St Mary's (7-0)
vs
Virginia Tech (6-0)
Marriott Bonvoy Battle4Atlantis
ESPN
230pm
TV I ESPN Announcers
Dave O'Brien PxP
Jimmy Dykes Analyst
Not confirmed
RADIO | VT Sports Network
Zach Mackey, PxP
Mike Burnop, Analyst
VIDEO STREAM LIVE STATS
ESPN.com and ESPN app stats.hokiesports.com
Hokies Back to Back
Hokies men coming off a 66-64 victory over former Hokie Brandon Rechsteiner and Colorado State. Tomorrow at 230pm they will face off against undefeated St Mary's in the Semifinals of the Battle4Atlantis tournament. The men will be followed by the women facing BYU at 530pm on ESPN+ in the Paradise Jam Classic.
St Mary's defeated Wichita State 70-65 to advance to face the Hokies. It moved them to 7-0 early in the season. The Hokies will be the toughest team they have faced so far this season. Their wins are over St Thomas, Tenn Chattanooga, Ohio, North Texas, Arkansas St, and California Merced. Before Wichita State, five of their six wins were by 20 or more points.
Last season they were 29-6 and 17-1 in the West Coast Conference. They are projected to finish 2nd this season in conference behind Gonzaga. They are coached by Randy Bennett, who is in his 26th season at St Mary's where he is 569-222. St Mary's has won 20+ games under him 18 of those 25 prior seasons.
He returned about a third of his minutes and points from last season but surprisingly did not need the portal. All five starters are returning players from last season. Its not until you get to the 7th man that the portal comes into play in Sophomore Guard Tony Duckett, who transferred in Conference from San Diego.
This is a very International heavy roster with three players from Australia, two from Lithuania and a Canadian. Coach Bennett is also very tied in to the high schools in about a three hour radius of campus with six players from that perimeter.
Sophomore Guard Mikey Lewis and Junior Forward Paulius Murauskas lead this team offensively. They combine for 38 points, 10.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists. Only one other double-digit scorer in Sophomore Guard Joshua Dent. Junior Center Andrew McKeever and Junior Forward Kevin Gad round out the starters.
Gad is a bit of a misnomer as a starter as he only averages about 10 minutes per game but has started every game. I think Bennett uses a very large starting five to set an early physical environment. Gad seems to start both halves. Sophomore Guard Liam Campbell is then inserted to change the pace of the game by speeding things up.
Offensively St Mary's is known for being a ballscreen-heavy, efficient, and physical team. Key elements include using misdirection to set up ball screens, attacking with various motions, and a focus on efficient scoring and strong rebounding. He has built one of the most efficient offenses in college basketball by effectively using these strategies, which often result in high field goal percentages.
After today against Colorado State, where the Rams used a high number of cutting actions to get easy layups in the paint, facing a more efficient version of that offense is pretty concerning. The Gaels are a flurry of movement across the paint every possession. We know Young wont employ a zone but it would be highly beneficial to disrupt this offense. The team will need to protect the paint.
Defensively expect a physical, on-ball, man-to-man system that focuses on preventing three-point shots, aggressive on-ball screens, and strong rebounding.
The defense excels at forcing the ball to one side of the court and creating pressure on the ball handler. The team sends all five players to the glass to limit offensive rebounds.
Due to the level of effort Bennett expects, he goes deep into his bench with a rotation of about 10 to 11 players getting 10+ minutes.
Opposing offenses have brutally low numbers. Shooting 41% from the floor and 27% from outside. The Gaels also hold about a 15 rebounds per game average advantage.
That said, against Wichita State it was a 2 rebound advantage although the shooting percentages were about the same. The only reason it wasnt a blowout loss was the Gaels had their worst 3pt shooting night of the season, shooting 2 for 16 which had them shooting only 39% from the floor and 13% from the perimeter. Prior to this game, St Mary's was shooting 46% from the perimeter and the fewest makes had been 8 with the highest 12.
