Buzzketball Season 4 Week 3: Time For A Tuneup

This week we talk about car inspections, Morehead State, and the first marquee game of the season.

[Chen Jiang]

Good morning Hokies. I hope you've recovered from the scare on the field against Pittsburgh and any associated heart attack because right now, you get to read about basketball! And what else could you ask for?

Last week was up and down, as Virginia Tech went 1-1. Tech lost to Saint Louis but beat Washington. Let's dive into recapping last week while looking ahead to the upcoming games.

Virginia Tech 71–Saint Louis 77

It was ugly, it was gross, and I don't want to write any more about it. Read my recap to avoid further torture.

Virginia Tech 103–79

Friday Virginia Tech was a completely different team than Thursday Virginia Tech. I don't know what happened against Saint Louis, but I do know that it's not what you should expect this season. The turnovers, the missed shots, the non-cohesiveness on offense, the terrible defense, were all out of character. Everybody knew it, it was just unsettling to actually watch it manifest on the court.

Luckily, as Buzz Williams said after the loss, the next game was in less than 24 hours away, so it was easy to move on. And move on they did.

Virginia Tech Ahmed Hill came out red-hot shooting the ball. Buzzketball started the contest with two layups, but their next eight made baskets were from behind the arc. EIGHT. And all of those came from either Justin Bibbs (welcome back, by the way), or Hill. Hill drained 4 triples after 5:42. Moreover, it seemed each subsequent trey was from farther and farther back. It was a throwback to the Louisville game from last season, but without a good team playing defense.

Before the tip, I didn't know what to expect. I knew that Virginia Tech had the capability to beat Washington. I knew that Washington was going to run a lot of zone, and the Hokie shooters could decimate it. I knew that Washington had one of the worst defenses in the entire country last year (332nd in the country). I also knew, however, Virginia Tech played well below its potential the previous night. And that was enough to give me pause. Ultimately, the Hokies came out and eradicated my worries. They locked down on defense, and did what I thought they were capable of doing on offense — score some serious points. Their ability to spread the floor, attack the rim, and kick out to open shooters is top notch.

A couple big performances stood out to me. Bibbs made his first start of the season and led the team with 30 points. He shot 10 for 15 from the field, including 4 for 6 from three. I don't know if he can keep up that type of pace in ACC play, but honestly I wouldn't be shocked if he put up those numbers during the rest of non-conference.

Hill, as previously mentioned, started the game blazing fire from his hands. He hit four-straight from deep to begin, and he didn't slow down from there. He finished the night with 23 points, 7 for 8 from the field and an absurd 6 for 6 from three. His only miss of the night was a layup, because that's what shooters do. They miss easy layups. I can confirm said stereotype. Source: My high school days.

Surprisingly absent from the score sheet was Kerry Blackshear Jr. He finished the game with zero points, two fouls, and one rebound. To be fair, he only played 10 minutes. I think that was a combination of a couple things. Chris Clarke played 17 of his 15-20 minute allocation, and Blackshear Jr. just didn't matchup well against the Huskies' defense. Combine those two factors and it spells a recipe for a quiet night from the big man. I'm not worried about his poor performance. Yet.

And as one final note, let's check in with super-freshman Nickeil Alexander-Walker. He ended the night with 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. It was a much better game than against Saint Louis. He still struggled with some layups and easy jumpers, but he seemed much more comfortable. I'm not sure if I'm going to weigh stat lines from the Saint Louis game very heavily. It was bad enough to be an outlier.

All-in-all it was exactly the type of bounce back performance I needed to see. The Hokies didn't play for a championship, but they responded to the let down against Saint Louis exactly as I wanted them to.

#SCTop10 Play of the Week

Just... watch this. Hill was on fire against Washington. It's fun to watch this guy shoot when he's feeling it.

Quote of the Week

When asked about their performance against Saint Louis, Buzz had this to say:

"I didn't think that we were ever in the fight. I don't think that we were ever in the mix. I thought they overwhelmed us not only with their energy but with their physicality."

It's true. Saint Louis did everything right and the Hokies did everything wrong. It was such a weird game to watch, and Buzz summed it up well.

