It was basically the same old story against Florida State on Saturday. The Hokies struggled to get quality shots in the paint and were forced to shoot long distance, which kept the score low. FSU has Solomon Alabi, Ryan Reid, and Chris Singleton patrolling the paint, all of whom are exceptional defensive players, but Alabi and Singleton are easily two of the best in the ACC. The formula for VT to beat FSU is to make their 3-pointers, force turnovers, make foul shots, and keep the Seminoles from killing us on the boards. The Hokies achieved 3 of 4, but that wasn't good enough for the win (mostly because we did so poorly on our two-point shots... our big men were a disgusting 3-17). We shot well on the three-pointers at a 9 for 22 clip (41%). We had two more offensive rebounds than the Seminoles. We forced 23 turnovers and only gave up 18 in comparison. The one key to victory that we didn't complete was shooting well on free throws. The Hokies only hit 11 of 21 (52%). If Tech had shot 81% on their free throws, we're talking about a victory instead of a loss. At any rate, the most confusing thing to me was why we shot so many two-pointers when the three-pointer was actually working for us on a night when we were getting open looks from deep, particularly in the second half where we were shooting very well from deep and we needed to climb back into the game. Instead we tried to force our way into the teeth of FSU's nasty defense and we paid the price.
So as you can see, it was a game that VT could have won, but fortunately it was nothing near a "must-win". In fact, I know that the Hokies definitely weren't favored to win that game, so the loss is fine. It's just nothing we can hang our hats on. We won't see FSU again this season (unless we're unfortunate enough to draw them in the ACC tournament), and I say good riddance to bad rubbish. We seem to play our worst against the Seminoles and the games are never very exciting. The feeling after a Florida State game is like the feeling after an exhaustive case of food poisoning. You feel terrible, but you're just glad it's over. I really like the move Seth Greenberg and Jim Weaver made by scheduling North Carolina-Central just two days after the FSU game. NC-Central is one of the worst teams in division I, so we can expect a game that will allow our starters to get some valuable rest on the bench and will allow them to get their confidence back while they're playing. The team doesn't play again until Saturday, so the guys will have almost 5 full days of rest to get ready for Boston College at the Cassell. You have to like our chances against BC at home.
I am slightly worried at this point that our team could get to 20 wins and still miss out on the NCAA tournament. It happened to Penn State last year with their 22 wins. If you don't beat anybody good, you probably aren't getting in. So unless Seton Hall, Georgia, or Iowa goes on a big run, I think we might be better off trying to steal a game against Duke or Clemson. Clemson would definitely be our best bet. Physically, they are very similar to the Hokies. They aren't going to kill you with size and they don't have the best shooters, but they are capable of scoring big in the paint, playing solid perimeter defense, grabbing offensive rebounds, and causing turnovers. We have good experience against the Clemson press and have had success breaking it in the past. You have to like our odds to steal one at home on February 6 (our only scheduled meeting against the Tigers).
Tonight's game is also the last non-televised game until March 3. Can we get a huge Hallelujah for that one? I'm tired of having to either watch a grainy internet feed or else listen on the radio and try to imagine JT Thompson's slamtastic dunks. Saturday's Raycom broadcast for the Boston College game will be at 1:30pm on the CW (YES! AWESOME!) if you live in Richmond. Check here for your local affiliate if you don't live in Richmond. Raycom claims that they will be broadcasting their games in HD, so we'll just have to see about that. I am highly skeptic. I seem to remember last year that their HD broadcast worked, but only if you didn't mind watching the game without sound.
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