The Virginia Tech men's basketball team walked into Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium off the most impressive week of the Buzz Williams tenure. Seven days ago the Hokies kicked off ACC play with a win over NC State, and then turned in a program-defining win over number four Virginia.
It took about three minutes against the Blue Devils to realize those good vibes would come to an end, as Tech plummeted to an 82-58 throttling at the hands of Mike Krzyzewski's squad.
Duke came out quickly and hit four consecutive shots from behind the arc, immediately setting a pace the Hokies couldn't keep up with. It wasn't for a lack of trying, however. Williams' group upped the tempo and attacked quickly. Unfortunately, it played into their opponent's hands, as they rushed into bad shots, turnovers and poor transition defense.
Not a single player in maroon could find their way against an equally small and quick lineup. Starting guards Seth Allen and Jalen Hudson, Tech's two most dangerous weapons, shot a combined 2-18 from the floor. Their performance paced the rest of the roster for an abysmal first half in which they dug a hole so deep it was impossible to climb out.
"We did nothing in the first half, offensively or defensively," Williams said in the post-game press conference. "I think that's why the score was what it was. We were overwhelmed, they were way better, they were way tougher. They executed. I'm not coaching their team, but I thought they executed very well and we did diametrically opposed to that."
Down big man Amile Jefferson (who's out indefinitely with a foot injury), the Blue Devils ran the floor with athletic wings who seem genetically designed to win one-on-one matchups. Add to the fact that the Hokies are without their two best perimeter defenders in Chris Clarke and Ahmed Hill, it was a recipe for destruction.
Guard Grayson Allen finished with 16, freshman phenom Brandon Ingram had 16 points, nine rebounds and six blocks and center Marshall Plumlee poured in a double-double with 21 and 10. (Yes, there's still a Plumlee in Durham. And yes, it feels like he's been there for a decade.)
And though the talent and the tempo were two things the Hokies simply couldn't keep up with, they fought for the entire forty minutes. Zach LeDay scored 16 of his 18 after halftime, and the team saw solid showings from Kerry Blackshear Jr. and Justin Robinson, it just wasn't remotely enough.
Tech has four days to move on from this debacle and get ready to play Wake Forest back in Cassell Coliseum on Wednesday at nine. The concurrently rebuilding Demon Deacons will be an interesting test for the Hokies, should they be able to shake off this defeat. But remember, the last time Buzz and company had four days to come back from an embarrassing loss they beat NC State.
"I think you just have to take all of this as an individual round," Williams said. "It's too much of a marathon to get too excited or get too down. I think that's the ground part of it, none of it is a sprint.
"If we hang onto this too long, then we'll get beat on Wednesday. If we can learn from this and try to get back to being who we have to be in order to give ourselves a chance to win, then maybe it will be a game on Wednesday. I think Wake [Forest] is really good."
The Hokies are a squad that takes on the resiliency of their coach, and they'll have to do so again after this one.
A few quick thoughts
One of the most improved places in the Hokies' game this year has been ball handlers who can create off the dribble. Allen did his best to put NC State and UVA in tough positions with his ability to blow by the initial defender and cause an open shot for him or a teammate. Tony Bennett even went out of his way to credit how tough the junior was to guard.
It makes everything else Tech wants to do easier. Justin Bibbs and Hudson are more likely to get open shots on the wing, Blackshear and LeDay find looks under the basket and the entire halfcourt offense flows more fluidly.
The drawback to this, however, is when they play someone with similar strengths. Duke is small and fast, and will suck you in with their press. They can get athletic ball handlers in trouble by speeding them up, rushing their decisions and turning a full possession into five seconds of dribbling and wild shots.
It's something Tech fans will have to deal with all year, especially against opponents with superior athleticism. We've already seen it before, against West Virginia and Iowa State, which means it'll be a problem versus North Carolina, Louisville, Notre Dame and Miami.
Though it's frustrating to some who watch, the flip side is so beneficial (see, ACC wins) it's something to be tolerated.
