Here is the ending of the georgia tech game on 2.18.12, which was co-#2 on SportsCenter’s Top 10:

For full highlights of the game, go HERE.

Popularity: 32% [?]

Here are the highlights, commentary, and extras as the Hokies win the Mega Bowl to move to 8-1 in the tail end of ACC Short Turnaround games (less than 48 hours since the last game) and 7-0 in the Cassell against georgia tech with their 74-73 win in overtime on Dorenzo Hudson’s game-winning 3-pointer.

Popularity: 16% [?]

The Hokies needed a win. It wouldn’t help them get into the dance, or even into the NIT. Hopes of earning those post-season tournament invites have all but evaporated for Virginia Tech. No, the Hokies needed a win for their own mental well-being.

After having their hearts ripped out Thursday night against florida state, Tech returned home to face the yellow jackets less than 48 hours later. georgia tech, which had lost 10 of its last 12 games, had never won in Blacksburg. And they still haven’t.

Senior Dorenzo Hudson has been hot and cold all season and today, he was cold. But, he got hot at the exact right moment, in overtime. With georgia tech winning 73-71, the Hokies inbounded the ball near their bench with 3.5 left. Hudson got the ball to Jarrell Eddie, who bobbled it in the corner and quickly got double-teamed, but he managed to get the ball back to Hudson who put up a three at the buzzer that hit nothing but net, giving the Hokies a 74-73 overtime win.

The Cassell Coliseum exploded and Old Man Zo was mugged near the Hokies bench. Victory snatched from the jaws of certain defeat. The game-winning shot was only the second one Hudson had hit all night. He finished with 5 points.

The Hokies were once again nearly doomed by missed free throws and were humiliated on the boards 32-18. But, hot shooting from behind the arc (11/20) kept the Hokies in the game. Cadarian Raines missed two free throws with the game tied at 65 in regulation. Either one of them would have won the game. Instead, the game went to overtime, tied at 65.

Junior guard Erick Green once again led the Hokies in scoring with 14 points. Raines, back from missing the end of the fsu game, had 13 points. Tech’s offense was spread pretty evenly with Eddie notching 12, Robert Brown adding 10, C.J. Barksdale back from missing a game had 8, Dorian Finney-Smith and Marquis Rankin each scored 6.

Green extended his double-digit scoring streak to 28 straight games. Turnovers killed georgia tech and saved the Hokies. Bad tech had 14 turnovers while good Tech only committed five, the fewest the Hokies have committed all season. Conversely, VT’s 18 rebounds are the fewest in a game all season.

Next up for the Hokies is a Tuesday home tilt against uva, which annihilated maryland today. Tech upset the hoos back in January 47-45 in Charlottesville. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPNU.

Boxscore and Play-by-Play

Popularity: 20% [?]

Virginia Tech loses a heartbreaker on a last second 3-pointer by Snaer to give florida state a 48-47 win, dropping the Hokies to 0-6 at fsu in ACC play. Tech blew a 15-point 2nd half lead.

And yes, I know I botched the final score at the end but it would take too much time to edit that and I’m more focused on Turkey at this point.

Popularity: 11% [?]

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

Popularity: 18% [?]

Update: Glen Rice, Jr., gt’s leading scorer, rebounder, steals, 3-pointers, 2nd in assists, and 2nd in blocks, has been suspended and will not play Saturday against VT.

Spread: fsu by 9.5 (Vegas is finally starting to adjust)

ACC SCHEDULING: How bad has the ACC screwed VT this year in scheduling?

1. Tech didn’t get a single weekend home game in January, playing on the road all 4 weekends.
2. The Hokies have to play two sets of Short Turnaround games this year for the first time since joining the league (2 games within 48 hours of each other).

The good news about the latter of those two is Tech is now 7-1 all time in ACC Short Turnaround tail end games. In other words, after playing a game on Day 1, the Hokies have won 88% of the games played on Day 3, less than 48 hours later. The last win came two weeks ago when VT took down clemson at home after losing to duke. VT has won 4 in a row in this situation. Add to the fact they are playing the worst team in the ACC, and you have to like our odds!… on Saturday, that is.

f-l-o-r-i-d-a s-t-a-t-e florida state florida state florida state… WOOOO: I’m not gonna lie to you — I’m not going to spend a lot of time on the florida state preview. I debated about putting VT at 3-8 up above and calling it a day (but then I’d be resorting to Cope’s tactics… did you know he pre-writes our recaps as if we’d already lost?).

Here’s how the first game went down:

• Recap – fsu 63 at VT 59
• Highlights
• fsu opened ACC play with a 20 point loss at clemson, but including their win at VT, they’ve won 8/9 (their lone loss was at bc… go figure… they beat unc by 33 and won at duke, but couldn’t beat bc).
• Bernard James, the 27-year-old real American hero, was a man in this game. He scored 18 points, snagged 15 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots. He dominated the paint in the 2nd half to help fsu prevent blowing a double digit lead.

BUT THIS IS A BIG GAME FOR THE HOKIES! Tech has won at every other ACC school since joining the league. Actually, to take that a step further, VT has won at every other school in basketball AND football, but hasn’t won at fsu in either (although they’ve only played there once in pigskin). Hokie hoops is 0-5 in Tallahassee since entering the league.

Here’s how long it took VT to win at the other ACC sites:

• 1st try: 4 (georgia tech, miami, wake forest, unc)
• 2nd try: 1 (clemson)
• 3rd try: 3 (duke, maryland, bc)
• 4th try: 2 (uva, nc state)
• 6th times the charm at fsu!

So let’s fast forward to Saturday…

ramblin’ wreck: Update: The question is, will VT have any healthy players on Saturday?  There are injury concerns about Davila, Barksdale, Eddie, and Raines, and with less than 48 hours between games, who knows who will be ready.  That leaves VT with just 5 healthy scholarship guys.

You have a better chance of playing pick up sticks with your butt checks than seeing georgia tech win an ACC road game. Over the past 7 seasons, gt is 8-46 (15%) away from the ATL in league play. I could accentuate that stat in a couple of ways: the jackets have won just 2 of their last 19 ACC road games… or I could say they’ve won 2 of their last 7! Both statements are true since they lost 13 in a row on the road before winning at wake to end last season (Update: georgia tech lost 59-50 at 2-9 wake… well, now 3-9 wake… The loss means georgia tech is in dead last in the ACC all by themselves). They are 1-5 on the road this year, with the lone win at 7-3 nc state (go figure, it’s been that kind of a year).

Tech has owned tech since joining the ACC. VT is 8-3 in ACC games, their best mark against any program (they are also 8-3 against wake).

Between VT’s success in Short Turnaround games, gt’s road record, and VT’s history with gt, I’m going to go ahead and pencil in a ‘W’ for the Hokies (notice I said pencil and did NOT mention wearing skirts or uva gear).

