It didn't look pretty, but the Hokies did what they had to do in a 70-52 win over the visiting Longwood Lancers Saturday. Just 44 hours after an emotional victory on the road against Maryland, Tech (13-5) didn't come out with the type of energy they had in recent games. However, a strong shooting second half surged the Hokies to their ninth win in the last 10 games.

Longwood came out ready to play in the first half jumping out to a 15-10 lead in the games first 10 minutes.. However, the Lancers would miss 10 of their final 11 shots in the half, allowing Tech to go on a 19-4 run to take a 10-point cushion into the locker room. Neither team shot the ball well in the low-scoring half, with Tech going 9-for-30 (30%) and Longwood shooting just 7-of-21 (33%).

The Lancers were able to cut the Tech deficit down to five on a jumper by Aaron Mitchell with 12:38 remaining, but LU couldn't keep pace with the Hokies down the stretch. Tech went on a 29-9 run in the next eight minutes, punctuated by a high-flying Terrell Bell dunk and Erick Green fast-break layup to push the Hokies' lead to a game-high 25. Tech would then coast down the stretch to the 18-point victory.

Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (12-5, 6-2 home) vs Longwood Lancers (7-14, 0-10 road)

When: Saturday, January 22 @ 7:00 p.m.

TV: Hokies All-Access

Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, VA

The Opponent: The Hokies wrap up their non-conference slate with a visit from the well-traveled Longwood Lancers. One of just six independent teams in Division I, the Lancers have already played 21 games, only nine of which were at home. LU has faced the likes of Kansas, Marquette, Seton Hall, New Mexico, and Colorado and has been outscored by an average of 96-61 in those five games.

Tech leads the series with the Lancers 2-0, with both meetings coming in Blacksburg the last two years. An 85-50 Hokie victory last year was marred by Malcolm Delaney being injured in the game’s first minute. The Hokies won 79-57 back in December of 2008.

Here’s a look at Longwood’s projected lineup:

Raise your hand if you saw this one coming. Don't lie, nobody saw this coming. Erick Green had a career game, scoring 24 points as the Hokies rolled over the Maryland Terrapins 74-57 Thursday night. The 17-point defeat was the worst for Maryland in the nine years in the Comcast Center and the biggest margin of defeat at home since an 18-point loss to Duke at Cole Field House in 1999.

Green was fantastic in every aspect of the game. The sophomore was an astounding 12-of-16 (75%) from the field and was hitting shots from wherever he wanted to when he wanted to. The coming-out party also included four steals and two assists. Since moving into the starting lineup, Green has hit double figures in every game, averaging 14 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals per game. Not to mention the Hokies are 8-1 in those games.

The Hokies (12-5, 3-2 ACC) opened up the game on a 12-0 run in the first four minutes and never allowed Maryland (11-7, 1-3) to get back within four points. The Terps had gotten within eight in the last minute of the first half, but Manny Atkins drained a three-pointer with one second remaining to give Tech a 40-29 cushion at halftime.

The lead expanded to as many as 17 in the second half before three trey's from the Terps' Cliff Tucker cut the lead down to eight with nine minutes remaining. However, the Hokies responded with a 13-4 run to close the game and seal a dominating 17-point road victory.

Since my freshman year I've run across a wide variety of Hokies, each with a different perception of and outlook on the football program. Unknowingly, I've mentally cataloged each different type of fan I've encountered. Two days ago I read The Clans. The Factions. Defined. on MVictors.com and thought to myself that it could be fun to dump my memory banks and visualize a clear-(er) picture of our fanbase. I took great caution not to demean their brilliant post, but probably did so anyways and for that I apologize. Here we go.

Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (11-5, 2-2 ACC) @ Maryland Terrapins (11-6, 1-2 ACC)

When: Thursday, January 21 @ 9:00 p.m.

TV: ESPN2

Where: Comcast Center, College Park, MD

The Opponent: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Bubble Battle Part I. In what is sure to be the first of many key ACC contests, the Hokies travel to College Park to take on the bubblicious Maryland Terrapins tonight. Needing a solid road win, Tech (ranked 75th in the RPI as of Wednesday night) would get a resume booster by beating the Terps (No. 90 RPI) in the Comcast Center.

Maryland’s 11-6 record is a tad deceiving as the six losses have come to Pittsburgh, Illinois, Temple, Boston College, Duke, and Villanova. Four of those teams are currently in the top 25 and UMD has not lost by more than nine to any of them. The Terps are a much better team at home (9-1) than they are away from College Park (2-5). However, the lone home loss was to ACC foe Boston College.

Here’s the projected starting lineups for the Terps:

In need of a pick-me-up after Thursday’s loss to North Carolina, the Hokies’ wishes were answered in form of the lifeless Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Tech took the lead with 13 minutes to go in the first half and never looked back, demolishing the Deacs 94-65 to improve to 11-5 overall and 2-2 in the ACC.

Not even a 7-0 run for Wake Forest to start the night could hold the Hokies back, who responded with a 17-2 run to seize control. The Hokies would add an 11-0 run later in the half for good measure. After missing its first five shots of the night, Tech connected on 17 of its final 27 shots in the first half en route to a 44-24 halftime advantage.

Things would only get worse for the Deacons in the second half, as Tech stretched its lead to as many as 31 points. Remember, this is an ACC opponent. Not North Carolina Central or UMBC. This is Wake Forest, a team that was No. 1 two years ago. Coincidentally, the Hokies knocked off the Deacs when they were No. 1 that year.

The best way to summarize this game was that Tech’s three walk-on’s, Paul Debnam, Prince Parker, and Andrew Griffin, played a combined eight minutes and scored six points. Yes, Paul Debnam scored four points and a walk-on football player (Parker) made a bucket. That just shouldn’t happen against an ACC team.

Here’s the obligatory Paul Debnam highlight:

More evidence to support the claim.

H/T @VTcaps