This loss goes beyond the old "not showing up" cliche I've seen thrown around, which is insulting to both Buzz and his coaching staff. The team had five days to get rested and prepare to play this game, they just came out and got smoked. It's too flippant to think a group as young and as ready to prove themselves as this one lost because they didn't bring their best effort.
Overwhelmed by the stage? Probably. Out-talented and out-played? Definitely. The Hokies showed up. They simply got handled because they were up against a very good foe in one of the most impressive venues in all of sports.
It seems as if Buzz has settled on his best lineup being Allen, Bibbs, Leday and Blackshear, with a rotation of Devin Wilson, Robinson and Hudson as the fifth guy. Though the Clarke and Hill injuries hurt the long term ceiling of the program, is it weird to wonder if it helps to have a rotation so pared down?
My biggest critique of Buzz over the last year and a half has been his substitution patterns and the impossibility of figuring out who he plays on a given night. I know it's all about effort and culture and whatever other buzz words (pun totally intended) you want to use, but it impacts a player's ability to get in the groove of a game.
With the two injuries, he's had his rotation of useable guys shrunk down to eight (sorry Satchel Pierce and Johnny Hamilton) and it lets people like Robinson and Blackshear grow despite mistakes. When Williams has his full armada at hand (be it in February/March or next season) he'll now have a seasoned cast of characters who all have chops developed from minutes in big moments.
Even in a contest as one-sided as this, it gives a chance for those youngsters to develop. And as the season goes along, playing time on stages like this will prove to be worth it.
Comments
Thank you. I'm tired of hearing any permutation of the narrative that this team doesn't try.
You bet. These guys never quit and there were times when you could see their growth and potential. Playing at Duke sucks, you play against 8 and what has to be the toughest home crowd in college basketball, but I repeat what I have said on the other thread, I fully expect a different game when next they come to Cassell. No, we aren't there, we may not even be close to there, but I'm starting to think we'll soon be able to see it from here.
Doesn't show up doesn't always mean that the effort isn't there. The effort was there throughout on Saturday but mentally it did not seem that they were as engaged as they needed to be. Yes, Duke came out and immediately drained a number of long range shots but they were also getting open looks that allowed them some opportunities to jump out to such a lead. VT kept fighting and at a few junctures early in the first half looked like they may be able to claw themselves back into the game, but each time Duke would then rattle off another 6 or 7 point run that quickly put the game out of reach.
In the ACC, VT is going to need to be fully there physically and mentally to get W's. They just don't have the level of talent to not show ready to rock and roll.
Those Hokie tracks look like blood splatter at first.
I actually liked the effort that the team showed in the 2nd half. Kept fighting, even if it seemed like an impossible task. This wasn't a game that anyone could realistically have expected us to win. Duke is just a more talented team, simple as that. Looking forward to seeing how they come out against Wake
So true. This team has heart. Saw it in the 2nd half of the Iowa St. game as well.
Second half was promising. Just a much better team.
Good teams and good coaches don't complain about the officiating or anything out of their control... But I'm neither, so here we go.
THAT WAS BULLSHIT. Yes, every ACC team has home court advantage, but Carolina and Duke have borderline cheating. Today the Cameron indoor refs crossed that line. From the beginning they called a foul every time Duke possessed the ball inside the arc. In less than 1:30 Hudson (on Allen) had two fouls and the team had 3. That set the tone for the entire half. Every time we got a couple of stops and easy baskets, the refs would come to the rescue with some ticky-tack reach in or blocking foul that only gets called in places like Cameron.
Are the refs the only reason we lost? Hell no. Did they take away any chances at a comeback and make it impossible to win? Damn right they did. Can only brush it off as classic Coach K, and the privileges of having a great program like that, but still... If that games at a neutral court it's within 10 or 15, if it's in Cassel we probably win.
Duke is a better team than us, but not 24 points better. Evidence to all this is the second half, which we won by 3 when the refs started calling it fairly.
Remember when Jon Scheyer walked like 10 different times several years ago and ended up calling a foul when we should have gotten the ball back with a chance to win?