Talk about a contrast in styles — florida state, as usual, has a great front court with James the enforcer inside and 6’11″ Gibson also a talented shot blocker and athlete. georgia tech, meanwhile, has zero post talent. They have just 3 low post players on their roster. Freshman Julian Royal was supposed to help as a stud recruit, but he’s been a bust so far averaging just 4.6 ppg and 2.3 rebounds in 16 minutes per contest (though he does shoot 45% from the field).

Glen Rice, Jr. is the only offensive player you have to worry about, but he scored just 13 points in the 2 games against VT last year so the Hokies know something about defending him. Rice has scored 19+ on 7 occasions this year, including 28 against duke, so he can light it up. But if he’s off, the jackets have no prayer.

Even though Paul Hewitt is gone, now at george mason, this gt team looks a lot like the past teams — they don’t play patient defense (a lot of steals but dead last in FG% Defense) and they turn the ball over a lot (-3.0 turnover margin per game). Maybe… maybe… VT can get some fast break points off turnovers.

Hmm… I’m really tempted to guarantee a win on Saturday. Let’s see how I feel that morning and whether or not I feel like potentially wearing a skirt.

TANGENT: How low has VT fallen? I was watching uva lose at clemson on Tuesday and they posted uva’s NCAA resume. They listed VT as a ‘bad loss’. Uh, we’re a Top 100 RPI team. That’s a bad loss?!

STARTERS*:

*Note: Greenberg has announced that for the 2nd game in a row Tech’s starters will be determined by who practices the hardest the day before the game. Last game that was Rankin, Green, Hudson, Barksdale, and Davila, so the starters are TBD.

*Rice has been suspended, expect Morris to start in his place and Royal to play more minutes.

STATS:

Note: these stats are for ACC games ONLY. georgia tech’s stats do not include their 59-50 loss at wake on Wednesday.

How sad is it that VT is 8th in the ACC in scoring offense while averaging less than 60 points per ACC game?

BORING FACTS ABOUT gt:

• Established: 1885
• Type: Public
• Mascot: Buzz
• The term ‘ramblin’ wreck’ comes from the makeshift motor vehicles gt engineers were using for projects in South American jungles in the late 19th century.
• Students: 13,750 undergrad (NERDS!) and 7,000 postgrad (NERDS!)
• Notable Alums/Students: President Jimmy Carter, Jeff Foxworthy, several astronauts, Chris Bosh, Matt Price, Dennis Scott, Stephon Marbury, John Salley, Mark Teixeira, Nomar Garciaparra, Kenny Anderson, and Stewark Cink. John Heisman coached gt.
• ACC Basketball Titles: 3 (last in 1993)
• ACC Football Titles: 3 (one less than the real Tech who has been in the league 25 fewer years) — last – ’09
• I hate the stat where they say ‘The winner of the VT/gt football game has won the Coastal Division every year… uh, that’s true, but we’ve won 5 of those 7 games, capturing 5 of 7 Coastal titles… so it isn’t comparing apples to apples. That’s like the winner of the VT/uva game has won the Commonwealth Cup over the last 8 years.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Check out all the extras we added to the highlights!

Virginia Tech wins their 2nd ACC home game in a row and snaps a 4-game losing streak against boston college with this 66-65 win at the Cassell on 2.12.12. Dorian Finney-Smith had a career high 17 points as Tech clinches a winning record at home for the season.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Boxscore

Virginia Tech snapped a 4-game losing streak against boston college thanks to a Dorian Finney-Smith tip-in with 2.1 seconds left to propel the Hokies to a 66-65 win. It wasn’t pretty, with VT 12.5 point favorites in the game against a very young bc team (they start 4 freshmen and a transfer in his 1st year at bc), but a win is a win is a win, and when you are 2-7 in the ACC, you’ll take any win.  (Thank goodness I didn’t guarantee a win or I’d wear a skirt… because I’d have been sweating it down the stretch thinking I needed to find a Big & Tall Cheerleading Store)

bc’s Jordan Daniels missed a front end of a 1-and-1 with 20 seconds left to give VT the ball. It was bc’s only missed free throw in 9 attempts. Tech trailed with 11 seconds left and called a timeout with the ball, down 65-64. Erick Green drove, but lost his footing and kicked the ball out to Robert Brown for a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left. Just like at the end of the byu game, Brown had a 3 to win it. His shot hit the back iron and floated high in the air. Freshman Dorian Finney-Smith got higher than everyone else, and tipped the ball with both hands from inches away. Lonnie Jackson, who had 4 3-pointers on the day, had a running 30-footer at the buzzer to win. But forget shades of duke’s Dockery, this shot crashed off the backboard and rim but did not fall, propelling the Hokies to their 3rd ACC win and clinched a winning home record for the Hokies (Tech has had a winning record in all but 2 years of the 50+ year history of the Cassell).

This game has to give Doe Doe a ton of confidence, as he started doing the things he should be — crashing the offensive glass. It was good to see him be a hero.

Starting Lineups: Coach Greenberg shook things up with the starting lineup, deciding the hardest workers in Saturday’s practice would start Sunday. That ended up being Rankin, Green, Hudson, Barksdale (1st start), and Davila.

Game Flow: 1st Half – The Hokies jumped out on top 3-0 on a C.J. Barksdale 3-point play. It marked just the 2nd time in their last 12 games that the Hokies have scored first. But boston college followed that up with a 9-0 run to jump ahead 9-3. The eagles hit back-to-back 3s at the 13 minute mark to go ahead 17-7 on VT. Tech battled back but lazy perimeter passes plagued the Hokies, leading to 3 fast break buckets for bc. The last of which put bc up 25-18 with 6 minutes left in the half. Tech responded with a 7-0 run to tie it, with Robert Brown draining a 3 to make it 25-25 with 4 minutes left. There wasn’t much scoring down the stretch, with the game going to the half with the eagles up 29-27 after Victor Davila got his 2nd dunk of the half with 5 seconds left, giving him 8 points at the break to lead VT on 4/4 shooting. The eagles led largely due to those VT turnovers, getting 10 fast break points and 13 points off turnovers to just 2/8 respectively for the Hokies.

2nd Half – The Hokies used an early 7-0 run to go ahead 34-31, their first lead since the beginning of the game. Tech got some bad news when C.J. Barksdale rolled his left ankle and had to leave the court. But bc responded with an 8-0 run to take a 39-34 lead thanks to some hot 3-point shooting. The teams traded buckets for a while after that, with bc’s Anderson abusing Finney-Smith, backing him down on the low block. The eagles led by as many as 7, going ahead 51-44 with 9:25 to play. bc got back to back dunks from Clifford with 5:30 left to put the eagles up 58-53. Jackson killed the Hokies from deep, hitting four 3-pointers for the eagles. Zo got hot in the 2nd half, scoring all 11 of his points. With Tech down 6 and just 100 seconds to go, VT got consecutive And-1 opportunities from Green and Doe Doe (Dorian’s was with 26 seconds left). Green missed his free throw so those two buckets closed the gap to 1. After Daniels missed a free throw on the front end of a 1-and-1 with 20 seconds left, Tech got the ball down 1. They burned their final timeout with 11.7 seconds left to setup the final play.

