The Virginia Tech Hokies took on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on January 7th after almost a week off, last playing December 31st against Oklahoma State. Wake Forest's previous game was a loss to Wofford the previous Monday. Virginia Tech showed an incredible amount of rust from the tip off, which resulted in a quick 20-8 lead for the Deacons. One of the most surprising factors of this quick lead was how Wake out-rebounded the Hokies. Virginia Tech must not have looked at the scouting report, as they let themselves get embarrassed on the boards all night. In the early going, Wake Forest could do no wrong, and built a large lead from the get go. The Hokies battled back, through Eddie's sharp three point shooting and a lack of turnovers. The Hokies had only one turn over in the first half and trailed by eight at intermission.
The second half showed some sharp defense and missed possesions by Virginia Tech. Three point shots are an important part of the offense and should be used as such; however, these shots should only be taken by those who shoot above thirty percent. Dorenzo Hudson should not be shooting three's. When the right people take the right shots is when an offense flourishes. Even with these miscues and untimely turnovers, the team battled back and took the lead by one on an Eddie three late in the game. The Deacs took a three-point lead on a Harris three pointer with eleven seconds to go. Robert Brown's last second shot rimmed out at the buzzer. 58-55 was the final score. This loss hurt the Hokies, as any NCAA tournament chances took a severe hit because of this loss.
| Player | 3's Made | 3's Attempted | % Made |
| Jarell Eddie | 25 | 46 | 54.3% |
| Erick Green | 20 | 48 | 41.66% |
| Robert Brown | 21 | 62 | 33.87% |
| Dorian Finney-Smith | 12 | 30 | 40.0% |
| Dorenzo Hudson | 12 | 50 | 24.0% |
As a general rule of thumb, a player typically should not attempt a three point shot unless his percentage is above thirty percent. From this graph, only four players on the team should be attempting a three: Eddie, Green, Finney-Smith, and Brown (in that order). Hudson took way too many three point shots in this game, and the team needs to play within the offense (which goes for every player, even a reshirt senior).
Analysis of the Final Wake Possession
The possession went as planned by Virginia Tech, up until Harris made his move. The screen was set at the top of the key, and Erick Green chose to go under the screen, which gave Harris space for a clean shot. Had Green gone over the screen, Harris would not have gotten a clean shot off.
Miscues
- Dorenzo Hudson made a number of offensive miscues that hurt the Hokies, but his defense was spectacular. Had he not made the offensive blunders, the Hokies might have won this game.
- Dorian Finney-Smith was a no show in this game. He will be needed on Tuesday when we play Florida State.
- Second half turnovers cost the Hokies as well. Crisp passes and smart decisions with the ball will greatly help us on Tuesday.
