Buzzketball Central: Wake Forest Demon Deacons (17-12, 8-9) at Virginia Tech Hokies (21-8, 10-7) 430PM RSN

IT'S GAMEDAY! #BeatWake Cassell 4:30 PM RSN pic.twitter.com/H00pPl2K3W— VT Men's Basketball (@VT_MBBall) March 4, 2017

GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: March 4, 2017 / 4:30 p.m.
Opponent: Wake Forest
Site: Blacksburg, Virginia (Cassell Coliseum)
Radio: Virginia Tech IMG Sports Network
Talent: Jon Laaser & Mike Burnop
TV/Internet: Regional Sports Networks
Talent: Bob Rathbun & Jason Capel
Live Stats: HokieSports.com
Game Notes: Virginia Tech
XM Radio: XM 205 (Internet 965)

Where can you watch the @VT_MBBall vs Wake Forest game? Check out a new #HokieHuddle for all the affiliateshttps://t.co/nmCTrXi2Ra pic.twitter.com/bR2vHybEQr— VT Men's Basketball (@VT_MBBall) March 3, 2017

Senior Night, can they go out right?

Buzzketball is home for the last time this season unless they fall to the NIT. One way to ensure that isn't the case is to take care of business on Senior Night against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons come in fighting for their NCAA tournament spot as well, smack dab in the middle of the bubble right now. Wake's only super win game in their last game out against #8 Louisville, winning 88-81. Other than that they have won the games they were expected to and lost the games they were expected to both OOC and during the ACC schedule. Wake needs a win in this contest to finish their ACC slate at .500, an event that hasn't happened at Wake since the 2009-2010 season.

Hokies host Wake Forest on Senior Day: Sold out game set for a 4:30 p.m. tip https://t.co/KK7qw6yvXG— VT Men's Basketball (@VT_MBBall) March 3, 2017

At home to a sellout crowd, saying our home goodbyes to Seth Allen, Zach Leday, and Johnny Hamilton, the Hokies need to find focus for basketball amidst all the hoopla. Wake Forest will be focused on one thing which is to leave that much closer to an NCAA tournament bid. One thing to keep in mind is that Wake Forest is 2-28 in their last 30 ACC road contests but both wins came this season against NC State and Boston College.

This will be the Sixty Third meeting between the Hokies and Demon Deacons. The Hokies lead the all-time series 32-30. The Hokies won last years matchup at Wake Forest 81-74. The Hokies own a 14-7 edge on games played at Cassell and are 3-1 against Wake under Buzz Williams.

The Demon Deacons are coached by Danny Manning, who has been at Wake Forest since 2014. His first season the Deacons were a dreadful 13 -19 while his second year was even worse at 11-19 with only 7 ACC wins between the two seasons. This season the Eagles have already surpassed the ACC win total for the previous two seasons having won eight games so far. Manning as a coach is renowned for being able to get the best out of big men, drawing on personal experience as an NBA player and years of coaching as part of Bill Self's staff at Kansas. That reputation has shown itself to be true in how dominant John Collins has been for Wake Forest.

Defensively, the Eagles rely on pressure using a 2-2-1 three quarter press which they then drop into a 2-3 zone. One thing Danny Manning preaches to all his players are quick feet. He expects his defenders to be able to stay in front of offensive player's intent on driving into the lane. He is big on help defense, especially in crashing the lane. All of the above is true but Wake Forest is not very good on defense. They are in the bottom half of the ACC in almost every statistical category. They allow 80.1 points per game in ACC play. They commit almost 20 fouls per contest and average almost 12 turnovers per game.

Offensively, Wake Forest has made a huge improvement. They average the second most points per game in ACC play at 81.1 points per game. They have two bigs that combine for over 30 points per game, along with 16 rebounds per contest as well. The pull down almost 10 offensive boards per game so something to keep in mind when playing the Hokies. Most of the Wake Forest offense goes through the lane either by big or by driving guard. They do not rely on the outside shot for a significant portion of their offense which could be good news for the Hokies.

What does that mean for the Hokies?

