The Hokies did everything they needed to do to win on the road against No. 21 florida state. Everything but hit free throws. Instead, the Hokies blew a 15-point second half lead and missed seven critical free throws in the final 90 seconds that could have sealed the victory.

The noles, despite getting outplayed badly the entire game, were able to hang around just long enough. Trailing by 2 points, 47-45, with 10.2 seconds to play, Jarrell Eddie was fouled, but could not go the free throw line because of cramping. So, Seth Greenberg sent freshman Robert Brown to the line where he missed both free throws. fsu got the rebound, sprinted down the court and hit a game-winning three pointer.

Erick Green, who had a game-high 18 points, got a weak desperation shot off, but it never had a prayer and the Hokies lose an absolute heartbreaker, 48-47, on the road.

There are bad losses and then there’s this kind of loss.

The Hokies fell behind early, yet again, but played solid defense and took advantage of a bevy of fsu turnovers to keep the game low-scoring and close. Tech actually took a first-half lead, but the noles hit a pair of three pointers in the closing seconds to take a 25-23 halftime lead.

Tech came out fired up in the second half and opened up with a 15-0 run and looked to be running away with it. But with Victor Davila (groin) and C.J. Barksdale (ankle) already on the bench in street clothes, the Hokies lost their only big man, Cadarian Raines, to an ankle injury and that changed the remainder of the game as the Hokies had zero post presence.

The noles answers with a 12-2 run and while the Hokies held on to a 6-point lead with 1:29 to play, they missed seven free throws and that’s what eventually did them in.

Heartbreaking doesn’t even begin to describe this loss. To outplay a team by such a wide margin and then lose like that because you can’t hit free throws is beyond devastating.

What makes the collapse even more surprising is that some of Tech’s most reliable free throw shooters – Green, Hudson and Eddie – are the ones that missed the majority of the free throws. To be fair, Brown should have never been in a position where his free throws could decide the game.

Unbelievable. Unreal. I need a drink.

Play-by-Play (accuracy never guaranteed)

– fsu wins the tip, but called for travel, turnover fsu
– Erick Green pass goes out of bounds, turnover VT
2-0 Loucks layup to take the early lead for fsu
– Hudson travels, turnover VT
– Green fouls Gibson
3-0 Gibson makes 1/2 FTs
– Eddie misses a three
5-0 James scores on the nice feed from Loucks
– DFS has his shot blocked, then commits the foul
– fsu miss, VT defensive rebound
– fsu foul away from the ball
– Brown misses a shot, fsu rebounds
– fsu misses a fastbreak layup, then called for a technical foul
5-2 Erick Green makes both technical FTs
– Gibson fouls Raines in the act of shooting
5-2 Raines misses both FTs
– fsu misses, VT defensive rebound
– VT misses, fsu defensive rebound
7-2 Miller to Pope for in the lane
– Green misses the layup, fsu rebounds
– fsu turnover

U16 – 7-2 fsu

– Brown misses the three pointer
– fsu bad pass, turnover
7-4 Green scores off the steal and fast break
9-4 Snaer scores
– VT turns it over
– Snaer misses a three, VT commits a foul
11-4 fsu dunk by No. 50
– timeout VT
– Green misses a jumper
– fsu turnover on the inbounds pass
11-7 Eddie buries a three from the left wing
– fsu misses a runner badly
– Rankin misses a wide open 7-footer

U12 – 11-7 fsu

11-9 Raines follows a Green miss with a 2-handed tip-in
13-9 Loucks answers with a bucket
– Hudson misses a jumper
– Snaer called for an offensive foul, his 2nd foul
– DFS on the bench with 2 fouls as well
– fsu gets away with a goaltending
– fsu turnover
13-11 Raines gets the offensive rebound and puts it back up and in

U8 – 13-11 fsu

– fsu has 8 turnovers, the only reason VT still in the game
– fsu commits 9th turnover
14-13 (vt) Hudson hits a three pointer to give VT its first lead of the game
– color guy wouldn’t shut up and they didn’t even mention tech’s three pointer
16-14 (fsu) answers with a three of its own
18-16 (vt) Hudson hits a three in the corner and gets fouled, completed the 4-point play
– fsu misses, VT rebound
– Hudson misses a three
– fsu misses, VT rebounds
20-16 Green completes a fastbreak layup
– fsu misses, VT rebounds
– Green called for the travel

U4 – 20-16 VT

20-19 fsu hits a three pointer
– this color commentator just won’t effing shut up
23-19 Green answers with a three pointer (Green has 9 points)
– Eddie called for 2nd personal foul
23-19 James misses both FTs
– VT rebounds the miss
– Raines misses underneath
23-22 Dulkys makes a three pointer
– Brown has his shot blocked
25-23 (fsu) Miller hits a three off the fast break
– 6-0 run for FSU
– Green misses a three, but Hudson with the off. rebound
– Loucks fouls Green away from the ball
– Green takes a bad last shot, no one got open

