THE SETUP:

Hokies are favored by 3.

That’s right ladies, you get two previews for the price of one – one week only!  Am I being lazy by doing this?  Sort of.  But the main reason is because Tech has two games in less than 48 hours this week, with the c-l-e-m-s-ohhhhhhhhhh-n tigers game starting approximately 41 hours after the conclusion of the unc game.

Each year each ACC team has one quick turnaround game in 48 hours or less.  Just once.  And this week it is the Hokies’ turn.  The good news is both games are at home so travel legs shouldn’t be an issue.  Tech hasn’t been so lucky in past years, with the ACC giving them the proverbial screw job by sending them to bc or miami for the second leg of this sequence (four out of five years they’ve had to travel to bc or miami, the two farthest schools, for the second leg).

The Hokies have had a lot of success in the short turnaround game, winning it four out of five times.  The only loss was last year at boston college, and even that was on a put-back with less than 2 seconds left.  So the Hokies have responded despite a lack of rest.  They haven’t been as good in the first game, losing three of five.

The key this week is burying a hungry unc team on Thursday.  Get a win in the first game, as VT did last week at uva, and it takes a lot of pressure off, especially since the second game may get postponed if the snow storm hits.  Expect the heels to be playing for their NCAA Tournament lives, which in some ways they are.  The Hokies have to match that intensity.

On Saturday, the Hokies have to deal with the insane full court trap of the tigers.  That said, the Hokies did shred it last year in Blacksburg to the point where Oliver Purnell called it off (a strategy that allowed clemson to overcome a 15-point second half deficit and stun the Hokies at home 86-82.  In the second game, Tech again had little trouble with the press and pulled out an 80-77 win in Death Valley.

Both teams come in cold – unc has lost four of five (all in conference) and clemson had lost three in a row before a big win at home against maryland on Sunday, and they don’t play during the week this week.

NOVA Hokies – the unc game may not be on cable in the DC area due to a Raycom split telecast (Channel 20 is showing the maryland game), but you can watch the game at the Clarendon Hard Times!

SERIES:

• All-Time: unc 60-12 | VT 11-10
• ACC Play: unc 7-2 (won 5 straight) | clemson 5-3 (clemson has won 3 in a row at VT)
• Last Meeting: Recap – unc 78, VT 64 | VT_unc Game Film | Recap – VT 80, clemson 77

SIX PACK OF KEYS TO WINNING (3 for unc and then 3 for clemson):

• Better Post Defense: The Hokies allowed unc’s starting big men, Ed Davis and Deon Thompson, to shoot 11/18 from the floor and get 13 foul shots (they made 11) to combine for 33 points.  Davis added 11 rebounds.  Davila, Allen, and Raines (expect to see more of him in this game) must do a better job on them.  Thompson (VT’s) gives up a lot of height to Davis and cannot really guard him but could help with Thompson some.  The good news for Hokie fans is backup 7-footer Tyler Zeller should still be out with an injury (he had 7 rebounds in the first meeting) and Ed Davis has not been himself since suffering an ankle injury.  He has averaged just 8 ppg over his last four games and even missed a game.
• Swagger, not Awe: The heels have lost four of their last five games since beating the Hokies at unc, with their lone win at nc state.  They’ve lost three straight at home and got blown out at clemson.  Sure, they will be wearing that famous feminine powder blue, but this is NOT a good unc team.  The Hokies need to go out with intensity and confidence, knowing they can beat this unc team.  And Tech needs to match the intensity I’m sure the heels will have.  Like with miami, get a lead, and the heels confidence will suffer (didn’t happen at miami).  And VT knows they led at the half by 4, so they know they can play with these guys even on the road.
• Transition Offense: The Hokies are at their best when they are creating live ball turnovers and getting out and running.  This is a lousy half court team, as evidenced by the fact they are last in the ACC in FG% in ACC play at 41.2%.  Tech needs to find easy buckets and that comes from their defense – expect spurts of the full or half court trap, which hopefully lead to turnovers (VT is #1 in turnover margin) via steals (#1 in that, too), and then run-outs for easy buckets.  In the half court, VT really struggled against unc’s size inside.  Let’s hope Hudson stays hot from the outside (13 of his last 26), and Delaney refinds his outside stroke (2/20 from three of late).
• Tame the tiger Press: clemson agenda – plane lands in Roanoke – press the passengers, press the baggage handlers, press the bus driver; arrive at Cassell – press the students trying to get in, press Niemo’s arms so he can’t arm-curl people… you get the idea.  Pressure, pressure, pressure.  That is the name of the game for clemson.  You have to limit your turnovers, especially in the back court, against clemson.  VT was amazing against the tiger press last year.  The key is the first pass… not in a corner where you can be trapped… and then throwing over the press and up the court where you can get odd-man-rushes and easy buckets.  VT shredded the press last year to where they called it off.
• Force clemson into the Half Court: I mentioned VT was last in the ACC in shooting percentage in conference play.  Well, they are in fact tied with clemson.  clemson, as always, is a lousy shooting team.  They win because of the turnovers off the press.  If VT can keep this game in the half court by limiting turnovers, then it comes down to other factors, such as who is hot and who can make free throws.  Well, as always, clemson is at the bottom of the ACC in FT% at 64% (VT is 5th at 70%).  So advantage VT.
• Booker Worm: Believe it or not, Trevor Booker is still around for clemson.  He has the skills of Jeff Allen, the intensity of JT Thompson, and the size of Paul Bunyan.  He is averaging 15.8 ppg and 8.6 rebounds.  He is in teh Top 10 in the ACC in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocks, and FG%.  He is a beast.  Tech must find ways to slow him down, and he will be fresh after a week off while VT will have just played.

STARTERS:

Injury Notes:

• Starting clemson point guard, Demontez Stitt, has missed the last two games with a foot injury.  Since clemson has six days off leading up this game, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back.  The tigers are a much better team with him playing (healthy, that is).  He averages 11.2 ppg and 3.5 assists, #2 and #1 on the team respectively.  Stitt is lightning quick and creates opportunities for others, and is a decent three-point shooter at 36%.
• Tyler Zeller should still be out another couple of weeks for unc.

Other Notes:

• Thank goodness K.C. Rivers and Terrence Oglesby are gone for clemson.  Both used to light up the Hokies from deep.  Without them, clemson is just 9th in the league at 33% from deep and make just 6.1 per game (down from 8 per game last year, best in the league).  Andre Young and David Potter are their best threast from behind the arc.
• unc was 5/9 on threes in the second half to put VT away, but missed all 7 first half attempts.  5/16 isn’t that great, or many.  Tech just didn’t take advantage of when unc was cold.  They need to in this game… and hope unc doesn’t get that hot (i.e. Will Graves).

BORING FACTS ABOUT unc:

• Founded in 1789
• Undergrads: 18k
• Postgrads: 8k
• Stayed open during the Civil War
• The Hokies own Franklin Street during football season!
• Mascot is a live ram named “Rameses”
• 37 NCAA Championships in six different team sports (20 are women’s soccer… yawn)
• 5 Men’s bball titles: 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009

Famous students:

• Bball: Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, Awtawn Jamison, Rasheed Wallace, Jerry Stackhouse, James Worthy, Larry Brown, Tyler Hansbrough, Ronald Curry
• Other Sports: Lawrence Taylor (guessing he didn’t graduate), Dre Bly, Ronald Curry again (did you know he was the #1 football and bball recruit back in the late ’90s at Hampton HS?  Check out his stats/their margins of victory some time – insane), Moonlight Graham, Mia Hamm, Julius Peppers, Marion Jones, B.J. Surhoff
• Jim Halpert (character on the Office) supposedly went there – not the real one, the real person went to one of our early opponents – Brown
• Others: John Edwards, James K. Polk (11th President of the USA), Stuart Scott, Chris Matthews, Andy Griffith, Lewis Black, Thomas Wolfe,

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