Key Factors: bc shot 56% from the field, but it was fitting that Tech won on an offensive rebound. Tech dominated the glass, collected more offensive rebounds (18) than bc had defensive rebounds (15).

The Stat: It failed! Tech shot 40.0% (6/15) from 3-point range, while bc shot 40.9% (9/22). 23 of Tech’s last 24 ACC games had been decided by who shot a higher 3-point percentage.

VT Leading Scorers: Dorian Finney-Smith paced 4 Hokies that reached double digits with a career high 17 points. Doe Doe, who just a week ago had missed 25 straight shots, was 7/10 from the floor, mostly on the offensive glass. Dorenzo had 11, all in the 2nd half, and Green and Davila had 10 each. Robert Brown also added 8.

bc Leading Scorers: The eagles displayed their balanced attack, putting 4 guys in double digits just like the Hokies. Anderson had 17, Jackson 14 (4 3-pointers), Humphrey 13, and Clifford 10.

Scores at the Media Timeouts:

1st Half:

• Under 16: bc 9-3
• U12: bc 17-11
• U8: bc 21-18
• U4: bc 27-25

HALF: bc 29-27

2nd Half:

• Under 16: bc 37-34
• U12: bc 44-42
• U8: bc 51-49
• U4: bc 61-57

Popularity: 18% [?]

Spread: VT by 12.5 (Wow!)

I probably owe an apology to boston college.  In my preview before the first match-up of these two birds, I said that bc could potentially be the worst team in ACC history.  That was based on these facts (these bullets are my exact workings from before):

• 10.7%: bc returned just 263 of their 2,440 points from a year ago.  And you thought we got hit hard!
• Of the 263 points returning, two of those guys were walk-ons, and another (Danny Rubin) averages just 7 minutes per game.
• They lost to holy cross, umass (by 36), saint louis, new mexico, penn state, boston u., harvard (by 21), and 5-20 rhode island.
• bc starts 5 freshmen, and believe me, this ain’t the Fab 5.  This is El Cinco Stinko.  Four of them are 3-star recruits, which isn’t bad but also not great, and the other, Heckmann, is from Germany… and he ain’t Dirk Nowitzki.  They have 9 freshmen out of the 15 guys on their roster.  Their 3 seniors are all walk-ons and their only junior is a transfer. Much like wake forest a year ago, this experience will help them, but it’s gonna be a blood bath this year.

I theorized they would be worse than wake forest’s team from a year ago, a team that went 1-15 and their average margin of defeat in those 15 games was 20 points.  Yep, I was wrong.  As I was writing that, the eagles defeated clemson.  I still was confident and guaranteed a victory.  Then, a few days later, bc took down the Hokies 61-59:

• Recap
• Quote-unquote-Highlights

Because we lost, I had to wear uva gear to our game at uva –  My Punishment.  The two seniors, Davila and Hudson, combined for 27 points but that was about it.  Eddie finished with 8, but 6 of those were in garbage time after the game was just about decided (don’t let the final score fool you — the game was close the entire time but bc was up 11 with 3 minutes to go and up 7 with 16 seconds left.  Clifford had 15, Humphrey 14, and Anderson 12 for the eagles, showing their typical balanced attack.

A week ago I told my buddies I was going to guarantee another victory.  And this was before the clemson game.  After all, we didn’t have Erick Green for that first meeting.  I was going to guarantee a win in this game or I’d wear a cheerleading outfit (skirt) to the georgia tech game/Hokie Celebration a week later.  But you know what, I can’t guarantee a win.  I think we will win, but after watching Tech’s lack of effort at miami, I have no confidence anymore.  And I’m tired of looking like an idiot.  So I’m backing off my guarantee.  But I’m still not apologizing to the eagles — while this team has well exceeded my expectations, and shown that Donahue is a heck of a coach, they still stink.  Their 3 wins just shows how bad the ACC is this year.

Anyway, here’s an updated preview of the eagles…

For a team that is mostly freshmen (and not highly recruited), they play hard and very well together.  They aren’t athletic, so they make it a half court game.  They execute their offense well and shoot a lot of 3s (since 33% from 3-point range is the same as 50% from inside the arc).  They hustle on defense and despite a lack of size (other than Clifford, their 7-footer, who plays like a big, slow, red dog) they are scrappy on the glass, winning the 50/50 balls VT hasn’t all year.

As I aluded to above, bc started 2-1 in conference much to my shock.  Then they lost 6 in a row.  But just when you thought they were starting to slide, they defeated the hottest team in the ACC Wednesday night, taking down florida state at bc 64-60, snapping the ‘noles 7 game winning streak.  Go figure.

While the eagles do have 3 wins in conference, they are 0-4 on the road in conference play.  They’ve only played 5 road games all season and lost all of them.  I’m still not taking the bait on guaranteeing a win, though.

OUTLOOK:

If you are looking for a high scoring, offensive game, then you are screwed.  These are two of the worst offenses in the ACC meeting up.  This game could just as easily be on ESPN Crapper as it could be on ESPNU.  Both teams average less than 60 ppg in ACC play, and are near the bottom in FG% and Offensive Rebounding %.  Tech shoots FTs well (best in the ACC), while bc is last at that, too.  At least both teams are decent 3-point shooting teams, and as always, the winner will come down to whomever shoots a higher 3-point percentage.

THE SERIES:

• Overall: bc 14-7
• At bc All Time: VT 5-4 (bc won last year)
• In ACC Play: bc 8-5 (bc has won 4 in a row)
• At VT in ACC games: VT 4-2

STARTERS:

Patrick Heckmann, their freshman from Germany who was averaging over 9 ppg, is out with mono.  But he had just 1 point in the first meeting.

Their entire starting lineup is guys in their first year playing for bc (Humphrey is a transfer from oregon).

STATS:

BORING FACTS ABOUT boston college (“Strength, skill, character”):

Popularity: 10% [?]

For the 6th time in 9 ACC games, the Hokies get held to 60 points or less. Here are the moving pictures…

Popularity: 8% [?]

Box Score

The Hokies looked listless for the first 13 minutes of the game and trailed by as many as 16 points en route to a 65-49 loss to the miami hurricanes Thursday night.

Tech had nothing offensively in the first 15 minutes of the game. I mean nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. In fact, the announcer said exactly what I was thinking:

“All Virginia Tech is doing offensively is standing in place or throwing the ball away.”

