Basketball

Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (15-12, 4-8) vs Virginia Cavaliers (20-6, 7-5)

When: Tuesday, February 21 @ 9:00 p.m.

TV: ESPNU (Carter Blackburn and Jay Williams)

Where: Cassell Coliseum (9,847), Blacksburg, VA

The Hokies and 'Hoos renew their rivalry inside Cassell tonight nearly a month to the day after their first meeting, a 47-45 Virginia Tech victory in Charlottesville. Here's what I wrote prior to the first game:

Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (14-11, 3-7) @ #20 Florida State Seminoles (17-7, 8-2)

When: Thursday, February 16 @ 7:00 p.m.

TV: ESPN2 (Mike Patrick, Len Elmore, and Jeannine Edwards)

Where: Donald Tucker Center (12,200), Tallahassee, FL

Well, we're down to the final three weeks of the ACC season, and barring a miraculous turnaround, the Hokies seem destined for a sub-.500 ACC finish down the stretch. Things have been tough for Tech and the NIT seems like a probable destination (AD Jim Weaver said Tech would decline invites to the CBI or CIT-read more here), but I doubt a No. 1 seed is in Tech's future. Heck, who knows if we even make the NIT at this point.

Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (13-10, 2-6 ACC) @ Miami Hurricanes (14-7, 5-3 ACC)

When: Thursday, February 9 @ 9:00 p.m.

TV: ESPN2 (Mike Patrick, Len Elmore, Jeannine Edwards)

Where: BankUnited Center (7,000), Coral Gables, FL

Halfway through the ACC slate, the Hokies head to Miami for a showdown with the red-hot Hurricanes. Obviously, Tech had a tough first 8 games in conference, but the Hokies have a chance to move up the standings with some critical contests starting tonight in Coral Gables.

Tech got its second conference win of the year over Clemson on Saturday, holding on for dear life in the final minute for a 67-65 win. Doe-Doe finally broke out of his slump with a 12-point performance, his best since the end of December. Tech is now a perfect 8-0 in games where Finney-Smith reaches double digits, but the Hokies are 1-8 when he makes 0 or 1 shots in a game. Sadly, there's been more games where Finney has been held without a made shot than when he's reached double figures. Yes, he's just a freshman, but the Hokies are in dire need of secondary scoring. Erick Green will get his 12-19 per game, but the rest is really a question mark. Will Davila show up? Will Eddie hit his 3's? It's all question marks outside of Green. That alone is why Tech has struggled in late-game situations. There's only one option to shoot and the defense knows it.

Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (12-9, 1-5 ACC) vs Duke Blue Devilss (18-3, 5-1 ACC)

When: Thursday, February 2 @ 7:00 p.m.

TV: ESPN (Mike Patrick, Len Elmore, Jeannine Edwards)

Where: Cassell Coliseum (9.847), Blacksburg, VA

Thanks to some technical difficulties on my end, my previously-written Duke preview disappeared last night. So, in lieu of a typical preview for this game, I'm using this space as a place for us fans to gather and talk about this team. After this weekend, we'll be halfway through the ACC slate, and Tech could be 3-5 and on the upswing or sadly, as bad as 1-7 and talking about whether the NIT is even a possibility at this point.

This is a defining weekend for our basketball team. And it all starts with the team that we earned our defining moment against last year. Our guys came out and showed just how well they could be if everything went right. Duke provided us with what is possibly the best day in the history of Virginia Tech basketball. Sure, it's a bit different this year with College Gameday not being in town, but this still could be a shining moment against an otherwise bleak backdrop.

Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (12-8, 1-4 ACC) @ Maryland Terrapins (12-7, 2-3 ACC)

When: Saturday, January 28 @ 2:30 p.m.

TV: ACC Network (Tim Brantt and Mike Gminski)

Where: Comcast Center (17,950), College Park, MD

The Opponent: Fresh off another excruciatingly close loss to a big-name non-conference foe, the Hokies jump back into league play with a trip to Maryland. The Terps are under the direction of first-year head coach Mark Turgeon, who came to UMD after four years (and four NCAA Appearances) at Texas A&M.

Maryland was a rather large question mark in that people don’t really know what to expect after the resignation of Gary Williams after last season. And in some cases, they really are still an unknown. This game can be viewed almost as another non-conference game because the Hokies have never faced a Mark Turgeon-run team. This won’t be the same Maryland team as the last 20 years or so.

Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (12-7, 1-4 ACC) vs Brigham Young Cougars (17-5, 6-2 West Coast)

When: Wednesday, January 25 @ 7:00 p.m.

TV: ESPN3 (Walter Storholt and Stephen Binder)

Where: Cassell Coliseum (9,847), Blacksburg, VA

The Opponent: The Hokies finally got the ACC monkey off their back with a beautiful (to some eyes) 47-45 win over the Wahoos in Charlottesville on Sunday. Now, Tech looks to end non-conference play on a positive note with a victory over a BYU squad that is in its first year in the West Coast Conference.

BYU made a name for itself over the past couple years thanks to phenom Jimmer Fredette, but he’s since joined the NBA. This year’s Cougars squad has brought about a bit of rebuilding while also banking on some returning talent. That being said, this team hung tough with nationally-ranked Baylor and St. Mary’s before losing and they’re third in the WCC behind St. Mary’s (19-2, 8-0) and Gonzaga (16-3, 6-1). After this game, BYU has St. Mary’s and Gonzaga at home, so this is obviously a pivotal stretch for them.

Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (11-7, 0-4) @ #15/17 Virginia Cavaliers (15-2, 2-1)

When: Sunday, January 22 @ 6:00 p.m.

TV: ESPNU (Jon Sciambi, Hubert Davis, Allison Williams)

Where: John Paul Jones Arena (15,219), Charlottesville, VA

The Opponent: Well we saw about 22 minutes of good, fun, high-energy basketball on Thursday night. Then UNC went on a 26-2 run. Let’s hope we see more of the first 22 minutes the rest of the season as opposed to the final 18 minutes.

This game, however, is going to be drastically different. UVA’s game plan is to slow the game down to a snail’s pace and play defense for 35 seconds. They don’t want to score 70 points a game. They want to score 55 and hold you to under 50. That’s Tony Bennett’s game plan, and so far this year, it’s worked. The Cavs have held opponents to less than 50 points in seven games, and less than 40 points three times, including last time out in a 70-38 win over Georgia Tech.

Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (11-6, 0-3) vs #8 North Carolina Tar Heels (15-3, 2-1)

When: Thursday, January 19 @ 9:00 p.m.

TV: ESPN (John Saunders and Jay Bilas)

Where: Cassell Coliseum (9,847), Blacksburg, VA

The Opponent: Well, things couldn’t have started any worse for the Hokies in conference play. Losing the first three games, including two to what many people considered the two worst teams in the conference and now Tech faces a UNC team that got shellacked by 33 at Florida State last weekend. Doesn’t sound that encouraging does it?

Coach Greenberg has already unleashed his mantra of “it’s never as bad as it seems, and it’s never as good as it seems.” Well with two top-15 opponents in the next four days, things may get a little worse than they currently are. But, as far as we know this 0-3 start could be a hidden gem and this young team could play with a passion we haven’t seen yet and knocks off both the Heels and Hoos. Two weeks ago, some of you may have believed that, but 0-3 starts drastically change expectations.

Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (11-5, 0-2) @ Boston College Eagles (6-10, 1-1)

When: Saturday, January 14 @ 3:00 p.m.

TV: ACC Network (Tom Werme and Cory Alexander)

Where: Conte Forum (8,606), Chestnut Hill, MA

The Opponent: Looking solely at the stats coming into this game, the Hokies should cruise over Boston College. But then you throw in Tech’s last two games, the 1-9 record for the Hokies all-time at BC, and the fact that BC is coming off a win over a Clemson team that crushed FSU by 20. Tech’s only win at Chestnut Hill was an overtime victory in 2008. That’s it. And we all remember BC dominating the Hokies on Senior Night last year in the singular game that probably kept Tech out of the tourney. So who knows what’s going to happen.

BC is easily the worst statistical team in the ACC. Coming into league play, many thought this could be the worst ACC team of all time, even worse than last year’s 1-15 Wake squad. But then they beat Clemson so the worst they can actually do is 1-15. The Eagles have lost to Holy Cross (by 22), UMass (by 36), Boston U (by 14), and 3-14 Rhode Island. Their best win outside of Clemson? Stony Brook. Plain and simple, this is not a good basketball team.

Here’s their projected starting lineup: