Oh, and what's this? Virginia Tech playing against UConn in a 2nd round NIT matchup? Sure, I'll watch that. I was talking with a friend at a wedding on Saturday and he mentioned that the blog was getting pretty negative lately. You know what? He was dead right... I definitely let my emotions get the better of me. It's probably a good thing that I write a blog instead of a newspaper column! So here is the new me... trying to stay positive even when heartbreaking events (such as unfairly missing out on the NCAA tournament) are trying to pull me in the wrong direction. Fortunately for me, tonight's game evoked nothing but pure joy. Virginia Tech played a back-and-forth game with the hyper-talented UConn Huskies that ended with a huge basket by Dorenzo Hudson, a strong defensive play by Jeff Allen, and a bit of luck.
The game started out poorly for the Hokies as they really struggled to get in sync with one another. There were a lot of turnovers in the first half that were unforced passing errors. The Hokies also had a hard time keeping the tall, athletic Huskies from grabbing offensive rebounds. Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen were really struggling to shoot the ball. But with about 5-6 minutes left in the first half, Seth Greenberg decided to mix up his defense and show a 2-3 zone. This bit of coaching proved to be the difference maker as VT cut the lead from 14 down to 5, ending the first half with a last-second 3-pointer by JT Thompson, who was easily our best player in the first half. Apart from some nice drives and off-the-curl shots from Dorenzo Hudson, Thompson's hustle and clutch shooting seemed like the only thing that was keeping the Huskies from breaking away.
The second half was much more fun to watch, from a Tech perspective. The Hokies took it the Huskies to pull within a point inside of the first 2 minutes of the second half, and they managed to stay neck and neck the rest of the way. However, for some strange reason, Seth Greenberg abandoned the 2-3 zone that was working so well and went back to man-to-man defense. Then, as Kemba Walker abused Malcolm Delaney with some extremely quick cuts, Greenberg decided to STICK WITH THE MAN-TO-MAN! A completely incredulous move, and I have to wonder if the Hokies couldn't have pulled away from the Huskies if they had got back into the zone and forced Connecticut to shoot from deep (which they really struggled to do after hitting their first several shots from out there). Props to Victor Davila, who scrapped and fought in the second half and went 4-4 from the free throw line when the Hokies needed to stay close. With a minute left, Greenberg decided to throw another defensive look at the Huskies... the 1-3-1 trap! Who doesn't love the 1-3-1 trap? Nazis and Osama Bin Laden... that's who. Kemba Walker and Jerome Dyson were struggling to work the ball forward, only able to go backwards and to the side to avoid the pressure. This is where VT started to assert themselves. Terrell Bell poked the ball away from Dyson, who regained control, but only a second before stepping on the half court line, causing a turnover. It was a clutch defensive play by T-Bell, which is something we have become accustomed to. The Hokies were still down a point and in need of a bucket with about 22 seconds left on the clock. Greenberg called up a play, and you just knew who it was going to. Dorenzo Hudson had been doing the same thing all night: starting near the baseline, he would run up to the elbow where a Hokie would be ready to set the pick, and then curling around that pick while receiving the ball, Hudson spins and fires an open shot. Nothing but net, all night long. Greenberg went back to that well one more time when VT needed it the most, and Hudson responded with his most clutch basket of the year. VT up 1 with 11 seconds left. Jim Calhoun calls time out for the Huskies and draws up a play, and you had to think it was for either Walker or Dyson. The ball eventually made its way to Kemba Walker, who tried to make a basket from a high screen set by a post player. The only problem was that Jeff Allen was having none of it. Allen made up for an underwhelming performance by lunging forward to block that shot from Walker. The ball got pushed over to senior Gavin Edwards, who had played an excellent game up to this point. You just knew that Edwards wasn't going to miss a wide-open layup from 6 feet away. Except... he did. Terrell Bell fittingly grabbed the rebound and even after trying to purposefully miss the second foul shot and making it, 0.7 seconds wasn't enough time for the Huskies and they couldn't get a good shot in the air. H-O-K-I-E-S Hokies! It was the kind of scrappy win that the Hokies came out on the right side of so many times this season.
- P@'s Game Ball is obvious. There were strong contributions from J.T. Thompson, Terrell Bell, and Victor Davila... but the game ball obviously belongs to Dorenzo Hudson. He did everything the Hokies asked. He shut down Jerome Dyson after a hot start. He kept the Hokies in striking distance time and time again with his shooting. He made hustle plays all over the place. He was the best player on the court. Congrats 'Zo!
- I am hoping that it doesn't sound like I'm killing Malcolm Delaney. I was extremely disappointed in him when VT played Miami in the ACC tournament. Tonight, I am not the least bit disappointed. He didn't shoot the ball well, but that happens. He didn't play good defense, but he hardly had a moment to rest in this game, playing all 40 minutes. What he did was fight, and push, and create, and harrass, and empower. In the second half, he really passed the ball well and created for his teammates. He did exactly what you want a point guard to do when he's not shooting well, and he deserves some credit for this win. He was physically abused in this game, and he couldn't get any love from the referees. He was a man on an island at times, but came out smelling like my Gilette aftershave (mmmmmm) instead of seaweed and rotten fish.
- Honestly, if it weren't for that last block, I'd be pretty disappointed with Jeff Allen. He failed to assert himself for the vast majority of the game finishing with only 6 points and 3 rebounds. The only time you noticed him in the game was when he was clanking a 3-pointer off the iron or making a head-scratchingly-dumb turnover. I have seen him play so well at times this year, so I really hope this is the Jeff Allen that shows up against Rhode Island in the next round.
- With some "big crowd jitters" out of their system, you have to like Virginia Tech's chances to move on past Rhode Island. They're another athletic team, but they don't have the talent that Connecticut has and the Hokies should be able to stick with them better defensively. You also have to think that their team would be more susceptible to the energetic crowds that the Cassell provides.
- An NIT championship... it's not as glamorous as an NCAA tournament championship, but you have to say it would evoke more pride than a first round loss in the NCAA tournament. Here's hoping VT goes all the way! One more win and we're on to Madison Square Garden!
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