November 21: Virginia Tech vs. Houston Baptist

Virginia Tech plays Iowa next Tuesday in the ACC-B1G Challenge. Between now and then, the Hokies play this Houston Baptist team and Morehead State. Both of those games are major opportunities to get everything right. I compare this week to a car inspection. You know it's necessary to ensure everything's running smoothly, but it's a pain in the ass to actually get done.

That's exactly what this game is. It's more time for Buzz to get everything running correctly. He can adjust the rotation, try out different defensive schemes, and maybe install some more offensive sets. He mentioned after the first game of the season against Detroit Mercy that Virginia Tech "has probably the least amount of offensive sets installed in the whole country."

This is technically another game of the 2K Classic. The more you know!

The common opponent for the Hokies and the Huskies (the Houston Baptist, not Washington variety) is Detroit Mercy. Houston Baptist dropped that contest to the Titans, 116–109.

The Huskies replaced five main contributors from last year's squad, and will have to lean heavily on only two returning players: Post player Josh Ibarra and point guard Braxton Bonds (nephew of Barry Bonds). Bonds is a great defensive guard, and will probably be the peskiest player on the team Buzz will have to scheme against. The Huskies brought in a great freshman guard, David Caraher, who can shoot the lights out. Keep an eye out for him and perhaps the Hokies will improve on defense. One can hope, at least.

I'm going to mainly focus on two Hokies and their performance on Tuesday night.

Bibbs will make his first start in Cassell this season. I'm excited to see what type of numbers he will continue to put up. Over two games he's averaging 22.5 points per game. He's the best shooter on this team, and his presence on the court opens up the rest of the floor. Being able to see that in person instead of on my TV is something I'm looking forward to.

I want to see how Blackshear Jr. bounces back. His bad game against Washington was uncharacteristic. Seeing how he can respond, and how Buzz helps him via rotations and matchups, will be another thing I'm paying attention to. Blackshear Jr. is such a key player for this team. He needs to get as comfortable on the court as he can before ACC play starts. I would argue that he's the second most important player behind Justin Robinson. Robinson is the calm presence on the floor that can calm down a hyperactive team, and a fantastic ball handler. That's why I have him as the most important player.

November 25: Virginia Tech vs. Morehead State

Another tuneup game. The Hokies shouldn't drop this one either.

I only really know the Eagles from their 2011 buzzer-beater in the NCAA tournament. I personally am a huge fan of Morehead State because I picked this upset. So there's that at least.

It's yet another opportunity for the Hokies to get experience against a lesser team. I don't have much to say about this game. It'll be a sleepy environment in Cassell over Thanksgiving break, so I'm hoping that the coaching staff keeps the team focused.

The Eagles are breaking in a new head coach this season, although Preston Spradlin was the interim head coach for most of last season.

Morehead State averages just 66 points per game, with only one player averaging double figures. They rank No. 263 in KenPom at the moment.

Looking at stats for the Eagles so far this season, it's clear that Jordan Walker is the main threat. He averages 35 minuter per game, and is the team's leading scorer with 16 points per game. He'll be the one for the Hokies' defense to focus on.

For this game, I'm going to keep an eye on Robinson and Wabissa Bede. Robinson is the driving force for the Hokies' offense, and he has looked a little out of sorts at the start of the season. I'll be paying attention to see how he starts to settle in as the season starts to progress. Bede hasn't gotten a bunch of playing time, but he's such an aggressive defensive guard. It's a refreshing sight to see when watching Virginia Tech basketball.

Expect the Hokies to cruise to a victory in this one, as they turn their attention to Iowa.

November 28: Virginia Tech vs. Iowa

This is the big one. It's the first test of the season for Virginia Tech. Many expected Providence to play that role, but the Hokies squandered that chance. Iowa will come into Cassell with the Hokies looking to make a statement in front of a national audience. Iowa is averaging 91 points per game, although as I'm writing this, they're down by 20 at halftime to Louisiana (eventually lost 71-80). So there's that.

I'll have a longer preview next Tuesday morning to make sure you're completely up to speed for the ACC-B1G challenge. Until then, enjoy some Thanksgiving basketball!

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I just sit on my couch and b*tch. - HokieChemE2016

Please join The Key Players Club to read or post comments.

I just sit on my couch and b*tch. - HokieChemE2016