GAELS STARTERS
Mikey Lewis
#0 SO G 6-3 180
19.7 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 4.2 Ast
Paulius Murauskas
#23 JR F 6-8 225
18.3 Pts, 7.0 Reb, 3.0 Ast
Joshua Dent
#7 SO G 6-3 190
11.7 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 5.5 Ast
Kevin Gad
#24 JR F 6-6 195
1.7 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.7 Ast
Andrew McKeever
# 45 JR C 7-1 255
8.0 Pts, 10.5 Reb, 1.7 Ast
GAELS BENCH
Liam Campbell
#33 SO G 6-4 200
8.5 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Dillan Shaw
#11 FR G 6-7 205
6.3 Pts, 4.2 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Tony Duckett
#2 SO G 6-5 185
5.8 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Harry Wessels
#1 SR C 7-1 255
4.4 Pts, 5.4 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Rory Hawke
#8 JR G 6-5 190
2.2 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.5 Ast
HOKIES STARTERS
Neoklis Avdalas
#17 FR G 6-9 215
15.2 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 5.8 Ast
Toibu Lawal
#1 SR F 6-8 200
14.8 Pts, 12.0 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Amani Hansberry
#13 JR F 6-8 240
16.0 Pts, 8.3 Reb, 2.5 Ast
Jailen Bedford
#0 SR G 6-4 181
12.6 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 1.2 Ast
Tyler Johnson
#10 SO G 6-5 215
9.6 Pts, 6.2 Reb, 2.6 Ast
HOKIES BENCH
Jaden Schutt
#2 JR G 6-5 185
9.0 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Ben Hammond
#3 SO G 5-11 170
8.4 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 4.0 Ast
Christian Gurdak
#32 FR C 6-10 260
6.8 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Antonio Dorn
#77 FR C 7-0 230
3.5 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Izaiah Pasha
#4 SO G 6-4 190
2.0 Pts, 0.3 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Hokies have four starters in double-digits and Tyler Johnson on the threshold of joining them with 9.6 ppg.
They get much more consistent scoring eight players deep than the Gaels, who rely heavily on two players to carry them.
Mike Young would be smart to take the offense early and often right at Murauskas. He has had foul trouble in prior games and the Gaels need him on the floor to make their movement in the paint flow. He is very much what Justyn Mutts used to be for the Hokies in creating inside out opportunities.
The Hokies must be prepared for movement off the ball, many times in unexpected directions much like we saw against Colorado State. The other key defensive priority needs to be high perimeter pressure to keep the Gaels from getting in rhythm. This is something they have done well this season as opponents are shooting 27% from outside.
The Hokies will need a much better game from Tobi Lawal today. He had a three point and two rebound performance against the Rams. That wont cut it against the Gaels if the Hokies are going to win.
Last point of concern, hopefully the Hokies medical staff is doing everything possible to ensure Neo is healthy for this game. He had a bit of a scare and appeared to be a bit hobbled the rest of the game. Most athletes know that those type of bumps are worse on day two so hopefully that wont be the case.
Player of the Game
Jailen Bedford
Led the Hokies in scoring with 17 points. The points were important but more important was when he scored them. From 10:39 remaining in second half, he scored twelve of the last twenty one Hokies points. He almost went from Hero to Zero though missing the front end of a one and one in the waning seconds that gave the Rams the chance to win at the end. His defense though throughout was superb and he is a big reason the Hokies allow so few perimeter baskets.
Comments
Let's GO!
Hokies!
This is very concerning to me also. We need to be very aware of backdoor cuts and continually disrupt passing lanes.
Yikes! This looks like our numbers from yesterday's game. Need a better shooting game.
Yeah... Tobi seemed off yesterday. Other than the highlight dunk, he just wasn't himself. I'm hoping it was because of the early foul trouble (two in the first 5 or 6 minutes and his third in the 1st minute of the second half). Hopefully he'll reset for today.
Maybe for Neo, some ice, rest, and lots of tape will make him good-to-go.
Lawal not available today. His lack of production probably due to that
backinjury.EDIT: foot injury. Thanks for the correction NitWhitt
Foot in a boot.
Saint Marys has an excellent basketball program and are always well coached and pretty talented. Really hope we can come out and put on a good performance to get the W. Could go a long way come March
Randy Bennett is a really good coach
Almost time. Vanderbilt beat VCU 89-74 in the other semifinal
App says 2:50
Yeah pushed back start because of game before.
I can't decide whether to listen to the VT audio broadcast or watch ESPN app...sitting by Ritz pool in Cayman. It's really a hard life.
Thank god Corey Alexander isn't doing this game
Ugh Lawal is out
ouch!
Showing our football record seems a bit rude
ESPN with high quality graphics. Put our football record on the score box
Drinking...because of how we look on the floor
So they can run from 3-pt line without dribbling and C can high elbow to the face.
Just like the NBA
Play fast boys.
Threes are just not dropping
C should not be taking them.
Zero rebounding
...hook and hold.
This is some ugly basketball
Looking like a rough matchup for today. We just don't have any answer on the inside.
Long-term, we have to figure out how to start shooting better than 30% from 3.
Press outside. Keep them from being able to dump inside.
CMY got some sun.
Was a terrible foul call. #1 climbed out back and fell over us.
6 TOs. Most on the guards. Keep pressuring.
0-7 from 3 is concerning.
0-11 from 3
No reason we should be shooting that many at this point
They are letting McKeever go over the back on almost every time in the paint.
AH is 0-4 from 3. Why is he shouting that?
0-5
2 possessions in a row with awful shot selection.
We should look at pressing. Use our speed and depth.
Shooting 19% and 0%.
1-13. Finally hit one. If we make 30% it's a tie game.