As a result, the Hokies fell behind 20-8 courtesy of a 10-0 canes run. It could have been and should have been much worse, but miami was struggling with bad shots and turnovers and couldn’t take full advantage of Tech’s offensive ineptitude.

The Hokies finally got something going late in the first half and went on a 10-0 run of their own to close the gap. Unfortunately, it came after Tech had fallen behind 28-12. Dorenzo Hudson got the run started with a long jumper, followed by an Erick Green fast-break dunk. Marquis Rankin drilled a 3 pointer and Hudson came back with a 3 of his own to cap the 10-0 run and cut the canes’ lead to 6.

But, the canes stole the momentum at the end of the half with a follow slam with a little more than a second remaining and then the clock ran out giving miami a 30-22 halftime lead.

Senior Victor Davila opened the scoring in the second half to cut the deficit back down to 6 and you thought that just maybe Tech could come back and make a game of it. But alas, it was just more of the same.

Tech shot just 35 percent from the field and 33 percent from the behind the arc. But those numbers are made more impressive because of Tech’s second half, which wasn’t a complete disaster. Their first half shooting percentage had to be in the low 20s.

Green, once again, paced the Hokies with 17 points, but he was the only Hokie to score in double figures. Hudson was the second leading scorer with just 8 points.

And for “Hands of Stone” Davila, it was a nightmare of a game. He turned it over more than a few times and just doesn’t seem to be able to hold the ball. Granted, I have to give him and Cadarian Raines credit because considering what miami’s big man Reggie Johnson did to duke last week, I thought Tech’s “bigs” did an admirable job of keeping the big fella in check.

Defensively, Tech played another solid game. Hands of Stone and Make it Raines did their job against RJ and the Hokies used a trapping defense in the second half that force two turnovers. miami hit some crazy long three pointers and you can’t really pin those on the defense.

There’s not much else to say about this game. Oh wait, but there is. Turnovers, shockingly, killed the Hokies. All 17 of them. Oh, and the 6 blocked shots. The most surprising stat is that VT actually won the overall rebounding battle 40-32.

It was a bad loss to team that Tech is capable of beating. But, they didn’t quit. They kept fighting and it’s good to see because this season is already a “rebuilding year,” and there’s not much to play for other than next season when our young guys will be a year older and more seasoned. I still have high hopes for this young team… if they can stay healthy.

As you know, Niemo will fill in the gaps once he sobers up. It was a road loss to a team that beat duke at cameron indoor, and winning on the road in the ACC is hard (unless you’re fsu or miami playing at cameron indoor), so it’s hard to get too bent out of shape over this loss. But, they could have and should have played better and they know that, so no use in beating a dead horse.

Play-by-Play (we pick up the action a few minutes into the game due to Cub Scouts)
accuracy not even remotely guaranteed

2-6 miami leads
– Eddie misses a three –
– miami turnover, VT turnover –
4-6 Green with a fast break layup
4-8 Luckett scores scores inside
– Davila has it stolen away from him –
– miami misses, Eddie rebound –
6-8 Davila offensive rebound and put back
– Eddie blocks Johnson’s shot –
– Green called for an offensive foul –

U16 timeout (13:27) – 6-8 miami

6-10 Jones scores from the top of the key
– Raines fouled after DFS runs into the wall that is Johnson –
8-10 Raines makes 2 FTs
8-12 Johnson feeds Jones for the dunk
– Hudson has his shot tipped –
– Jones misses for um –
– Green misses, Barksdale with the OR –
– Brown misses a runner in the lane –
8-14 Jones with the fast break slam of the full court pass
– Raines misses the hook shot vs. Johnson –
8-17 Brown buries a long 3 point play
– Brown steals it, fouled at the other end –

U12 timeout (9:37) – 8-17 miami

8-18 Brown makes 1/2 FTs
– miami forces a VT turnover –
– miami turns it over –
– VT called for offensive foul, moving screen –
8-20 Jones with a baseline jumper

“All Virginia Tech is doing offensively is standing in place or throwing the ball away.”

– 10-0 miami run –
– VT misses three consecutive shots –

U8 timeout (7:53) – 8-20 miami

– miami turns it over –
– Davila turns it over again, double teamed while standing still in the low post –
– VT turns it over for the 9th time, “palming” the ball –

“If there’s a mistake to be made offensively, Virginia Tech has done it.”

– Davila mishandles a pass for VT’s 10th turnover –
10-20 DFS cleans up a sloppy miss by Brown
– miami has missed last six shots –
10-21 Kadji makes 1/2 FTs
– DFS misses a baseline drive dunk attempt –
– DFS blocks a shot at the other end –
– Raines has his shot blocked by, guess who, Johnson –
– Johnson fouled at the other end –
10-22 Johnson makes 2 FTs
12-22 Hudson with the leaner
12-25 miami hits a 3 pointer
– Davila has his hook shot go in and out –
12-28 Johnson (the big fat guy) hits a three pointer
14-28 Hudson with a long 2 pointer
16-28 Green off the fast break turnover, dunks it
– miami misses, Green rebounds –
19-28 Rankin hits the open 3 pointer in the corner

U4 timeout (1:15) 19-28 miami

– Johnson misses a 3 point attempt –
– VT doing a good job containing RJ –
22-28 Hudson drills a 3 pointer from the corner
– VT on a 10-0 run –
22-30 miami gets a dunk in the final second

Halftime Score – VT 22, miami 30

– Hudson misses the opening shot, miami rebounds, but traveled –
24-30 Davila beats Johnson in the low post with a quick spin move
24-32 Johnson gets a lucky bounce
– Hudson called for traveling, 11th VT turnover –
– Davila called for foul against RJ –
24-33 Johnson makes 1/2 FTs
– Green airballs a shot, DFS with the nice rebound –
– VT misses –
24-36 Kadji makes a 3 pointer
– miami gets called for its 2nd foul of the entire game –
– DFS gets blocked twice –
24-38 miami makes a nice shot
26-38 Green hits a jumper
26-40 RJ scores underneath
– Green fouled –

U16 timeout (15:20) 26-40 miami

27-40 Green makes 1/2 FTs
– miami a perfect 4/4 in the second half –
– miami is 4/5 in the second half –
29-40 Green recognizes the mismatch and gets the bucket, has 9 points
– miami miss, VT rebounds, Kadji blocked Hudson’s shot –
29-42 miami makes 2 FTs
– Jones blocks Eddie’s jumper –
– miami misses –
32-42 Brown buries a 3 pointer (first points of the game)
– Green misses a fast break jumper, rushed it, despite Brown open on the right wing –
– Green called for the foul –
32-43 Kadji makes 1/2 FTs
32-45 Three miami players combine for a dunk off a miss
– miami foul –

