Hokies Stuck Searching For More Following 88-82 Loss to Third-Seeded Miami

Virginia Tech's six-game conference winning streak came to a screeching halt Thursday evening in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament as a balanced offensive attack from third-seeded Miami powered the Canes to an 88-82 victory over the Hokies.

"We tried a little bit of everything," said Virginia Tech head coach Buzz Williams. "We ran the gamut of all the different defenses we could...None of it was very effective."

Miami's experienced backcourt trio of Angel Rodriguez, Sheldon McClellan and Davon Reed scored 57 of the Canes' 88 points and were responsible for all eight of Miami's three-pointers. Throw in sixth-man Ja'Quan Newton — absent for each of the prior two matchups between the Hokies and Canes — and Miami had their full compliment of guards to slow down Tech's dangerous dribble-penetration offense.

Miami wasn't completely successful — head coach Jim Larranaga joked his players would be running wind sprints for the litany of fouls they committed — but the Canes' defense presented just enough opposition to force Tech into 14 turnovers.

"A lot of them were live-ball turnovers that turned into transition points," said Virginia Tech guard Seth Allen. "We only lost by 6...You take away 3 (turnovers), that's six points right there."

Allen tallied a game-high 31 points for the Hokies, surpassing his previous career-high of 28. The Maryland transfer was one of the lone bright spots for the Hokies offensively, the only Tech guard who enjoyed success at penetrating into the teeth of the Miami defense.

Zach LeDay and Justin Robinson were both saddled with foul trouble early in the first half, a setback this Hokies team appeared unable to handle against an opponent as talented as Miami. Neither LeDay nor Robinson seemed to ever fully recover from limited first half minutes, each falling short of the remarkably high level of play they've performed at over the season's final few weeks.

It was an eerily quiet Verizon Center for much of the game's first twenty minutes, the "X-factor" from the Hokies' recent winning streak noticeably absent. The Hokies looked sluggish, sloppy and disinterested for the majority of the first half, head-scratching turnover after head-scratching turnover leading directly to Miami buckets. The Canes lead reached double-digits for the first time with four minutes remaining in the first half courtesy of a Sheldon McClellan mid-range jumper, and it seemed as if things were close to getting away from the Hokies. But despite Tech's uncharacteristically lethargic start, the Hokies clamped down on defense over the final four minutes and rattled off an 11-2 run to cut the Miami lead to one heading into the break.

"I thought we were out of sorts for most of the first half," said Williams. "(Justin Robinson) was in foul trouble. Zach was in foul trouble. We played five guards for four to six minutes there to close it."

Defensive mishaps from Tech plagued them early on in the second half as Rodriguez knocked down three triples — two of which came off ball-screen coverage confusion — in a span of under three minutes. Miami kept their foot on the pedal from there with a bevy of buckets highlighted by a deep McClellan three that gave the Canes a 59-44 lead with 12:14 to play. The Canes maintained a comfortable double-digit lead for a seven-minute stretch before center Tonye Jekiri gifted the Hokies with four free throws after being whistled for a technical foul with just over five minutes to play. Kerry Blackshear Jr. and Allen drained all four from the line, cutting the Miami lead to just 8 in the process. The experienced Canes squad never panicked, though, coolly putting the game away with a steady, turnover-free backcourt and solid shooting from the line.

The Hokies' quarterfinal loss officially brings Williams' second year of ACC play to a close, and boy what a year it was. Williams' Hokies tallied a completely unexpected 11 conference wins, none more noteworthy than potential program-defining victories over Virginia and Miami. The Hokies' outside shot at an NCAA Tournament berth has now disappeared, but an NIT bid likely awaits.

"I think what we've done speaks for itself," said Williams. "If that's good enough for the NIT, we'd be thankful for an invite."

And Williams is right, of course — it's tough to argue that any team in the country surpassed expectations more than this Virginia Tech team.

"I think we made a great stride," said Allen. "We were picked 14th in the league and we had the second hardest schedule, and (still) finished sixth. That speaks to what coach Buzz...He knows what he's doing, man. He's the Coach of the Year in my mind"

But despite the warranted optimism surrounding the Hokies' program, it was a somber locker room postgame. The Hokies hadn't danced around the subject in recent weeks — they had their minds set on the NCAA Tournament.

"I'm just not satisfied with the NIT," said Allen. "...If you ask a fan, they're gonna be happy, of course. This program hasn't had much success in history. But if you ask anybody in this locker room, it's a blessing to play in the postseason, don't get me wrong...It's just you want more."

"You know what I'm saying?" Allen asked me, clearly not wanting to appear arrogant or unappreciative.

Yes Seth, I do. We do.

Wanting more is a good thing.