1-15 for 1H. Unbelievable
Meanwhile they're shooting 43% from 3
Still below their season average. Definitely a bunch of sharpshooters
Did the team have too many drinks by the pool yesterday?
1 for 15 from 3.
7 for 33 overall
7 rebound deficit
Turnovers are about the only thing we are doing better.
We've got to push tempo. Press (even if half court/outside). Move quick in O.
Hard to push tempo when the other team has either a layup or open 3 every possession. Even when they do miss they are grabbing offensive rebounds.
Turnovers are our only opportunity to get the ball in the open floor.
You have to force a team with a size advantage to stretch their D with outside shooting...unfortunately we left our shooting touch on the Mainland.
To be a real player in the ACC, we need to shoot better from 3.
They shouldnt have a size advantage though. We should be able to match size at every spot except maybe Hammond
Need a Bedford scoring run
this is about the point in the game he did it yesterday. would like to see it again!
So tired of these threes with no one under basket to even attempt a rebound. Its a really detrimental trend with Coach Young. He would rather run back to prevent transition than fight for a second possession EXCEPT St Mary's rarely scores in transition as they prefer slow and methodical offense
This is something CMY brought up himself on the TSL podcast. It's definitely part of his gameplan. He'd rather get back on transition than get offensive rebounds. It seems to me like there should be some sort of middle ground, especially when you aren't hitting from 3. But, again, this is his gameplan.
Unfortunately this was not the opponent for that strategy. There are opponents that this is a critical aspect but today wasnt one.
Bedford 2 FT... deficit down to 9
let's count this thing down
Avdalas 2 FT... deficit down to 7
Umph we breathed on them...send them to the line
Johnson 3-ptr... down to 5
18 second chance points for them
Love the keep highlighting illegal plays as good technique
How many moving screens were in that one highlight? Three is what I counted
We need to alternate our bigs and hammer their center every time he tries to shoot. Too easy for him to go over the back or elbow our guys out of the way and get an easy bucket.
They are 47% from floor. We are 28%. Yet still within striking distance.
AH with the 3! Keep shooting big man.../s
33 looks like Kevin from Home Alone
They don't call 3-second anymore, right?
I'd leave TJ in...he was the spark in our comeback.
From my untrained eye, everything we should have an advantage with is subpar or failing right now. Everything we should do to take away their advantages we aren't doing or we're doing poorly. Looks like St. Mary's team energy is a lot higher than the good guys right now. Need something to spark and stay high.
7'3" guy knees Hammond going thru the screen and call foul on us
Overall these games don't mean much. Just worry other teams will see blueprint of how to play us. That's why I say play weird (press, chuck 50 3s, foul their bigs every time).
I agree. Look at the future opponents and try out schemes that might be successful
Finally
Not a good time for back-to-back lazy TOs.
We need to learn how important a possession is after a turnover or a stop. Instead of doing something productive, we do something stupid, like turn it back over or take a stupid shot.
...we have to least take a shot. We've had any empty possession after a TO.
We finally press
...and get a TO
...and a 3!
Call the damn foul!
Can't expect to win with a 20% shooting deficit. 52% to 31%
We will face VCU next
Looks like it will be at 1030am tomorrow
Could not get around looking like the inside of an infants dirty diaper in the first half.
pretty accurate visual
Couldnt watch it but scoring 20 in the first half is not a recipe for success
I think CMY's biggest Achilles Heal is his stubbornness to not adjust his style of play, roster matchups, etc. The "never" have anyone there for offensive rebounding so we can have a semblance of 2nd effort opportunities is maddening. That style requires a high % of made shots and when they aren't falling, we lose or have close wins like we had in the two previous games. CSU kept it close and in striking distance because of 2nd effort points.
St. Mary's had 18+ second effort points. It was mentioned earlier and I agree wholeheartedly, take advantage of our bigs and put them on their Sequoia and Shaq Attack him. But, that takes an adjustment. I think AH is a heck of an athlete and player but having a 6'9" guy on 7'3" guy doesn't math.
Dorn anf Gurdak played a combined 18 minutes and had 3 fouls in total. They could have been put out there to primarily be disrupters to St Mary's big on both ends. I would have liked to see what that would have done.
Yep, from the 15 minute mark in the second half, put those two in with instructions to not allow a bucket even if it means fouling. Force their bigs to earn it at the line rather than allow the gimme baskets at two feet.
Another adjustment you have mentioned throughout CMY's tenure is moving to Zone D. Why not Mike? Other teams adjust when it makes sense or glaringly obvious.
Something you can relate to is this.....in the military, especially in the Infantry, SOP's have their place and are the bedrock of any operation, but at the same time, situation dictates.
CMY has his SOP scheme but has very little "situational awareness", that bites the team in the ass at times.
Agreed. Really poor game to game adjustments.
If we just shot 20% from 3 this was a different game. With their size advantage getting open looks outside was probably always in the game plan. The team just didn't take advantage when they got the looks.