So you’re sayin’ there’s a chance!  The Hokies NCAA Tournament pulse, though faint, starts beating a little harder again.  Wow, I need a shower after that game…

Had to love the effort from everyone tonight.  Every Hokie played hard.  Tech wanted this game more.  clemson played hard, but VT played desperate.  They fought and clawed for this game.  And on clemson’s final possession, when they had to hit a three, VT played amazing defense, forcing Stitt to throw up a wild shot that I believe was inside the arc anyway.  Gold star to everyone.  Tech must keep this desperation in every game from this point.  They didn’t have it at the beginning of fsu and we all saw what happened. 

This game was all but a reversal of the first one.  Home team jumps out to a lead.  Road team takes the lead in the second half and holds on.  Road team kills the home team from 3-point range — clemson was 14/25 in the game at VT while the Hokies were 7/19.  In this game, VT was 11/19 while clemson was 7/20.  Tech was a lights-out 7/11 on threes in the second half tonight.  A.D. and Delaney were on fire!

Tech has now beaten the #1 and #12/13 teams in the nation on the road.  Overall, VT is 2-2 against the upper half of the ACC away from home but just 1-2 against the lower half.  Frustrating.

Other tidbits:

• The Hokies are now 12-1 on the season when scoring 75 or more points.  The one loss?  clemson in Blacksburg.
• VT moves to 11-10 all time against clemson, one of just two ACC teams the Hokies have a winning record against all time (gt is the other).
• Tech’s 11 three-pointers ties a season high.  This marks the third time VT has hit 10 or more threes, including the last game against fsu, but was the first time the Hokies won the game (they hit 11 threes against wisconsin and lost).
• The Hokies had an eye-popping 12 steals tonight, tying a season high.  Tech is 7-1 when getting eight or more steals, including seven wins in a row since losing to georgia.  Thorns and J.T. Thompson each had four steals.
• Speaking of which: Was that really Hank Thorns out there?  He came into the game shooting 24% in ACC play, but hit 3/4 shots and tied his season high with 10 points.  He also played a season high 30 minutes and got his first start.
• Tech, once again, did a great job against the tiger press.  They didn’t destroy it like they did in the first meeting, but by my count VT only had three, maybe four at most, turnovers as a result of the press.  Greenberg could certainly live with that. 
• If you love whistles, you loved this game!  46 fouls and 52 free throws!  Yippee!
• The Hokies got 28 points from the non-Big 3.
• Speaking of turnovers, VT had just 12, which is great against a full-court press defense.  Tech won the turnover battle — 12 compared to clemson’s 15.  That was a key to this game.
• Did Greenberg really break that pad on the scorer’s table in the second half?
• Delaney had 63 points combined in the clemson games this year and was 10/17 from long range.  He also battled through a nasty fall as part of a three-point play in the second half.  Gutsy effort as always from the VT leader.
• PLEASE tell me Booker has declared for the NBA Draft.  I already know half his highlight film is going to be against the Hokies.  And how is this for creepy — Booker had 21 points and 13 boards exactly in both games against VT this year.  And, he has scored exactly 21 points in five of his last eight games.  He had 15 in the first half tonight and was absolutely dominating the low post.  But I compared it to when Mr. T fought Rocky the second time — he seemed to get worn out in the second half from dominating too much!  Tonight marked the first time clemson lost when Booker got a double-double — they were 9-0 before tonight.
• Tech gave up 40 points in the paint — way too much — and gave up many easy looks off the drive.  But VT did outscore the tigers in second chance points 14-12.  In the first meeting, I mentioned VT only got 53% of the defensive rebounds.  Tonight I predicted it had to be at least 65% for Tech to win.  It was 63%, so pretty much right where it needed to be.
• Oglesby is now on my short list of ACC players I can’t stand.  Seriously, did he hit a three from the fifth row tonight?  Where does his range end?  He had 22 points tonight and all but carried the tigers in the second half with 14 points, including a 7-0 run all by himself that tied the game with seven minutes to go. 
• Tech limited K.C. Rivers’ looks tonight.  He scored 11 points and shot for a high percentage, but he killed VT in the first match-up for 29 points, including 7/10 from downtown.  He only seems to have big games in Blacksburg.
• Anyone else feel like going out and shooting some free throws?  Tech’s 59% effort from the line was simply pathetic.  Victor Davila led the futility with an 0/4 performance, including missing the front end of a one-and-one.
• Allen was just 2/11 from the field for five points and eight rebounds, but he did a solid job on Booker in the low post, and he was VT’s best rebounder.  He did enough to help Tech win.
• Congrats to Vassallo!  He is now firmly cemented in Hokie basketball history now that he has entered the Top 10 in career scoring.

OK, beat duke or unc (I know, I know… ) and then win at least one ACC Tournament game, and I like VT’s chances for the Big Dance.  Win at fsu and then win two in the ACC Tournament, and I like VT’s chances.  Just need to keep accumulating wins.

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