Halftime – fsu 26, VT 23

25-25 Eddie with the baseline jumper (6 points for Eddie)
– fsu bad pass, turnover
27-25 (vt) Green converts off the fast break
30-25 Green drains a three (14 points for Green)
– VT open 2nd half with a 7-0 run
30-25 James misses both FTs
– VT rebounds missed FT
33-25 Eddie buries a three from the corner near the VT bench
– VT on a 10-0 run to open the 2nd half
– fsu timeout
– another fsu turnover
– Green misses a long jumper
– fsu miss, VT rebound
35-25 Green drives from the top of the key, draws the double, feeds DFS for the uncontested two-hand flush
– VT extends run to 12-0
– fsu miss, VT rebounds, fsu fans booing
37-25 DFS gets the feed from Raines off the give and go, gets the hoop and the harm!

U16 – 37-25 VT (fsu has yet to score in the 2nd half)

38-25 – DFS makes the FT to complete the 3-point play
– VT on a 15-0 run
– fsu blocks a Rankin layup, no foul, but ball out of bounds on fsu, still VT ball
– shot clock violation on VT because of a loose ball
– fsu turnover, still hasn’t scored more than 5 minutes into the half
40-25 Brown hits the rainbow jumper from the free throw line
– VT on a 17-0 run
40-27 fsu finally scores its first bucket of the 2nd half at the 13:58 mark, James rebound and put back
– Hudson misses a three, DFS with the rebound and gets fouled
– DFS loses the ball out of bounds, VT turnover
– fsu bad shot, VT rebound
– VT misses, fsu rebound
– fsu takes a long and bad three pointer, misses
– DFS misses the jumper
– fsu misses baseline layup, VT rebounds

U12 – 40-27 VT (Hokies have outscored fsu 17-2 so far in the 2nd half)

– Hudson misses a jumper
40-29 Snaer off the glass
– Raines comes up limping, VT going very small
– Hudson misses a long three as the SC expired
– fsu misses two short shots, VT rebounds
– Eddie misses a three
– Snaer fouled
– Snaer misses a quick shot off the inbounds, VT rebounds
42-29 Green gets a shot to go after bouncing around the rim for an eternity (16 points for Green)
42-31 Gibson follows a misses with a two-hand slam
– DFS airballs a three pointer
42-33 fsu converts off the DFS miss and gets the layup

U8 – 42-33 VT

– VT has gone pretty cold with no big bodies in the post
– Hudson misses a jumper, fsu rebound
– Eddie called for a foul on Snaer
42-35 Snaer scores again off the inbounds pass
– VT misses, but gets rebound
– fsu on a 10-2 run
– VT can’t buy a bucket now
42-37 Miller hits a jumper
– fsu on a 12-2 run
– VT has to use a timeout because it can’t inbound the ball
– foul on fsu’s miller on the inbounds pass
44-37 Green drives the lane and gets the high floater to go (18 points)
– foul on VT
– foul on VT
44-37 Peterson misses both FTs
– DFS gets the rebound
– fsu 1/8 free throws
– Green drives and has hit shot blocked
– DFS block, VT fights hard for the loose gall
– 3:11 left to play
– Hudson misses a shot at the buzzer, fsu rebound
– fsu misses a three, VT rebounds
– fsu called for the foul

U4 – 44-37 VT

– fsu’s white called for a foul
44-37 Green misses front end of a 1-and-1
– Loucks called for offensive foul, 2:02 left
– Snaer fouls Green, 3rd PF for Snaer
44-37 Green misses another front end of a 1-and-1
– fsu rebounds the miss, but Green steals the ball!
– VT timeout
– fsu’s white picks up 4th PF, VT in the double bonus
46-37 Eddie makes both FTs – 1:29 left (10 points for Eddie)
46-40 Peterson hits a three (1:12 left)
– fsu foul
46-40 Hudson misses both FTs
46-42 White gets an easy bucket underneath
– Eddie gets fouled, but came up limping b/c of cramps, White fouls out for fsu
47-42 Eddie makes 1/2 FTs
47-45 fsu makes a three
– VT’s Eddie gets rebound with 10.2 seconds, but Eddie is cramping bad
– fsu crowd is booing Eddie, stay classy fsu fans
47-45 Brown misses both FTs
48-47 Snaer hits a three to win the game
– Green misses a desperation three

Final Score: fsu 48, VT 47