The big question amongst Hokie fans this week (other than “How is it possible that Roger Clemens flips into a rage when a chunk of Mike Piazza’s broken bat lands near him but is totally fine with his personal trainer injecting his wife in the butt with hgh in their bedroom?” or “What the hell must Kelvin Sampson’s phone bill look like?”) is have the young ’07-’08 Hokie hoopsters hit the wall in the rough & tumble ACC?

Well, it won’t take long to begin to get an answer to this question. At 5-5, and coming off two straight losses, there is no doubt that Tech is getting a much needed week off this week. But will the Hokies be able to use this rest to their advantage? Any added pressure of making the NCAAs has pretty much been removed at this point. Being well rested will be one of the few advantages Tech has as they pay a visit to #5 unc tomorrow. You’d expect to see rejuvenated play from a veteran team that has been through ACC battles before. With this year’s baby Hokies, one thing we’ve learned this year is to expect the unexpected. The unexpected would be great this week as the Hokies will be big underdogs not only tomorrow but also Wednesday at maryland. Some winnable games follow so lets hope the Hokies make it through this week without being that bug on the windshield.

There are two rules in college basketball that I would like to see changed by next season. One, only players who are on the court and in the game should be allowed to call timeout and NOT the coach. Second, if a player (or coach) calls timeout in the backcourt as his team is facing a 10 second violation, fine, BUT when they inbound the ball they should NOT get another 10 seconds to get the ball over half court.

That way, if an official such as ted valentine somehow decides there are a couple of tenths of a second on the clock even though the 35 second shot clock is showing 25, then the team that has just called timeout and is inbounding the ball will only have those remaining tenths of a second to get the ball over half court. Seems like a simple way to let the game be decided by the players and not a ref who may feel he’s “above the game”.

Speaking of teddy v, there he was again on Sunday night in Chapel Hill for the clemson-unc matchup. Already on the s**t list of Hokie fans, valentine should not expect much fan mail from tiger fans either after the heels went to the line 36 times compared to only 7 for clemson, in a very physical 103-93 double OT unc win. With a disparity in the calls like that, it may be another 100 years before clemson wins in Chapel Hill.

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For the second time in 11 days, the Hokies head down to Tobacco Road to face a NC state school.  This time, it is unc-chapel hill.  So TechHoops.com also heads back down to the First in Flight state to do a little Q&A with the heels.

Interviewee:

Turner Walston. Born in Goldsboro, NC to UNC grads. Always felt like I ‘owed’ an allegiance to UNC since my parents met there. Met my wife in the same room my parents met, at the Baptist Student Union on campus. Graduated in 2003 with a BA in Communications. Completed a Master’s in Sport Management from East Carolina University in December 2007. Currently a Physical Education researcher and contributing writer to Tar Heel Monthly magazine and TarHeelBlue.Com.

Basketball Questions:

Q: What are the strengths and weaknesses of this year’s unc team?

A: The strengths are Tyler Hansbrough (everybody’s All-American) and the speed at which this team is able to play with Ty Lawson. Lawson makes the team go, and, as you have probably seen, without Lawson, it’s almost as if the ‘heartbeat’ of the team is missing. They can run, but don’t have the finisher in Lawson that they usually do. It’s been a struggle without him, to say the least.

Weakness: They don’t commit to defense like they ought to. Great defensive teams can get away with taking a few plays off, whether you like it or not. This team is not a great defensive team, and thus must commit 100 percent to defense. When they don’t, they get burned. Also, the half-court offense leaves something to be desired. Lawson gets down the floor so quick that they often don’t even fall back into the half-court. But otherwise, it can easily be ‘get the ball to Tyler and stand around.’

Q: What are the key match-ups in this game?

A: Deron Washington is kind of a ‘tweener’ that will be difficult for this Tar Heels team to match up with. You give up height if you put Marcus Ginyard on him; you give up mobility and effectiveness if you stick a guy like Deon Thompson on him. He may see Danny Green off the bench most of the night. I think A.D. Vassallo vs. Hansbrough, if they guard each other, will be big. Alex Stepheson will probably play more minutes than average, if he can stay out of foul trouble, to help out with the big forwards that VT plays.

Niemo’s Note: I think it is interesting every Opposing View subject says Deron, yet he’s probably only been Tech’s third or fourth best player this season.  I assume a lot of this has to do with the fact he’s the only player most teams know about. 

Q: Do you think the tar heel players have some additional motivation in this game after being swept by the Hokies last year?

A: Maybe, but I doubt it. I think that is pretty much forgotten about. If this team is thinking about last year, then they are going to continue to get caught on their heels (no pun intended).

Q: What will it take for the Hokies to upset the heels for a third time in a row?

A: Double or triple Tyler and don’t let him pass out; Take away someone else because you know Tyler is going to get his. Maybe don’t let Ellington get his shot going. If Ty doesn’t play, then it’s a whole new ballgame.

Q: What’s your impression of Coach Greenberg and the VT program?

A: I respect Seth very much, and I think most if not all Tar Heel fans do. Anyone that can come in the Smith Center and have the kind of success he’s had, and coach and play the right way, deserves that. Also, for standing up to Duke and the Cameron Crazies, he deserves a pat on the back. But, as I stated above, I went to East Carolina for grad school. Any coach that comes after Ricky Stokes is going to look like a winner. Stokes’ bio in the ECU media guide listed this as an accomplishment: “Laid the foundation for ACC Coach of the Year Seth Greenberg.” That’s a Stokes accomplishment? That means he made it so bad that the next coach had to be coach of the year..

Niemo’s Note: Winner, winner, chicken dinner!  Another ricky stokes bust!  I love it!  People are going to start thinking I’m writing these articles myself.  (I’m not, I promise)  Now if only we can find someone to bust on Nick Sorensen…

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