Virginia Tech Drops OT heartbreaker to Duke 86-91

"Come on, come on! It's not over!"

Those words cascaded down from the Cassell crowd behind me as the final few seconds of the Virginia Tech men's basketball team's 86-91 overtime loss to Duke ticked away.

Actually, those words traveled about three feet (the distance between the first row and the press table), bounced off of the back of my head and then made their way onto the court. However, it was over, and everyone in the building seemed to know it with the exception of one lone fan.

The one thing that was noticeable, though, was that there was no desperation behind those words. It wasn't the type of self-consoling pleas that you'd hear at a normal sporting event as someone lied to themselves about an inevitable outcome. There was nothing but one hundred percent, genuine confidence in them. It was over, but one fan really did still hold out hope.

It was Calvin Williams, Buzz's eldest son, and he represented perhaps the best snapshot of every Tech fan in Cassell on Wednesday night. He cheered, he screamed, and sounded like he really believed right from the opening tip.

And all night, it seemed like the Hokies believed too.

The Blue Devils stepped onto the floor with two of the best players in college basketball. Yet as they had many times this season, Tech had battled their way into another close one despite the perceived talent gap.

In what may have been the surprise performance of the year, Jalen Hudson absolutely balled out. After accumulating a total of 30 minutes over the last three games, the freshman guard played 31 against Duke. He lead the team in both points and rebounds, scoring 23 on just under 50 percent shooting while also skying for six boards.

As quite possibly the last member on the Jalen Hudson bandwagon, I feel vindicated. Up until last night, he's provided flashes, an athletic rebound here or a fast break dunk there, but never put it together for a full 40 until now. His coach has said consistently that he may be the most talented player on the roster, and Wednesday night's showing highlighted why.

Hudson was absolutely vital to the Tech's success, beating his defender off the dribble with ease seemingly every chance he got. It was the first time, quite possibly all year, that Tech was able to get to the hoop and then use the three point line off of that driving success. They took it at Blue Devil phenom Jahlil Okafor with vigor, Hudson, Devin Wilson and Justin Bibbs all crashing into the lane off the bounce.

Wilson also had a tremendous outing. In a year that has been filled with questions about his performance, the point guard was indispensable. He not only got into the paint when needed, but he played what I call the high post position against Duke's 2-3 zone. He stood at the free throw line, letting the entire offense flow through him and finding teammates in the nooks and crannies of the defense.

Speaking of defense, let's get to Satchel Pierce's play against Okafor. The All-American had a great day, scoring 30 points and single handedly not letting the contest slip out of Duke's grasp.

I'm sure that many people want to criticize Pierce for simply allowing 30, which to be fair is a ton. But let's look at the broader picture. Early on, Williams and company decided to stop doubling the post. They got caught in rotation too many times in the first half, and it breaks down to a simple question. Would you rather give up an open three or a 1-on-1 down low?

Buzz chose the latter, and I can't say that I blame him. But, that meant a whole lot of personal time between Tech's only big man and the guy who will almost definitely be the first overall pick in the NBA draft this year.

There were plenty of times where Satch had perfect position defensively, keeping Okafor at a distance from the bucket and having his hands at exactly the right places. Do you know what happened on most of those possessions? The dude canned whatever shot he pulled out of his bag. A hook, baseline fallaway, up and under, it didn't matter. Pierce was doing his best against the best offensive big man in the country.

And while Duke was operating surgically on one end of the floor, the Hokies were white hot on the other. Both teams were nailing shots from everywhere, and in a not so shocking turn of events it came down to the last possession in regulation.

With the crowd going bonkers, the Hokies had a chance to beat the fourth-ranked squad in the country, giving the first year of Buzzketball the kind of signature win it deserved.

We all know how it ended. Hudson dribbled through traffic and missed at the buzzer, which meant overtime. From there Pierce fouled out, Tech's three point shooting dried up and it was all she wrote.

But at that point, it didn't really matter. This game was so important to the direction of the program that the actual result was secondary.

Coaches don't get paid for moral victories and players don't thrive off of fantastic almost-wins, this I know. But that performance proved that Virginia Tech basketball is about to go to a place that we've never seen it. That trips to Cassell aren't going to be fun again, they're already a blast right now.

The entire Buzz Williams experience has already involved a lot of belief, from thousands of other people who root for this team just like Calvin. This year, it's believing that the Hokies can stick with an opponent more talented than them. Next year, it's knowing that Tech will be able to win even more of these games.

The year after that? I'm not a fortune teller, but I don't think last second pleas from the fans will be necessary. Tech will have already have those games, the similarly close ones that have eluded Buzzketball in year one, wrapped up.