Buzzketball Central: Virginia Tech Hokies (16-6, 5-5) at Miami Hurricanes (15-7, 5-5) 9PM RSN

GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: February 8, 2017 / 9 p.m.
Opponent: Miami
Site: Coral Gables, Florida (Watsco Center)
Radio: Virginia Tech IMG Sports Network
Talent: Jon Laaser & Mike Burnop
TV/Internet: Regional sports networks
Talent: Wes Durham & Cory Alexander
Live Stats: HokieSports.com
Game Notes: Virginia Tech
XM Radio: XM 81 (Internet 81)
TV Channels for RSN

Don't tell UNC, but we are headed to the Hurricanes

Buzzketball struggled back on the road already, surviving a bus mishap on their way to Miami. Hopefully that's where their troubles end and we see an invigorated effort from the Hokies tonight.

The Hokies now face a Hurricanes squad that is also trying to keep its ACC season on track with a win. One team goes home with a winning record, the other on the opposite end tonight as both teams enter the game 5-5 in the ACC. Miami so far has one big win in ACC play over the Tar Heels 77-62. Otherwise, their wins are against Pitt, Boston College, and two over NC State. Miami was 2-2 in their OOC schedule, with wins over Stanford and Rutgers and losses to Iowa State and Florida. The Hurricanes ACC losses came at the hands of Syracuse, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Duke, and Florida State.

This is the final away game in a five game stretch for the Hokies, most likely to less than stellar crowd even with only an 8,000 capacity at Watsco Center. The Hokies should get a similar dose of offense and defense, almost like looking in a mirror this evening as Miami plays a fast paced offense and a variety of defenses but at least they got to the arena safely.

This will be the thirty third meeting between the Hokies and Cavaliers. Miami leads the all-time series 19-13. Last year, in three games, each home team won and then Miami eliminated the Hokies from the ACC tournament.


The Hurricanes are coached by Jim Larranaga, who has been at Miami since 2011. Miami has won at least twenty games in four of his five seasons at the helm and have 15 wins so far this season. Larranaga has taken the Hurricanes to two NCAA tournament berths. He also guided them to an ACC Championship both in the regular season and tournament in 2012-2013.

Defensively, Miami runs three different defensive schemes, primarily playing a high pressure man to man which usually rotates into the Scramble defense which is essentially a man to man defense with some zone trapping techniques utilized and then rounding it out with a curveball they call a 3-2 Disrupting Camouflage Defense which is a high pressure, perimeter zone defense that sags to the middle of the court. The 3-2 Disrupting Camouflage is almost the reverse of the Scramble defense. This defense has players back off their offensive players as if they were going to trap but then they shift into passing lanes rather than close the trap.

Offensively, the Hurricanes switch between a four out, one in and a three out, two in Motion Offense, based on the personnel on the floor. When Miami is in with two bigs, those bigs typically rotate between the top and bottom of the lane to create gaps in the defensive coverage while also opening up opportunities for the guards to drive to the basket. The Hurricanes usually only attempt about 18 threes per game but this is a game against the Hokies, where everyone seems to add 5-10 attempts. They take fewer outside shots because they are one of the lower 3P% teams in the ACC.

What does that mean for the Hokies?

The Hokies are getting an opponent with a very similar offensive approach especially in terms of guard focused scoring. They need to be able to counter this by keeping Miami out of the lane. Paint Touches will likely win this contest and its what the Miami guards love to do to get most of their scoring done. Keeping them from easy drives to the basket but playing interior defense is what the Hokies do much better than playing perimeter defense. Maybe a recipe for disaster considering how teams end up shooting the three but I think it's an acceptable risk against this opponent.

This game could be a high scoring affair, with the fast paced offense that both these squads run, but so far this season Miami is only averaging 72.6 PPG. The Hokies, if they shoot the ball like they have so far in the majority of ACC play should have the advantage here if by a small margin. They need to get their swagger back, especially Hill and Bibbs from outside to get this critical road win.

The Hokies need to find that rhythm of turning energetic defense into a quick scoring offense tonight. They should be able to keep the Hurricanes a step behind if they force early turnovers, get out in transition and take confident shots. Miami once it sets up its defense though is a much harder opponent to face. They rank in the top five in the ACC in almost every defensive category. They are especially good at keeping opponents off the board and out of the paint, allowing the fewest interior shots of any ACC team so far.

Hurricanes Backcourt


Davon Reed (#5) 6'6, 220 Lbs Senior Guard is averaging 15.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 1.2 SPG. He is shooting 41% from behind the arc and 45% overall. Also shoots 81% from the line. Reed is a bigger guard that likes to get into the lane to score but also leads the Hurricanes in every three point category. Reed is rarely in foul trouble and plays almost 35 minutes per contest so he will be a constant presence that the Tech guards will be dealing with all night.


Ja'Quan Newton, (#0) 6'2, 187 Junior Guard comes in averaging 15 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.8 APG and 1.1 SPG. He is shooting a miserable 25% from outside and at the free throw line, shooting 73%. He is better known for his quick first step and ability to drive inside. So far on the season he is shooting better than 47% inside the arc. Newton is the primary ball handler for the Hurricanes and is excellent at driving in and distributing to a perimeter shooter like Reed or Brown so the Hokies need to be prepared to cover down when he attempts to go inside


Bruce Brown, (#11) 6'5, 190 lbs Freshman Guard is averaging 12.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 1.6 SPG. I would have loved to see the impact this kid could have had if he was in a situation like Dennis Smith Jr or Okogie from Georgia Tech with no real scorers ahead of him. Considering he is the third option on this team, he is having an incredible freshman campaign. His shot outside the arc is going in at about 40% while inside the arc it drops in at to 45%. He is still working on the free throws though, hitting about 70%. This guy dropped 30 points in their upset win over UNC so beware letting his get started. Scary to think he is about fifth in the ACC voting for Freshmen of the Year right now.


Dejan Vasiljevic, (#4) 6'3, 198 Lbs Freshman Guard is averaging 5.5 PPG and 1.1 RPG in a backup role across 16 minutes per game. So far this season he is shooting 35% from the field, 36% from behind the arc and 78% from the line. If the Hokies can force Miami to use him for a larger role tonight its in their best interest considering how much of a drop off he is compared to the other three guards in terms of shooting capability.

Hurricanes Frontcourt


Anthony Lawrence Jr., (#3), 6'7, 210 Lbs Sophomore Forward is averaging 7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.4 APG and 1.3 SPG. Lawrence is shooting about 44% inside and 37% from beyond the arc. He is only a 68% free throw shooter as well. He has the tendency to totally disappear in ACC games, mainly because he is Zach Leday's height without the toughness down low or the savvy to create a better shot. He is however a particularly good defender, especially on the perimeter.


Kamari Murphy (#21) 6'8, 220 Lbs Senior Forward is averaging 6.1 PPG and 7.9 RPG. Murphy is more the starting center and plays the big man role even with Huell on the floor. He shoots about 47% from inside and never ventures a shot outside the arc. He does sometimes struggle with fouls though so getting him on the bench early would be a big benefit to the Hokies. Murphy is another in a long line of transfers playing for Larranaga at Miami, coming from Oklahoma State three seasons ago.


Ebuka Izundu, (#15) 6'10, 231 Lbs Sophomore Center is averaging 4.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and almost 1 BPG in about 11 minutes per game. He definitely struggles staying out of foul trouble, averaging 2.3 fouls per contest over those 11 MPG. He does shoot 60% from the floor and 75% from the line so keeping him out of the game considering our size disadvantage could be huge. As you can see from the photo though, he definitely has the ability to adjust shots down low.


Dewan Huell, (#20) 6'11, 220 Lbs Freshman Forward is averaging 6.5 PPG and 3.7 RPG as the primary backup to Lawrence. There will be some time that these two are both on the court together. This tandem is very much like Leday and Sy in how their coaches utilize them but Huell is seeing the floor a bit more than Sy has so far.

Names the Announcers will Butcher

Ebuka Izundu or Dejan Vasiljevic? Torn between the two but I lean toward Vasiljevic being harder to say three times fast.

What to expect from Miami?

The Hurricanes normally would rely mostly on their guards to do the majority of their scoring but considering the Hokies height deficiency, it is entirely possible that Larranaga goes with a bigger lineup than normal, possibly having Lawrence, Murphy and Izundu on the floor together with Lawrence stepping out to the wing role in this case. Whichever method Larranaga chooses to pursue it, the Hokies need to be prepared to defend inside the paint.

Rebounding should be closer to even in this contest even if the Hurricanes go with a big lineup. It is what is done once the ball is down that could be the difference in this game. The Hurricanes will look to get offensive rebounds whenever possible to give them an edge in possessions and easy put back buckets. The Hokies need to disrupt this either by having position to rebound or cleanly blocking the second attempt.

Three point shooting will be another interesting facet of this game to watch. Do the Hurricanes do like many of Tech's opponents and increase their perimeter shot quantity or do they stick to their normal game plan? If Miami is able to get hot from outside, expect them to remain out there shooting all night.

Davon Reed drives the train for these guys so taking him out of his game effects everyone else on the floor most nights. This is a Justin Bibbs assignment all night if Buzz wants to short circuit Reed.


The Hokies

Tech needs to go fast again in this game. There was better movement against Virginia, at least early on but they have to be able to continue that while actually hitting their shots. They also need to be flexible offensively as Miami will throw a ton of different looks at them throughout this game.

The Hokies need a three point revival for Hill and Bibbs in this contest. Having those guys hit their shots opens the floor so much more for Allen, Robinson, Clarke and Leday in terms of getting inside or having the space inside to create their shots.

Pound the ball inside to Leday. He needs a good bounce back game after a couple quasi duds the last three games. Leday also needs to find a way to pull down some rebounds tonight. He has not had a double-double yet in ACC play. The closest he came was 10 and 8 versus Notre Dame. If this team is going to make it to the tournament, they need Leday to close strong. Hopefully Leday can draw some inspiration from Bimbo Coles tonight.

Highlight of the UVA Game

The class act that is Frank Beamer on the bench. Was great seeing him out there even if it didn't lead to a win.

In Closing

If the Hokies can get Leday and Hill or Bibbs going tonight than this game should take care of itself as the others typically deliver enough to get it done. This is a team that is very susceptible to the inside out game, so forcing Miami to react to both the perimeter and the lane is critical.

The Miami bigs have a huge tendency to get in foul trouble so providing Allen, Clarke and Robinson the space to drive inside along with Leday being able to draw contact down low could force Larranaga out of his game plan. The less of 6'10 and 6'11 that see the floor against Leday the better off we are in this contest.

This is not an absolute must win considering the Hokies are on the road and still control their fate in terms of conference record and overall record to lead them dancing. That though is predicated on them beating UVA at home this weekend and stealing another road game between the Pittsburgh and Boston College matchups. I don't see them beating Louisville on the road.

Hokies win 78-73 against my real though process of "until they prove they can play competitively on the road, they are getting their doors blown off". I just think Buzz has to get through to these guys at some point and why not tonight?

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I found TKP after two rails from TOTS then walking back to my apartment and re-watching the 2012 Sugar Bowl. I woke up the next day with this username.

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I found TKP after two rails from TOTS then walking back to my apartment and re-watching the 2012 Sugar Bowl. I woke up the next day with this username.

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Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

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I seldom speak to loluva grads, but when I do, I tell them I want large fries.

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I found TKP after two rails from TOTS then walking back to my apartment and re-watching the 2012 Sugar Bowl. I woke up the next day with this username.

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Wet stuff on the red stuff.

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The Orange and Maroon you see, that's fighting on to victory.

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I seldom speak to loluva grads, but when I do, I tell them I want large fries.

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I seldom speak to loluva grads, but when I do, I tell them I want large fries.

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My wife takes the kids and leaves the house while I watch my Hokie games.........nuff said

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I found TKP after two rails from TOTS then walking back to my apartment and re-watching the 2012 Sugar Bowl. I woke up the next day with this username.

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I seldom speak to loluva grads, but when I do, I tell them I want large fries.

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Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

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I just sit on my couch and b*tch. - HokieChemE2016

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Old sigline: I've been cutting back on the drinking.

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I seldom speak to loluva grads, but when I do, I tell them I want large fries.

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I seldom speak to loluva grads, but when I do, I tell them I want large fries.

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I seldom speak to loluva grads, but when I do, I tell them I want large fries.

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I seldom speak to loluva grads, but when I do, I tell them I want large fries.

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I seldom speak to loluva grads, but when I do, I tell them I want large fries.

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Pain is Temporary, Chicks Dig Scars
Glory is Forever, Let's Go Hokies!!

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I seldom speak to loluva grads, but when I do, I tell them I want large fries.

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The Orange and Maroon you see, that's fighting on to victory.