First Round Recap: VT 74, fairfield 57 Boxscore

SEMI-FINAL OPPONENT – xavier (Friday, 1:30 PM EST – ESPNU)

Finally, the Virginia Tech Hokies will face a team that, according to preseason rankings and expectations, is on par with them. xavier is sitting at 29th in both polls while VT is 33/39. This game is a resume builder. A win here will look great come March selection time, considering xavier is picked to win the A-10 and has made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, going 4-3 in that time. In reality, the Hokies would be happy with one quality win in this tournament. That just got a little harder since seton hall stunned #19/20 usc last night. That means if Tech loses to xavier, they would likely play seton hall, which wouldn’t necessarily be a quality win even if the Hokies beat them in the 3rd place game. So I guess there’s only one thing left to do – win the whole [darn] thing!

Both teams are coming off seasons in which they made the final eight of a postseason tournament – the difference is for the musketeers, that tournament was the NCAA (30-7 overall) while it was the NIT for Tech. But while VT returns eight of their top nine players, xavier lost three of their top six scorers (including #1 and #3) and their top two point guards.

The Hokies must exploit xavier’s inexperience at guard. Tech needs to really put pressure on them on the perimeter and keep the musketeers from feeding the ball inside. Dante Jackson will start at the point, but he is more of a shooting guard. Terrell Holloway, a freshman, will spell Jackson or Dante will shift to the 2. Holloway is more of a true point but will be playing just his fourth collegiate game Friday. He did break out with 12 in their 75-71 win against mizzou.

Unlike VT, who gets 75% of their points from their Big 3 (Vassallo, Allen, and Delaney), xavier’s strength is their balance, especially on the wing and inside. Derrick Brown (PF) and C.J. Anderson (G/F) were both All A-10 Preseason selections and are averaging 11.3 and 9 points per game respectively. Another wing, B.J. Raymond is averaging 11 points per game. Four other players are averaging between 6 and 9 points per game. That means everyone, even A.D. Vassallo, must chip in on the defensive end.

Keys to the Game:

• Limit 2nd Chances/Shoot Wisely: xavier has finished at least +13 in rebounding margin in all three games, including an eye-popping +15 against missouri. The musketeers are especially stout on the defensive glass. This is largely due to the fact that their starting lineup is all over 6’5″ with Brown at 6’8″ and Jason Love at 6’9″. The Hokies must limit xavier’s offensive boards and take smart shots on offense since offensive rebounds will be tough to come by. Also, expect Hank Thorns to match-up with Terrell Holloway and Brad Redford when they are in since they are the only guys even close to him in height.
• Do Not Delay Delaney: Malcolm has scored just 8 of his 43 points this season in the first half. With xavier’s inexperience at the point guard position, this is an area for Tech to exploit. Delaney needs to get into the flow early and find his shots.

Probability of a VT Win: 40% (I’d have called it 50/50 if VT had J.T.)

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