Hokies Get Heeled at Home

Virginia Tech fought valiantly against the mighty Tar Heels of North Carolina last night in Blacksburg, but came up short in the end. VT lost 86-78 to UNC on Senior Night in Cassel Coliseum. The Hokies really needed this win to help shore up their resume for the NCAA tournament, but with this opportunity being flushed down the drain like so many goldfish and baby turtles, the Hokies have left themselves only one more chance to do something good before the ACC tournament begins. The game at Florida State on Sunday now becomes a must-win for the Hokies if they truly believe they are an NCAA-worthy team.

Let's talk a little bit about the loss yesterday before we look ahead to our final game of the regular season. I felt like the Hokies played very well against the Tar Heels for the vast majority of the game... it just seemed like they ran into a team that is far superior to them. That's a tough pill to swallow for VT fans, particularly those who hate UNC (like me), but that Tar Heel team should be blowing out every opponent they play with their all-star lineup. The only question coming into last night was, "Will UNC slack on defense like they did in their other losses?" The answer was a resounding "No they will not." UNC played extremely tight defense, particularly on Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen, who both had trouble getting off their shot. AD Vassallo struggled in the first half, but decided to open things up with some driving runners in the paint during the second half, and all of a sudden VT had climbed back into the game and tied things up. However, it seemed like every time the Hokies would tie or get close to tying, a light bulb would flash inside of the Tar Heels' heads and they would immediately go on a 6-0 or 7-0 run to get back into a comfortable lead. I said it at the beginning of the year, and I'll say it again... I think this UNC team rivals a bunch of talented UNC teams from the past, including the squad with Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins, and the squad with Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison. Tyler Hansbrough is simply an incredible college player because of his combination of effort and skill... if Vassallo played as hard as Hansbrough, he'd be a lottery pick in the NBA draft this year instead of an unlikely 2nd rounder (the NBA draft only has 2 rounds and Vassallo might not go in either round). Ty Lawson is the fastest and most destructive point guard in the game. Wayne Ellington is a gifted shooter, and Danny Green might be one of the most versatile players in the NCAA ranks.

Virginia Tech got good play from Victor Davila, who played some very impressive defense on Tyler Hansbrough, but his nervousness on offense seemed to be enough for Coach Greenberg to pull him and play Diakite and Witcher for the majority of the game. I thought that was a bad move because Cheick was really having problems corralling rebounds in that game and kept going for the steal on the entry pass, which allowed Hansbrough to side-step him for easy buckets. This was not a good game for Cheick. JT Thompson fouled out having played only 17 minutes, although he was somewhat effective going 2-4 from the field, getting 6 points, and collecting 4 rebounds. Jeff Allen played well despite some ill-advised shots late in the game. Malcolm Delaney did not shoot the ball very well at all going only 4-16 from the field and 1-7 on his 3-point shots. He did have 6 rebounds and 5 assists compared to only 1 turnover, and he was 10-10 from the free throw line, so he helped keep the Hokies in the game despite his poor shooting from the field. Vassallo led all scorers with 25 points and really seemed to be cooking with gas in the second half. It was nice to see him step up his game for Senior Night. Hank Thorns also added some stability to the offense, although his shot had abandoned him before he even started the game. Dorenzo Hudson had a decent game and Lewis Witcher was invisible while he was on the court to round out the players' performances for the Hokies. And as a change of pace, this loss could not even be partially blamed on the referees. They did an excellent job in that game and really called it fair. VT was just out-hustled and out-muscled for that win.

Now we move on to the game against FSU, which has turned into a critical matchup. It is a far more important win for the Hokies than it is for the Seminoles, who have already booked their ticket to the NCAA tournament, so let's hope the Hokies will play like they need this game (because they really do). I truly believe that VT and FSU are about an even matchup, so the win will come down to who wants it more. The only other time this year that the Hokies lost their first game at home against a team they play twice was Clemson, and Tech managed to win that game on the road in the 2nd matchup. Does that mean the Hokies are definitely going to beat FSU tomorrow? Definitely not, but it at least gives us some hope. Tech was unable to contain Toney Douglas at the end of the first game against FSU, and that proved to be the difference maker. FSU also got the game of Derwin Kitchen's life, and I hardly expect that to happen again tomorrow. However, Uche Echefu had an absolutely terrible game, so we can't really expect that to happen again either. Jeff Allen drowned out Echefu by following him everywhere on the court, and he will need to do that again. The Hokies will also need to keep FSU off of the free throw line, as they are excellent there (especially at home). Delaney needs to do what he does best... get in the lane to draw the foul and hit the open 3-pointer. This game gets a lot easier if we can get Toney Douglas in foul trouble, so that should be the game plan... drive the ball against him and bait him into offensive fouls. Luke Loucks is a much better alternative for Hokie fans. Also, Tech will need to do a better job about protecting the basketball as FSU had a +6 turnover margin in the last game. Toney Douglas is a thief, so know where he is at all times.

Is VT going to the Big Dance? We'll have a clear picture after Sunday. Right now it's like one of those hidden pictures where you have to relax your eyes to see it... maybe it's a sailboat, or maybe it's an alligator... who really knows? After Sunday, it'll be like a Rembrandt... but hopefully prettier than this one.