The Hokies are going to be challenged by Wake Forest's height and size. This is a big team as far as the starting lineup goes. That said, the Hokies need to get the starters in foul trouble because the further down the bench Wake is forced to go the talent level drops off precipitously. John Collins is the driving force down low defensively. One player we didn't feature below due to lack of overall contribution is Doral Moore but in terms of adjusting shots, he is averaging almost 1 block per game in just nine minutes on the floor. Something the Hokies will have to keep in mind if they are able to get deeper into the bench.

The Hokies have to come out ready to hit perimeter shots to stay in this game. I expect Wake Forest to dominate inside, especially on the offensive glass, so to account for the extra possessions Wake will get the Hokies will need to be sharp with the three ball.

Offensively Danny Manning has made drastic strides in improving this team. Wake Forest has improved their scoring by almost 14 points per game since Manning took over. Expect this game to be a shootout so if either team goes cold for a significant period of time it could mean a big difference in the outcome of this game.

Wake Forest is not a team that deals with pressure very well, as they average over 11 turnovers per game in ACC play. Buzz needs to find ways to turn the pressure up, especially early on in each half. Create some turnovers, get some transition baskets, and force the Demon Deacons to have to play from behind.

Speed versus size. Athleticism versus Monster Lurking down low. The transition game and ability to play behind the defense will be huge in providing the Hokies an opportunity to win this game. Wake Forest makes more mistakes as the tempo increases. Pushing the pace, getting the ball in the hands of the shooters in the fast break before the Demon Deacons can close in on the perimeter. The Demon Deacons are allowing opponents to shoot 37% from outside, so a good chance for the Hokies to have a strong night.

Demon Deacons Backcourt

Bryant Crawford (#13) 6'3, 200 Lbs Sophomore Guard is averaging 15.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.4 APG and 1.5 SPG. He is shooting 35% from behind the arc and 43% overall. He hits from the stripe at 78%. Crawford has the ability to drive to the hoop but is always looking for an open teammate but can also finish when the chance presents itself. This will be another tough matchup for Justin Robinson.

Keyshawn Woods, (#1) 6'3, 205 Lbs Sophomore Guard is in his first full season under Danny Manning after transferring to Wake Forest from Charlotte. He comes in averaging 12.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 3.6 APG. He is shooting 47% from outside. He is shooting 50% inside. He hits at the free throw line around 77%. He is known for his quick first step but his ability to hit from outside would have my ultimate focus. The Hokies can ill afford for this guy to get hot from outside.

Mitchell Wilbekin, (#10) 6'2, 175 lbs Junior Guard is averaging 7.3 PPG, 1.5 RPG, and 1.6 APG. He is almost strictly an outside shooter for the Demon Deacons. His shot outside the arc is going in at about 40% while inside the arc it drops to 35%. He is a terrific free throw shooter as well, hitting from the line at an 92% clip. Wilbekin is on the floor so much though for his defensive abilities. His long arms and aggressive play make him an ideal player to guard perimeter shooters. Expect to see him match up with Bibbs or Outlaw quite often.

Brandon Childress, (#0) 6', 190 Lbs Freshman Guard is averaging 6.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 2.3 APG in a backup point guard role. So far this season he is shooting 35% from the field, 33% from behind the arc and 76% from the line. He still is managing 21 MPG because of where Wake Forest stands in their rebuilding process under Danny Manning.

Demon Deacons Frontcourt

John Collins, (#20), 6'10, 235 Lbs Sophomore Forward is averaging 19.3 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 1.7 BPG. Collins' interior scoring is at 62%. Just to round things out, he shoots just under 74% from the free throw line as well. Collins has scored 20 points or more in Wake's last 12 games with a high of 31. Across that stretch he also has 8 double-doubles with 16 boards in their game against Boston College.

Konstantinos Mitoglou, (#44) 6'10, 255 Lbs Junior Forward comes in putting up 9.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 1 APG. He is shooting 42% from the field, and puts up 33% from outside. He is a strong free throw shooter 82%. Mitoglou struggles with foul trouble, averaging 2.3 per contest so far. He doesn't have the height that many of the ACC bigs do but he does have some bulk to throw around down low. The Hokies will likely struggle to keep him off the boards.

