Hokies Hoops: Buzzketball Beats Pitt in 70-67 Overtime Thriller

Virginia Tech basketball won its first ACC game of the season.

[Mark Umansky]

Things didn't look good for most of the Virginia Tech men's basketball team's second half against Pittsburgh. As the last few minutes ticked away, Buzz Williams' bunch was gassed, struggled to score and looked destined to blow their second conference game in three days.

But then, pint sized scoring guard Adam Smith hit a three that seemingly came from the steps of TOTS to force overtime. The incendiary junior had a hand in all eight of Tech's points in the extra period, which catapulted his squad to a 70-67 victory.

This is a nice little moment for the program. In case you're new to the sport or were too depressed to count, this was Buzzketball's first win in exactly a month. And, speaking of streaks that made you sad, this was also Tech's first January win in over two years.

As a fanbase (and I'm sure as a team) this game had a feeling of "getting off the schnide". Just days after collapsing against Virginia, the Hokies grinded its way through one of those mid-week ACC games that makes the league so tough. It's awesome to see these guys finally get the results that they've been working towards for weeks.

Though it sounds like one of those cliches that coaches spew during post game press conferences, there really isn't ever a single moment to dwell on a game. Think about it: Tech just came off a run in which they played three games in six days, all of which touched on just about every emotion imaginable.

A 25-point blowout loss on Thursday, followed by a heartbreaking near-upset over their rival on Sunday and then this marathon of a game. Buzz and his island of misfit players have really seen it all in just under a week, and if they had gotten caught up in either of the first two, this result was not going to come.

It shows preparation, good coaching and the general ability to think you can win any game in which you step on the floor. While that last part may sound easy, the list of detriments to this roster would discourage a lesser group as they faced opponent after opponent of more talented players than them. They were able to move on, and in doing so picked up their ever elusive first conference win.

"I think everybody thinks there is some sort of magic pill or some sort of trick [to win in the ACC]," Williams said. "And maybe there is and I'm too immature to find out. But I believe in what we do, I believe in how we do it, and most importantly I believe in why we do it."

That being said, I know what some people are going to say. Beating Pittsburgh isn't one of those seminal moments that many fans dreamed of the moment Buzz walked on stage at that pep rally. There were dreams of beating powerhouses like Duke, Carolina and, well, Virginia. This, however, means something.

Yes, Pitt is mediocrely boring, often looking like the manifestation of Panthers football on a basketball court, but they're still solid. Though it's not as sexy of a win as beating the No. 2 team in the country, it's still something that can be looked at as a jumping off point.

A short bench, dearth of big men and an overall reliance on inexperienced players have capped what Buzz's first squad in Blacksburg will be able to do. The team next season will indeed be more talented and much better constructed than the one that we're watching right now, but that's not what I care about.

Sure, you can ask the question that if Buzz can will a team as undermanned and as mismatch-prone as this one, what will he do with a full roster of scholarship players? But isn't a better question what will he do over the next month and a half?

The bench is short and the team will have their gas tank running on fumes until early March. But still, this is drastically different basketball than what we as fans have been subjected to over the past three years.

There are no more lazy screens, missed rotations or failures to box out. Guys are cutting hard to the rim, and running out on shooters as fast as possible. As corny as it sounds, there's simply more passion for the game of basketball than there was before. That may stem from the coach, but definitely burns in every single player as well.

If this win was a view of what's to come over the next few seasons, I'll be excited about it. But I'm just anxious to watch this specific group play again, to see if there's more to come this season.

The future of Hokie hoops is bright, but a win like this could mean that the future of this season doesn't look quite as bad either.

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Outside it's night time, but inside it's LeDay

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'Its easy to grin, when your ship comes in, and you've got the stock market beat,
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"Stick it in, stick it in, stick it in!" - William Addison Caldwell, 1872

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"Stick it in, stick it in, stick it in!" - William Addison Caldwell, 1872

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