Buzzketball Blows Lead, Falls To Texas A&M 68-65

Things were going very well for the Virginia Tech men's basketball team. Until they weren't.

Early on in their second round showing of the Wooden Classic in California, the Hokies took Texas A&M to the woodshed. They moved the ball effortlessly, kept the Aggies chasing on both ends of the court, and drained threes to pad their lead.

The Tech advantage grew to 17 a few minutes into the second half. Soon after, things came crashing down.

The triples that fell so easily for Tech earlier were suddenly nowhere to be found. The massive A&M size advantage eventually took its toll on the guard heavy Hokies, accumulating in seven second half offensive rebounds and a ton of easy inside buckets.

The lead slowly melted away, as A&M bigs Tyler Davis, DJ Hogg, and Robert Williams took control. By the under four timeout, things were tied at 63, and Tech's dominance became a distant memory.

With 30 seconds left, Hogg drained a triple which ended up being the deciding score. Seth Allen bricked a double clutch jumper with a few ticks remaining on the clock, and the Hokies (who led for the game's first 38 minutes) fell solemnly 65-68.

Buzz's bunch is now relegated to the third place game of the tournament on Sunday at 4 EST.

A few quick thoughts

Many Hokie fans were quick to self-destruct after watching their team blow such a giant lead. Though it was far from ideal, it's irrational to overreact.

This is the life of small ball. The Hokies often play with Zach LeDay as the lone big man on the floor with four guards. They can swing the ball around rapidly, sprint up and down the court, and drain open jumpers.

They can also hit a crippling shooting slump, get muscled close to the hoops, and blow a lead as quickly as they gain one. LeDay and freshman Khadim Sy are the Hokies' only capable bodies who can defend the rim, and if an opponent has more than a pair of capable big men (which most do), they can slowly wear down the two Tech forwards.

This isn't an overarching declaration of Buzzketball's deficiencies. It's a lesson to learn for a group who isn't particularly used to bouncing out to such leads. Will the coaching staff use this as a way to emphasize the fact that they can never take their foot off the gas? Yes. Will they also use it as a teaching moment to tell their guys not to settle for jump shots anymore? Without a doubt.

But, like nearly every single loss in November, it's not something to panic about. Particularly because this is a wildly talented team.

Buzz has four different players who can break a defense down off the dribble (Allen, Justin Robinson, Chris Clarke, and Ahmed Hill). He has six guys who can drain an open jumper (Allen, Robinson, Hill, Justin Bibbs, LeDay and Ty Outlaw), and an entire roster willing to run and play feisty defense.

They need to clean up a ton before ACC play hits. But the Hokies have also improved a few important aspects of their play from last season.

The most prominent is the way they push tempo after an opposing possession (whether it ends in a made or missed basket.) One of the most vital ways for small sides to succeed is to run whenever they get the ball. Though it seems obvious to do after gathering a defensive rebound (which is something this year's Golden State Warriors have done to perfection), the Hokies also do a great job running after giving up a basket.

The next time you watch Tech, try to keep your eye on Robinson as he gathers an inbounds pass off his own baseline. His head is immediately up and looking for anyone he can quickly toss it to in transition. Though it sometimes ends in disastrous turnovers, it also leads to easy buckets for guys like Clarke and Hill, who get a full head of steam before the defense can get set.

Also, Robinson is the most important player on the team. Yes, his scoring totals have been impressive (22 vs UNM, 14 vs TAMU), but his impact goes far beyond the box score. The sophomore point guard is in complete control on both ends of the floor. Buzz has described Robinson as having "little man syndrome," and it shows in the way he moves. Against the Aggies he altered multiple shots inside defensively, and kept the ball rotating on offense.

He has a fantastic knack for not just throwing crisp passes, but getting them to the right person. For every assist he picks up, he could have two "hockey assists" (a pass to the player who finds the eventual scorer.)

And for anyone who missed round one, here's a very quick overview:

Hokies Scorch Lobos 92-72

A single second half possession of the Virginia Tech's 92-72 win over New Mexico would be the entire definition of the game.

Robinson collected a rebound near the Lobo free throw line. In the amount of time it takes to drink a swig of bourbon, he fired a bullet to Hill, who laid in the ball at the other end.

Buzz's squad took to the first round of the Wooden Legacy with pace, intensity, and great shooting. Early on, Tech's three pointer couldn't fall. Yet they continued to attack off the dribble, thrashing UNM inside.

As the game wore on, the Lobos struggled to keep up. Running out to an eight point halftime lead, Robinson and company kept pushing the ball, and the bevy of wide open three pointers started to fall. The lead quickly swelled to 15, and the team never looked back.

This game was the best case scenario for this Hokies squad. Their athleticism trumped anything New Mexico threw their way, and Tech outran any size advantage the Lobos had. Clarke and Hill smoked anyone else down the court, and the squad's floor spacing in the halfcourt kept any extra attention off of LeDay (who finished with 16).

It won't be the recipe for success every time out, but it's pretty incredible to see this kind of improvement. Just two years ago, Williams and company lost by 20 to Northern Iowa in a similar November tournament. And now, they completely classed an opponent off the court.

Even if the A&M loss was hard to swallow, the overall direction of Buzzketball is still fascinating to watch.