Oh, hey!  There you are!  We’ve missed you!  I knew you’d be back.  Sure, that ACC title and Orange Bowl Championship in football was great and unexpected.  And maybe that 5-4 start in hoops scared you away.  But I said back in August this basketball team was better than our football team.  Do I still say that?  Hmm.  That’s a tough one.  I think they are close to equal in talent.  Let’s face it, the ACC is a heck of a lot better in basketball than football.  And it was Skyline-chili-eating cincinnati in the OB, for goodness sake.  I knew these guys could play, I was just surprised that several players seemed to have regressed this season (sophomore slump) instead of stepping up their game. So maybe I’ll give the football team a slight edge but not a big one.

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So welcome back!  There’s plenty of room on the bandwagon!  As it stands now, seven more wins and VT is in the Big Dance with 95% certainty, unless they go 5-7 in ACC regular season play the rest of the way and win two games against crap teams in the ACC Tourney – then they would still be on the bubble.  But if the Hokies get their seven more wins, you have to think they are in.

Well, now here we are.  Winners of eight of our last nine games.  That is the second best run in Greenberg’s six seasons here.  The Hokies won nine of 10 back in 2006-07.  Tech can also tie for the longest winning streak under Greenberg (five) with a win on Sunday at miami (won’t be easy).  VT has twice won five in a row under Seth (2004-05 and 2006-07).

Here’s some comments on the win at wake and more:

• Have to give it up to the Hokie big men.  Thought wake’s bigs would dominate, but instead the VT big & tall stole the show.  Tech’s low post players were an eye-popping 12/16 (75%).  Cheick Diakite hit two big jump shots and even his 4/6 performance from the line was solid, although he could use ANY arc on his foul shots.  If those missiles had been any higher they would have broken the backboard. 
• The point above will be crucial on Sunday – miami is very big inside, too.  They just aren’t as talented.  I compare the miami low post to a hockey goon line.  The canes are very dependent on getting second chances, so the Hokies must keep them off the glass.
• VT’s guards were just 13/34 from the field, and 13/20 from the line.  Neither are worthy of writing home about, but Delaney and Vassallo always had an answer when wake went on a run.
• I don’t know how to grade Delaney’s game last night – he had 21 points and 8 rebounds, but his four turnovers pretty much all led to easy buckets for wake.  He also wasn’t his normal automatic at the line.  But like I said above, when VT absolutely needed it, he was the man.  And he helped keep VT to just 13 turnovers (I said 12 was the goal so not bad especially against the aggressive wake defense).
• Jeff Allen picked up two fouls on the offensive end, which has to end.  Although he did make up for it in part by drawing two charges in the second half on Aminu, one at a critical time.  But the offensive fouls cost him the last 10 minutes of the first half.
• The VT defense in the first half was about as good as I’ve ever seen.  It also helped that wake’s three talented big men, who average 38 ppg, were on the bench with three fouls (McFarland), two fouls (Johnson), and a wound that would make a hockey player miss a shift (Aminu).  Other than the unstoppable Jeff Teague (hope this kid goes pro after this year though he probably should stay and work on his outside shot), Tech did a tremendous job.  In the second half, the D softened up a bit, not getting back as quickly, allowing wake to get easy transition points.
• Tech did use the 2-3 zone a tad.  It had mixed results.  In the first half, wake shredded it for an easy bucket.  In the second half, it confused the deacs a bit.
• The Hokies now have that marquee win they needed!  Remember last year they didn’t, other than the late miami game.  Beating miami on Sunday would be huge, too, since the canes are currently in the top 30 of the RPI (or RPI like substitute).
• After this game at miami, and home against clemson next Thursday, the Hokies have a fairly easy five game stretch by ACC standards.  They play the bottom four teams in the ACC (all are currently under .500) and at maryland (who is currently 2-2).  As of right now, the Hokies would be favored in all of these games except at maryland.  If Tech can get one of these next two games, they will be in great shape going into this stretch to really do some damage and work towards a NCAA bid.

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