U12 timeout (11:32) 32-45 miami

34-45 Green hits a baseline jumper (has 11 points, extending his streak)
34-47 RJ scores after trampling a small midwestern city
– Raines has his shot blocked –
– VT called for a 5 second violation, at least 12 turnovers so far –
– Raines called for a foul against RJ –
– Brown commits a dumbass foul on a 3-on-1 break, had TWO open teammates on either side –
– Good defense by VT forces miami turnover –
– VT has 14 field goals, 15 turnovers –
35-47 Hudson makes 1/2 FTs
– DFS misses a 3 pointer –
– miami misses, VT rebound –
37-47 Green finally hits a shot
39-47 Green gets the hoop and the foul
40-47 Green completed the 3-point play (14 points)
– miami turnover –
42-47 DFS gets the fast break layup off the turnover
42-50 miami hits a 3 pointer
– shot clock violation against VT –

U8 timeout (6:52) – 42-50 miami

– VT’s trap defense has forced a couple of turnovers –
42-53 miami hits a clutch 3 pointer
– Hudson misses a shot –
– Green fouled by Larkin –
43-53 Green makes 1/2 FTs
43-55 RJ goes over a flopping Raines for a the bucket
– VT turns it over –
– Green drives through the lane, gets mugged, but no call –
43-57 Grant scores
46-57 Eddie hits a 3 pointer

U4 timeout (3:40) – 46-57 miami

– Eddie called for PF, his 3rd –
– Just make this awful game end already –
46-59 RJ makes 2 FTs
49-59 Eddie makes a 3 pointer
– miami misses, VT rebounds –
– Eddie misses an awkward jumper –
– Grant missed an easy layup –
– VT turnover –
– miami running the clock –
49-62 Larkin gets the hoop and the foul, completes 3 point play
– Green misses a 3 pointer –
49-65 Larkin hits a 3 pointer

Final Score: miami 65, Hokies 49

Popularity: 15% [?]

Spread:

• The bad news is VT is 0-3 as road favorites in ACC play this year.
• The good news is VT is 6-point ‘dogs in this game and Tech is 1-0 as road ‘dogs (uva)!

It has been all about the u lately, and the hurricanes come into this game riding the gravy train with biscuit wheels.  After getting off to their typical slow start in conference play at 1-3, the canes have won 4 straight, 3 of which were on the road and culminating with a win at duke on Sunday.  And don’t think that game was a fluke, the canes led by 14 at the half and even after the blue devils tied it in the final 30 seconds and sent the game to OT, the u responded by scoring the first 6 points of overtime and holding on to win 78-74 for their first ever win at Cameron Indoor, sending thousands of nerds home in tears.

The canes will present a formidable challenge for the Hokies.  While they have basically zero depth inside (similar to the Hokies last year), they have two extremely talented post players in 6’10″, 284 lbs Reggie Johnson (I think I saw him on Finding Sasquatch last week), and 6’11″ florida-transfer Kenny Kadji.  Both are juniors and have been averaging 12.3 ppg and 16.3 ppg in ACC play respectively.  Johnson had 27 points and 12 rebounds against duke.  Those two guys combined for 42 points against the blue devils, while duke’s four post players scored just 18 points.  That’s domination.

miami will have as many as 4 guards on the court at a time.  When they sub out Kadji or Johnson, they’ll replace them with a guard, not a forward.  So if the Hokies can get either of those 2 bigs in foul trouble, it will help negate their size advantage inside.  Swoope and Akpejiori are their backups inside but they play very sparingly.

Speaking of their guards, they love to jack up the 3-pointers.  Their 7.4 made 3s per game is 2nd in the league to duke, and they hit a very respectable 36% of those attempts (3rd in the league).  Malcolm Grant is in range from the time he steps in the arena and will shoot from anywhere inside halfcourt.  He has 135 3-point attempts on the season and makes 33% of those.  Durand Scott you will remember from the ACC Tournament two years ago.  He torched the Hokies down the stretch.  Scott scares you more with his handle than his shot, so you are happy when he settles to shoot from deep.  Shane Larkin (37%), Trey McKinney Jones (34%), and Rion Brown (40%) also like to jack it up from deep.  Even Kadji will shoot from deep.  He is 17/35 from behind the arc on the season, going 4/5 against duke.  But I think the Hokies would be fine with him chucking from out there, meaning he isn’t inside to crash the boards or score in the paint.  Their 3-point percentage and makes are way down in league play, though.  When they are hot, their tough to stop, when they aren’t, they are very beatable.  And if you know ‘the streak’, you know how important 3-point % is.  Both teams are good at defending the 3, so whomever defends it better will win (shocker, I’m sticking with the streak).

miami loves to run the high pick-and-roll.  And imagine this — their screener cuts hard down the lane and they actually feed him the ball!  Or, if you collapse on the screener, that leaves the man with the ball open for a 3.  The challenge is the defender out on the screener has to flash to prevent the man with the ball from driving or getting an open 3.  That means if the screener gets separation, the other post player(s) has to come over to help.  That can lead to mismatches if it is Doe Doe or Eddie up against a 6’10″ 285 lbs. guy or a 6’11″ guy.  If the Hokies play two bigs (as Ryan points out), that will help with the help defense.  But it also can lead to open guys off the ball for open 3s.  For the u, it is all about creating mismatches.  The Hokies will have to really hustle, and help, on defense and the guards will need to fight through screens, going under will lead to open 3-pointers.

Every year I keep thinking the canes will take a step forward, and most of their guys have 3 years of experience now.  The canes of old would lose this game and fall into the lower half of the league.  Will this be the year they finally take a leap into the upper half of the league?

HO-KEY TO WINNING: On defense, double down on Johnson/Kadji, forcing miami to beat you from deep (and hope you can rotate in time/they are off).  On offense, be aggressive and attack their bigs, trying to get them in foul trouble (Johnson is a foul machine).

SERIES:

• Overall: 10-10
• In ACC Play: VT 9-4 (Tech was 1-6 against the canes in the Big East)
• At miami in ACC Play: VT 3-1
• Last Year: VT 72, miami 68 (@VT)

STARTERS:

STATS:

Note: these stats are for ACC games ONLY (8 for both teams).

TRENDING (Freshmen Edition):

HOT:

• Dorian Finney-Smith – after missing 25 consecutive shots over 6 games, Doe Doe went 5/8 from the floor against clemson, including 2/3 from behind the arc.
• Marquis Rankin – 8/14 from the field over his last 4 games (8/32 — 25% — before that)

NOT:

• Robert Brown – the freshman is averaging just 4.9 ppg in ACC play and is hitting just 29% of his shots (he averaged 8.5 ppg and hit 40% of his shots out of conference).
• C.J. Barksdale – just 6 total points in his last 6 games, including 4 goose eggs (2/10 from the field over those 6 games).

