Buzzketball Can't Keep Up in Miami, Lose 65-49

The Virginia Tech men's basketball team had a full week off to lick their wounds after their loss to Virginia last Tuesday. The rest, however, looked like rust in the Hokies' clunky 65-49 loss to Miami on Wednesday night.

In a matchup as herky-jerky as it was sloppy, Buzz Williams' group could never find a groove offensively. And though they ended the first half up 22-21, the lack of consistent scoring came back to haunt Tech as they watched the eleventh ranked Hurricanes race away with a comfy victory.

It was the second consecutive game where nothing seemed to go right for the Hokies. The team hit a chilly 29.6% of their attempts, turned it over 16 times and added about 50 head-scratching moments on top of it all. Not a single player could see their shot fall, and by the time a few found their way through the rim it was already too late.

Juniors Zach LeDay and Seth Allen battled foul trouble throughout, and then were both completely ineffective in limited action. The transfer duo combined to go 3-15 from the floor, as Allen added five giveaways and LeDay only grabbed three rebounds.

"I thought Miami was good," Williams plainly stated in his press conference. "We didn't make shots either half. 25 percent of the time we turned the ball over, that's really hard to overcome, but particularly on the road."

The stonewalling of Tech's two top scorers meant extra pressure on everyone else to carry the load. Although different guys have previously stepped into the score's role, no one could take charge in Coral Gables. Even though Tech's showing was peppered with positive moments, (more impressive minutes from Chris Clarke on his way back from injury, Justin Robinson's 12-point performance), the squad could never put enough together to keep it close once Miami heated up. Jim Larranaga's guys buried looks at a nearly 70 percent clip after intermission, and scored nearly as many points in the final period (44) as Buzz's bunch did all together (49).

To give credit where credit is due, Williams and his staff came in with an excellent defensive game plan. The Hokies switched schemes more times than Buzz switches shirts, successfully confusing their opponent into mistakes and bad looks. And while the idea worked wonders for 20 minutes, it wasn't going to last.

"I thought our effort defensively in the first half was good," Williams said, "and then obviously diametrically opposed to that in the second half for sure."

The Hurricanes are a top-12 team for a reason, and adjusted to the tactic accordingly. Guards Angel Rodriguez, Sheldon McClellan and Davon Reed flew to the ball, deflecting passes and wreaking havoc on Tech's sputtering attack.

Rodriguez was particularly lethal, as he finished with 14 points and three steals. The senior looked to run at every chance after intermission, and the Hokies gave him plenty of opportunities to do just that.

And now after the loss, Buzzketball finds itself at the first real crossroads of the season. The group is 13-13, with five remaining before the ACC Tournament. Though they've already passed last year's win total and almost every realistic goal set for them in November, this last handful of games are important.

Three wins means a return to .500 and could signify a potential NIT berth, both for the first time since 2010-11. But if this bunch goes on another slide like we saw at the end of January they could wind up just ahead of their pace from last season's dreadful campaign.

Up next is Florida State in Cassell Coliseum on Saturday. The Seminoles are a bubble team whose fate lies on victories heading into March, and will be a tough test. The Hokies have already played similar mid-tier programs, with mixed success (Clemson at home, Syracuse on the road). But if Williams and company want to prove they've turned the corner, a win this weekend is vital.

Can they do it? Possibly, if the past two months have taught us anything it's that Tech has the ability to run with anyone. But to get the bad taste of Miami out of their collective mouths, the Hokies must shake this funk which has plagued them now for two straight outings.

A few quick notes

Bad LeDay means bad Virginia Tech. The Hokies can do their best to mix and match with others at the power forward spot, but no one person can do everything he does. The junior brings an excellent combination of rebounding, toughness and inside presence, and acts as a comfort blanket when things start to go awry.

It's not a coincidence Tech has had back-to-back horrid offensive outputs with the transfer from South Florida on the sideline with the foul bug. Even when he doesn't score, LeDay makes an opponent work on every possession, be it chasing him on the perimeter or attempting to box him out on the boards.

It'll be interesting to see how teams approach him to end the year, because one of the most obvious paths to success against the Hokies is to make him foul conscious early on. Even when he was on the floor against Miami, there was an extra moment of hesitation on both ends. It's only natural to ask "can I really draw this charge?" when you're one 50/50 block-charge call away from disqualification.

With both LeDay and Allen on the bench for extended periods of time, Buzz had to get weird with his lineups. This included playing the offensively halting combo of Devin Wilson and Shane Henry, and sliding Clarke down to "center".

In fact, the combo of Wilson/Robinson/Jalen Hudson/Justin Bibbs/Clarke was interestingly effective for stretches. The lack of a big man makes it unsustainable to use for long periods of time, as Miami showed when they torched it at the beginning of the second half, but it's a creative way to use some of the most explosive athletes on the floor to create mismatches.

Traditional post players can't keep up with Clarke, Bibbs opens the floor for others to drive and there's enough firepower to let Wilson do his thing without crowding the lane. When executed properly, the unit can get up and down in the blink of an eye. And while they couldn't capitalize on nearly enough chances to punish the Canes, they were also the reason Tech hit the locker room with a one point lead.

The development of the freshmen this year has been fun to watch. Each have had their moments individually, and have grown in their own ways. Kerry Blackshear Jr. got the start in South Florida, and though he struggled with veteran post player Tonye Jekiri, he still made his mark on the glass.

Robinson has already developed into the best pure point guard on the roster, and the difference Clarke makes since he's been back from injury is apparent within 30 seconds of watching. Though the youngster doesn't always seem to be in the right place at the right time, he still finds his way to both the ball and the rim.

And though Buzz wasn't necessarily happy with anyone afterwards, he seemed pleased with the growth the trio is making.

"I think those freshmen are continuing to improve," Williams said. "It's just a steep learning curve when you're in the second semester of your college career and you're playing at number 10. But that's also good for them."

And these lumps they take today? They'll help far more down the line than they hurt right now.