I honestly don't get annoyed by Duke and UNC getting the calls anymore, because I've accepted the pathetic reality that they will get them and nothing is going to stop that unfortunately. I have seen it too many times against Tech and other ACC teams over the years.
When you have 4 or 5 National Championships and are coached by someone who has won multiple National Championships at the respective school, you get those calls. You just do. When we were rolling in football we got a lot of bullshit called in our favor, especially in Lane. It's what happens.
Sorry, but I'm tired on the non stop bitching about refs in basketball by our fans. We have long been a terrible program and the last time we were at all relevant we had a player who I believe hit a ref his freshman year. The ref community is tight knit and they don't forgive easily. Unfortunately, we aren't a program worthy of getting the benefit of the doubt in calls, yet. We haven't proven we can play consistently will enough to err on our side in tight situations. Duke and UNC are. Until we prove ourselves, keep our damn mouths shut and let's not give the refs any more of a reason to shaft us on Game days.
I'm not going to whine about officiating but I refuse to accept lopsided officiating as being ok. I know it's human nature to lean toward home team, but there should definitely not be any grudges held by the refs.
That might work for you. It doesn't for me. 24hrs from game's end, I'll care less. But if I see something I view as out of line from the refs, I'm going to damn well complain about it. It just so happens most of the time I do my complaining in places other than on here.
+1'd for that alone
+1
There are certain ref crews who ruin games. They call fouls on contact where the defender has gained no advantage with the contact, but because of some silly 'point of emphasis' or other BS they call a foul. The games become about the officials and free throw shooting and it sucks. Watch an NBA game and you realize how bad so many of these college crews are
OK. I agree that moaning about officiating isn't productive. Hard not to, when you see what you perceive as injustice, but you are right. Makes you seem like a whiner. However, we haven't hit a ref since football season, and I think that teams and coaches cycle in and out and refs have no excuse to hold anydamnthing against us for any damn reason that hasn't occurred this season. Yes, we need to prove ourselves, but we should not have to beat more than the five players we face on the court. Nobody should have to prove themselves worthy of a foul call.
Tech had a horrific shooting day. Can't play small and not shoot.
That was the worst thing, wasn't it? We were quick, we were there, we couldn't hit the side of the barn with a rock.
Starting in the not so distant future, Duke is going to have built up a nice home losing streak to us. Just remember that
I'll remember that when I see it.
Every time they touched the ball it was a 3 or a foul shot in the opening minutes...that doesn't help your confidence.
We should expect excellent players on Duke's team, they have their pick of all-Americans, but they showed a TOTAL lack of class when they ran a play and shot the 3-pointer in the last seconds of the game. That's on the attitude of the players and Coach K. I loose any respect for him when he coaches his players to show such a lack of character.
Beat #4 Virginia, turn around and get dismantled by Duke at Cameron? Yes, I'll take that.
We must have cursed the Hoos; they lost to GT yesterday.
Getting the win in C'ville to get the sweep against UVA, now that would be SWEET.
OT: Anybody else getting the slightest bit worried about that Plumlee kid?
He was a real treat all day...
Found myself calling him "Full Metal Plumlee"
Oh my. I thought this was Plumlee.
Someone with more basketball knowledge than me, what does it say that we out scored them in the second half? We made the right adjustments? They let up since the game was pretty much already over?
I'm more pissed that UVA went and lost to GT and made our win look not as good.
I'd gladly take UVA losing to GT with Adam Smith putting in 16 points. Nothing takes away from the fact they were #4 when we beat them.
I can never be pissed when the 'hoos lose. It's just the way things ought to be. When it comes to them, I don't care how it looks to anyone else.
I have played in many games like this one, where the other team is just a whole better than you are. You know going in that we have to play perfect. There was one game we played and were not that good and we were playing the 1st place team. At half-time we were down 1 point and one of the guys on the other team says to me "You guys are a lot better than your record" and my reply was "You realize we have not missed a shot yet". We got beat by 20. So the moral is talent usually wins, but the effort was great.