Austin Arians, (#34) 6'6, 230 Lbs Senior Forward is a graduate transfer from Milwaukee where he played three seasons before coming to Wake Forest for his final season. He is averaging 7.7 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 1.2 APG. He comes in shooting 45% from the field, 40% from outside the arc and an impressive 87% from the free throw line. He also experiences foul trouble at almost 2 per game, limiting him to about 22 minutes per game compared to the 30+ he had played the last two seasons. He has managed to hit double figure scoring in 10 of Wake's 29 games so the potential is there to have a big game. If he can stay out of foul trouble, expect the Demon Deacons to utilize his size quite often against the Hokies.

Names the Announcers will Butcher

Several candidates this time. Konstantinos Mitoglou is the winner but honorable mention goes to Sam Japhet-Mathias.

What to expect from Wake Forest?

The Demon Deacons rely on a rotation of seven players when things are going smoothly. They are extremely balanced when it comes to who puts the ball in the basket. The bad news is that there are several big scorers that do a lot of damage for the Deacons. The Hokies are going to have their hands full underneath. I am not sure that Khadim Sy will be able to make the first media timeout down low against John Collins without either picking up several fouls or allowing Collins to have a big opening few minutes.

Wake Forest has five players that average more than 2.1 fouls per game. John Collins and Bryant Crawford, the Demon Deacons top two scorers are the most foul prone, this could become a big focus of this contest if either of those two players is forced to sit for a significant amount of time.

One area that Wake Forest really seems to take advantage of is penetration along the baseline with either a dump off to the bigs underneath or a cross the basket layup so the rim provides protection for the ball handler. The Hokies need to find a way to force those drives out into the lane rather than allow free use of the baseline.

The Demon Deacons on defense will utilize Mitchell Wilbekin and Austin Arians as their baseline corner defenders against the perimeter shooters. They will be looking to force bad shots that will allow Collins to rebound and find Crawford in transition.

The Hokies

Tech needs to drive inside to get fouled. Controlled drives right at John Collins or from the perimeter trying to get Bryant Crawford to reach as they drive past him. Early foul trouble could give the Hokies a window to work against a similar sized opponent. Regardless of this, points from the line will be a premium so having a lead in that category could help come the end of the season.

Ty Outlaw Ahmed Hill and Justin Bibbs need to be steady scorers for the Hokies. Shooting from the arc needs to probably be around 45% for the Hokies to find a win in their final regular season game.

Justin Robinson and Seth Allen have to be in control of their drives today. They must limit the turnovers and prevent Wake Forest from being able to score easy transition baskets.

Last, they need to be able to keep their emotional keel steady in the water. Its Senior Day so there will be a lot more intense energy in the building so the Hokies need to be careful to not let the game get away from them with everything else that is going on to commemorate the three seniors.

Highlight of the Miami Game

In his last five starts, Ty Outlaw has been something special...#getBETTER pic.twitter.com/o3YqD3O8Qe— VT Men's Basketball (@VT_MBBall) March 2, 2017

Ty Outlaw just stroking checks from the perimeter all night. Cashing in a school record on his way to leading the Hokies over the Hurricanes
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In Closing

Wake Forest to be successful needs to get the ball into the lane either by pass or by drive. The Hokies have to find a way to keep the ball out of the interior. Expect to see a lot of 3-2 frontal zone. The key to this game isn't necessarily stopping John Collins because of how steady a contributor he is, the key is to limit those around him, forcing them into jump shots.

The question mark with any Hokies opponent is how well they will end up shooting from outside. If the Hokies can hold Wake under 40% shooting than they likely have a big advantage in this contest. Anything above that number and this game becomes a lot closer.

The Hokies should have some mismatches in terms of speed versus size on the offensive end so using that to their advantage and getting the Wake Forest starters in foul trouble could play a key role in a final regular season Hokies win.

Hokies go out on an emotional senior night and win their final regular season contest to move to 11-7 in the ACC. Hokies win 91-83.

The loudest & most influential voice you hear is your own inner voiceIt can work for U or against U, depending on the messages you allow— Buzz Williams (@TeamCoachBuzz) March 3, 2017