BORING FACTS ABOUT the u:

• Founded in 1925
• Type: Private
• Undergrads: 9.8k
• They have more out of state students than Floridians
• Mascot: Sebastian the Ibis
• Invention: Swagger
• Film: ‘The u’, an ESPN 30 for 30 film, is definitely in my top 5 sports movies of all time
• 5 time national champs in football
• Former VT coaching great, Bill Foster, resurrected their basketball program in the 1980s before he came to VT
• Notable ‘people’ (alums/part time students): “The Rock” played football at the u in the early 90s, Ray Liotta, Steve-O, Sly Stallone, Gloria Estefan, Ben Folds (Five), Bruce Hornsby, Enrique Iglesias, Jill Arrington (what happened to her?), Roy Firestone, Suzy Kolber, Ryan Braun, Pat “The Bat” Burrell, Rick Barry, and too many football players to name – Ted Hendricks, Jim Kelly, Jim Otto, and Michael Irvin are in the Hall of Fame, Vinny Testaverde and Gino Torretta won the Heisman.

TANGENT: Deja vu all over again — clemson was down 14 to maryland with 7:30 to go on Tuesday.  They had 3 foul shots to tie it with 10 seconds left, but senior Andre Young missed the first 2, and they missed a shot at the buzzer (that in this case would have won the game), and they lost.  They are not clutch from the charity stripe with the chance to tie.

Popularity: 16% [?]

The Hokies finally get a home win in 2012, defeating the clemson tigers 67-65.  Here are all the highlights from the action at the Cassell on 2.4.12.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Box Score

2012 has not been good to Virginia Tech’s men’s basketball team, save for their win over then No. 16 uva in Charlottesville. Thursday night, the Hokies got trucked in their own house by fifth-ranked duke and two days later, Tech blew a 14-point lead with five minutes to play against clemson. Amazingly, Tech held on to win, 67-65, despite not scoring a field goal for much of the final 8 minutes of the game.

With the Hokies up 64-50 with about 7 minutes to play, Tech went into basketball’s version of the prevent offense (yes, offense, not defense) and it nearly doomed them. Tech managed just three free throws in the remaining 7 minutes and change while clemson went on a 15-3 run.

Victor Davila missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 30 seconds to play and leading 67-65, giving clemson the final shot. Their freshman K.J. McDaniels had a career-high 14 points and got fouled with :03 left (fouling out Jarell Eddie), sending him to the line for a pair of free throws that could tie the game.

The freshmen missed both free throws and after the second miss, his teammate Tanner Smith grabbed the rebound and missed a shot at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime. The Hokies escaped by the narrowest of margins.

If ever a win felt like a loss, this would be one of those times. The win-that-nearly-became-a-loss sends the Hokies to 13-10. Finney-Smith finally broke out of his six-game slump in a big way, scoring 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers.

Doe Doe, after missing 25 straight field goal attempts over the last six games, got the Hokies on the scoreboard first. In fact, the highly-touted freshmen shot an impressive 5/8 from the field.

Jarrell Eddie played perhaps his best game of the year and definitely gave you some hope for next season. The sophmore scored a team-high 15 points. Meanwhile, junior guard Erick Green extended his double-digit scoring streak with a free throw late in the game, the Hokies’ 67th and final point. It was Green’s only point of the second half.

Tech led this game from the opening tip and led by 16 midway through the first half. Every time clemson tried to make a run, the Hokies would answer in kind and took a 14-point lead at the half.

The Hokies have five days off before they take their talents to South Beach to take on the canes on Feb. 9. Tipoff is at 9 p.m., and the game will be on either ESPN or the Deuce.

Play-by-Play
Accuracy not guaranteed

2-0 VT – DFS breaks the 0/25, 6-game FG drought!
– turnover clemson –
– turnover VT, backcourt violation –
– steal by VT –
5-0 – Rankin hits a three-pointer
– clemson misses, DFS get rebound –
– shot wedged between the rim and the glass, clemson ball –
5-3 – clemson’s Booker gets the hoop and the harm, foul on Davila
– clemson fouls DFS, non-shooting –
– Rankin misses, clemson rebounds –
– foul on Rankin –
– clemson misses, DFS rebounds –
8-3 – Green hits a three pointer
– clemson misses three, Eddie rebounds –
– DFS gets a rebound, feeds Eddie, misses the dunk, but is fouled –

U16 Score – 8-3 VT

10-3 – Eddies makes 2 FTs (VT 2/2 FTs)
– clemson misses, gets the rebound, fresh shot clock –
– clemson misses, Hudson rebounds –
– VT misses, loose rebound, out of bounds off clemson –
– Green misses, clemson rebounds –
– clemson turnover, stepped out of bounds –
– Raines misses jump hook, clemson rebounds –
– Hudson blocks shot, clemson rebounds, Green steals it –
12-3 – Green converts fast breaks after getting a steal
– Eddie commits his first foul –
– clemson just 1/9 shooting so far –
– clemson playing three freshmen –
12-5 – Cole scores off the inbounds play
14-5 – Raines tips it a missed shot
– clemson turnover –
16-5 – Brown scores off the fast break following the turnover
– clemson calls a timeout –
– clemson has 5 turnovers so far –
– clemson misses, Barksdale rebounds –
18-5 – Nice crossover by Rankin, goes in for the layup

U12 Score – 18-5 VT

18-7 – Smith makes 2 FTs
– VT turnover –
– VT foul –
18-7 – Clemson misses both FTs
– DFS misses a dunk, but Rankin slams home the miss –
21-7 – Rankin follows DFS’s miss with a dunk and gets fouled, Rankin makes the FT
– clemson has three freshmen in the game, turns it over –
23-7 – Green makes 2 FTs
– clemson misses, Davila with the rebound –
– VT turnover –
23-9 – Clemson freshman dunks it from the baseline
– longest losing streak at the Cassell in 10 years –
25-9 – Green hits a jumper
– Eddie blocks a shot out of bounds –
– Green called for the foul –
– clemson in the
25-11 – Smith hits fadeaway
– VT misses, clemson rebounds –
– clemson airballs it –
25-13 – Booker dunks it on a fast break
28-13 – Eddie hits a three, with an assist from the top of the backboard
– clemson misses, Davila rebounds –

U8 Score – 28-13 VT

– Barksdale misses jumper, clemson rebounds –
– clemson misses two shots, held ball, possession to VT –
– VT misses three, clemson rebound –
28-15 – Narcisse makes 2 FTs (Green picks up 2nd PF, sits, Rankin comes in)
– clemson goes to full court press, Greenberg calls a timeout –
– clemson misses, but Davila commits 2nd PF, one and one for clemson –
– Davila out, Raines in –
28-15 – Narcisse misses, clemson rebounds
– clemson misses, Eddie rebounds –
30-15 – Hudson drives and shoots
30-17 – McDaniels with the follow slam
33-17 – Eddie hits a 3 points and is fouled by Narcisse, chance for 4-point play

U4 Score – 33-17 VT

34-17 – Eddie makes the FT to complete the 4-point play
34-19 – clemson scores
– VT with only 4 turnovers so far –
36-19 – Eddie playing lights out, underneath layup
– Rankin steals, but has shot blocked by McDaniels –
– foul on Rankin, his 2nd PF –
36-21 – Young makes 2 FTs
38-21 – Eddie scores, assist to Brown (Eddie with 11 points)
– clemson misses three, gets own rebound –
38-23 – 7-2 kid gets the hoop and the foul
38-24 – 7-2 kid makes the FT to complete the 3-point play
40-24 – Brown feeds DFS for the alley-oop dunk!
40-26 – clemson scores at the other end
42-26 – Eddie gets a rebound off a miss and scores (Eddie with 13 points)
42-28 – clemson scores
– clemson commits foul away from the ball with :03 left –
– VT can’t get a shot off before the buzzer –

Halftime Score – 42-28
Eddie – 13, Green – 9, Rankin – 8, Finney-Smith – 4, Raines – 4, Hudson – 2, Brown – 2

42-30 – clemson hits opening shot of the 2nd half
– Davila misses, gets rebound –
44-30 – DFS puts back a miss (has 6 points)
– Eddie commits 2nd PF on Booker –
44-32 – Booker makes 2 FTs
46-32 – Davila scores in the low post
– clemson misses, but Eddie picks up his 3rd PF –
– clemson misses, out of bounds off VT –
46-35 – Young hits a 3 pointer
49-35 – DFS drains a 3 pointer, has 9 points
49-37 – clemson scores
51-37 – Davila turns and jams it home on the 7-footer
– clemson misses a three, VT rebounds –
– VT called for illegal screen, Davila picks up his 3rd PF –

U16 Score – 51-37

– Raines fouls Booker, Raines’ 2nd PF –
51-39 – Booker makes 2 FTs
– Hudson misses, clemson rebounds –
– clemson misses, VT rebounds –
53-39 – Raines scores with an assist from Eddie
– clemson misses, VT rebounds –
– McDanials blocks his fourth shot of the game, on Green –
– clemson misses three, but gets rebound –
53-41 – McDaniels with a Deron-like dunk
– Hudson misses three pointer –
– Green commits his 3rd PF –
– clemson misses, VT rebounds –
– Brown misses 3 pointer, clemson rebound –
– clemson misses 3 pointer, gets the rebound –
– clemson airballs it, VT rebounds, foul on clemson –
– Green misses 3 pointer, clemson rebound –
– Barksdale commits the foul –

U12 Score – 53-41 VT

– clemson misses 3 pointer, Eddie rebounds for VT –
55-41 – Brown to Raines on the pick and roll
– timeout clemson –
55-43 – Hall scores for clemson
– Eddie misses the 3 pointer, clemson rebounds, but travels –
– VT can’t inbound the ball, calls timeout –
– clemson foul (McDaniels) away from the ball –
– Smith fouls Davila –
57-43 – Davila makes 2 FTs
57-45 – Young score at the other end
– Smith fouls, VT to the FT line –
59-45 – Hudson makes 2 FTs
59-47 – clemson scores
– McDaniels with his 5th blocked shot, still VT ball –
– Eddie misses the 3 pointer, Hudson misses putback –
– clemson foul against DFS –
61-47 – Eddie scores (team-leading 15 points)

U8 Score – 61-47

– clemson misses first FT of a one-and-one –
– clemson foul, Booker’s 2nd, both teams in bonus from here on out –
– clemson steals the ball –
61-50 – Smith hits a 3 pointer
64-50 – DFS drains his second 3 pointer of the game (12 points for Doe Doe)
– VT is a perfect 10/10 from the FT line at this point –
– clemson is 2/17 from 3 point range –
64-52 – clemson scores
– Green airballs a 3 pointer, clemson rebound –
– clemson turns it over, VT ball –
– Hokies called for 10 second violation, clemson ball –

** Radio Broadcast went out at this point **

Clemson apparently on a 7-0 run, cuts VT’s lead in half, from 14 to 7 (3:11 to play)

U4 Score – 64-57

66-57 – VT hits both FTs (perfect on the day)
– clemson misses 3 pointer, Eddie blocks a second attempt –
– 2:30 to play –
– VT misses, clemson rebound –
– 2:00 to play –
66-59 – clemson scores
– 1:40 to play –
– Eddie misses three pointer, clemson rebound –
66-61 – clemson scores on the fast break, McDaniels with 12 points
– 1:12 to play –
– Hudson throws the ball away, clemson ball –
– 1:03 to play –
– clemson misses, McDaniels rams home the miss –
66-63 – McDaniels with the follow slam off the miss (career-high 14 points)
67-63 – Green at the FT line, makes 1/2 FTs (first missed FT of the game for VT)
– Hokies with just one FG in the last 8 minutes –
67-65 – clemson scores
– timeout Hokies –
– :26.4 left to play –
– clemson on a 15-2 run in last 4 minutes –
– clemson fouls Davila –
67-65 – Davila missed the front end of a 1-and-1
– clemson rebounds Davila’s miss –
– :11 left to play –
– Eddie commits the foul and fouls out –
67-65 – McDaniels at the FT line, missed the first
– McDaniels missed the second FT on purpose, clemson gets the rebound and misses a shot at the buzzer, Hokies hold on to win –

Final Score – Hokies 67, clemson 65

Popularity: 14% [?]

The Hokies lose their 4th straight at home for the first time in the Seth Greenberg era and fall to 1-6 in ACC play, falling 75-60 to duke.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Box Score

Fresh off a vote of confidence from Virginia Tech Athletics Director Jim Weaver, Seth Greenberg and his struggling Hokies hosted fifth-ranked duke Thursday night in front of a national TV audience. The game presented a wonderful opportunity for this talented, but young team to turn its season around.

But duke had too much depth, experience and talent for the Hokies to hang for a full 40 minutes. As a result, the Hokies lost for the seventh time in their last eight games, 75-60, at home to duke.

As usual, junior guard Erick Green led the Hokies with 17 points, while Victor Davila played a solid game and added 16 points. Marquis Rankin was Tech’s third-leading scorer, but he scored all 8 of his points in the final minutes, at which point the game was well in hand for the dookies.

Statistically speaking, the game came down to three-pointers, rebounding, and turnovers. And the blue devils outrebounded the Hokies 31-26, hit more threes (8/18) than the Hokies (3/13), and committed fewer turnovers (7) than did Tech (13).

Tech trailed the entire game, save for a 21-21 tie with less than 8 minutes to play in the first half. After Dorenzo Hudson hit a pair of free throws to tie the game, duke got away with an apparent shot clock violation on the next possession and got credit for the basket. From there, they went on a 17-4 run to take a 13-point lead.

The Hokies stole a little of that momentum with Green’s buzzer-beating three to cut duke’s lead to 10 at the break.

The second half was all duke as it stretched its lead to 22 points and cruised from there. Tech got absolutely owned on the boards in the second half. The blue devils didn’t even really need an outside shot (though they seemed to his everything) because they had free range in the lane.

Poor Doe Doe (Dorian Finney-Smith) struggled again, but he did manage to come up with a couple of big blocks, so hopefully he can build on that. At least he’s still getting quality minutes, but you hope that it’s not going to damage his confidence.

I finally figured out what’s missing with this team… JT Thompson. His fire and intensity is what’s missing from this team. Even if he were healthy, he may not be enough to beat a team like duke or unc, but he would certainly be enough of a spark and talent to help win games against bc, wake and georgia tech.

Next up for the Hokies is clemson on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Below is my stream of consciousness during the game. Accuracy not guaranteed.

– Doe Doe misses twice –
– Good defense by Green, forces turnover –
– DFS steps on baseline –
– DFS commits foul –
– Moving screen on Davila –
2-0 duke – Plumlee wide open underneath for the easy dunk
– duke foul, non shooting –
2-2 Eddie hits the pullup jumper
– duke foul, non shooting –
– Rankin misses, duke rebound –
5-2 duke 3-pointer
– Green misses jumper —
7-2 Plumlee easy hook over Davila
7-4 Davila works hard for the bucket underneath

Under 16 media timeout – 7-4

– DFS commits foul, his second —
9-4 Kelly hits 2 FTs
9-6 Eddie drives and dishes to Raines for the layup
– Green steals, but can’t get the layup –
– duke foul after great effort by Hokies —
9-8 Hudson with the crazy fall-away jumper of the inbounds pass
– Hokies called for blocking call, clearly looked like a charge —
11-8 Curry hits 2 FTs
11-10 Raines with some nifty double move underneath for the bucket
– Plumlee misses badly –
– Blocking call against duke, kinda surprised we got that consider it’s duke –
– Hokies turn it over and Dawkins celebrates like it’s the national title
14-10 duke’s Dawkins gets called for a technical foul for taunting

Under 12 media timeout – 14-10

14-12 Green makes two Technical FTs
– Stupid foul by duke’s Plumlee, his second –
14-13 Davila makes 1/2 FTs
16-13 Rivers drives empty lane for layup
16-15 Davila picks up rebound off Eddie’s miss, puts it back up for the bucket
18-15 duke scores
– Hokies turn it over, but duke gives it right back –
18-17 Davila backs down Plumlee, knocks him down (he flopped) and Davile DUNKS IT!
– duke misses three, VT rebounds –
– Eddie misses three, duke rebounds –
– duke misses, VT rebounds –
– Eddie misses, duke rebounds –
21-17 Curry buries a wide open three
21-19 Green drives the lane for the layup
– Kelly called for a foul –

Under 8 media timeout – 21-19

– Ranking comes in at PG –
– Hudson called for foul away from the ball –
– Hudson fouled in the act of shooting –
21-21 Hudson makes 2 FTs
23-21 duke gets away with a walk, plus shot clock expired
– Hokies turn it over –
– Foul on Raines –
25-21 Kelly dunks it
– Green misses three –
27-21 Kelly goes down the lane untouched
– Thorton picks up 2nd PF –
27-23 Green hits 2 FTs
29-23 duke scores down the lane … again (8-2 run)
– Rankin misses –
32-23 Kelly hits the three pointer
– Eddie misses –
34-23 Dawkins make another easy bucket in the lane
34-25 Davila cleans up Brown’s miss with a beautiful bucket

Under 4 media timeout – 34-25

36-25 Plumlee makes 2 FTs
– Raines misses hook shot –
– Brown commits foul –
– Jump ball, possession to duke –
– Duke on 15-4 run –
– Green bad pass, turns it over –
38-25 duke did something amazing
– DFS turns it over again, VT’s 8th turnover —
38-28 Green hits a three-pointer at the buzzer!

Halftime score – 38-28

40-28 – duke opens the scoring
40-30 Davila makes 2 FTs
42-30 Reverse layup
– Foul on Hairston, his second –
42-32 Davila with a two-handed slam
45-32 Rives buries a three, quiets the crowd
45-34 Hudson hits a jumper off the screen, top of the key
– Green called for a handcheck –
– Kelly called for offensive foul –
– Hudson called for a moving screen –
– VT with near steal, jump ball called –
47-34 Curry driving layup
– VT sloppy pass, turns it over -
49-34 Duke fast break dunk
– Rankin fouled by Kelly –
49-35 Rankin makes 1/2 FTs
51-35 Plumlee misses twice, third time a charm, VT getting owned on the boards
51-38 Brown buries a three from the top of the key

Under 16 media timeout – 51-38

– Raines called for his 3rd PF –
– Brown called for the PF –
52-38 Kelly makes 1/2 FTs –
– Brown misses –
– duke turns it over, bad pass –
– Barksdale in the game –
– Plumlee called for reach-in foul –
52-40 Green hits a tough jumper with defender in his face off the dribble
55-40 Rivers buries a deep three
– VT misses, duke rebounds –
57-40 Cook to Plumlee dunk
59-40 duke on 7-0 run
– VT misses, duke rebounds –
62-40 Kelly drains a three, 12-0 run
– VT turns it over –
– God, just make this end –
62-42 Green with the floater
– Kelly picks up 4th PF –
62-43 Davila makes 1/2 FTs
64-43 Rivers to Hairston for the alleyoop dunk
64-45 Green with the circus shot, he has 15 points
– Brown misses dunk –
66-45 Hairston gets the hoop and the harm (DFS with the foul), misses FT
66-47 Eddie with the baseline jumper
66-49 Green drives untouched for the layup (17 points)
66-51 Davila gets a rebound off DFS missed three, puts it back
– DFS with two blocks, YAY! –
– Brown with the steal, but Green got fouled, but no call, out of bounds on VT –

Under 8 media timeout – 66-61

68-51 Curry hits 2 FTs
– Brown with the foul –
70-51 Curry hits 2 FTs
– duke steals it from Davila –
– Green travels, turnover VT –
70-54 Rankin hits a three
70-56 Eddie with a fast break jumper in the lane
72-56 Thorton hits 2 FTs
72-58 Rankin gets the bucket
75-58 Why the hell is duke shooting three pointers up 14 with 1:35 to play?
– Davila airballs a hook shot –
– Duke misses another three pointer attempt, why are they shooting threes? –
75-60 Rankin with another jumper

Final Score – duke 75, Hokies 60

Popularity: 18% [?]