11 days ago, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team fell flat against Duke on the road and lost by 24. On Saturday, Notre Dame beat the same Blue Devil squad in Durham in a tight four point game. If you believe in the transitive property in sports, the Hokies' contest on the road against the Fighting Irish would be a one-sided event.
Instead, it was quite the opposite.
Buzz Williams' squad lead for 25 minutes, built up an eight point advantage by halftime and yet couldn't hold on as they drop an 83-81 heartbreaker in South Bend. Star upperclassmen Zach LeDay and Seth Allen each turned in 20 point performances, Justin Bibbs threw in 12 and senior Shane Henry contributed a surprising 11, but it all wasn't enough down the stretch.
During the best of times, throughout the opening period and into the second, the Hokies controlled the tempo and attacked relentlessly. Notre Dame struggled to contain Allen, as he not only got into the paint but was able to kick out to shooters surrounding the arc.
But as the night wore on, multiple things trended against the visitors. Tech's youth showed as they moved too fast early in the second half, rushing shots and missing rotations as the Irish chipped away at the deficit. Notre Dame big man Zach Auguste proved impossible to guard as he crashed through the lane time and time again, finishing with 22 and a game leading 15 rebounds.
"They're the number one team in offensive efficiency in the country," Williams said. "It's a little bit of pick your poison. I don't think you can guard their ball screens the same over and over because they just pick you apart.
"I think you have to have multiple plans on matchups and ball screen coverage. For the most part I think we did that ok. Brey doesn't have a guy on the court who can't play, pass and shoot."
Throw in the stout Bonzie Colson, and Williams' guys were outmanned underneath. The pair wrecked havoc as the Tech coaching staff rotated Henry, LeDay and Kerry Blackshear Jr. as much as possible through foul trouble.
As the youngsters ran out of steam, a disjointed pace controlled primarily by the whistle of the referees squashed any remaining momentum the Hokies may have had. Tech was called for 14 fouls in the final 20 minutes, as the Irish's aggression put them on their heels.
To their credit, they did not wilt in the closing moments. Seth Allen still had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but instead his three pointer touched every part of the hoop except the bottom of it, and his team picked up their second conference loss.
Though it's always difficult to take positives from a defeat, the result was another step in the right direction for a group who has shown surprising growth against the ACC.
"When you're part of an arduous process such as this it's really hard to remove yourself from the intensity and pace of it," Williams said. "I think the only way that you can progress is literally to just be consumed with the day. I think we showed great maturity today. It's easily the best game we've played on the road since we've been here."
Things won't get easier for Williams, as he gets ready to play North Carolina in Blacksburg on
Sunday. The second ranked Tar Heels have been the class of the conference thus far, and will challenge the Hokies in all facets of competition. But the Hokies have been good at home, can they show another leap against possibly the best team in the country?
A few quick thoughts
The offense is leaps and bounds better when LeDay hits his threes, or at least enough of them to worry the defense. Coming into the matchup against the Irish, he hit eight of his 10 triples in the month of January (and made two more in South Bend) and it opens driving lanes for everyone else.
Notre Dame's forwards had to respect his shot, and with a big man out of the paint, the guards got to the basket. But what makes him such a headache for opposing coaches is that it's tough to put a smaller player on him, because they'll find their guard posted up for a relatively easy two.
Here's the thing, though. Is this sustainable, or just a statistical anomaly? As great as it is to watch him jack up those herky jerky heaves, you have to remember he's really only done this over the last five games. Personally, I want to believe in the LeTrey (we can do better, right? It was all I could come up with), but it's still too small a sample size to expect them to fall every night.
I know it's simple to point to the officiating as the fulcrum for the loss, even someone who staunchly supports the refs would have raised an eyebrow or two at some of the calls. But it's hardly the reason for the Irish's comeback. The Hokies took some bad fouls, with Blackshear and Henry over aggressively hedging or chasing Auguste 30 feet from the rim.
And though a handful of decisions could have gone either way, surrendering 46 points in the final 20 minutes of regulation was the culprit behind the rally. Tech couldn't get a stop for long stretches, and gave up tons of barely contested looks.
The Hokies were the better team for most of the night, which is refreshing considering it wasn't the case in a few of their wins, but the defense must improve if further progress is to be made. The Irish are great offensively, but are just one of many in a league full of others who can light it up. Tech can't give up 50% shooting every time out, and will be tested against everyone else remaining on the schedule.
Comments
acc road games are hard... just ask uva. But ND's crowd was going crazy when they tied it in the second, like we were a ranked team or something. that coupled with the halftime lead is progress.
yeah it sucks we lost an 8 pt lead and the officiating was... shall i say "questionable" at best, this team is still trending up. hopefully the students pack cassell this weekend!
Glad to hear others are questionnig the officiating. I was thinking I was overly bias. There were some call in the final 2 minutes favoring the Irish that seemed to kill our momentum
My wife is so tired of hearing me berate officiating that finally, last night, she accused me of being an asshole about it. I try so hard not to bash them, but it is so maddening. I call it that way for the other team as well, wondering where the whistle was when we have committed an obvious (to me, anyway) foul against them, but I am beginning to think that I'm a homer whiner, period. Like my wife pointed out, regardless of what I perceive, if the refs call it a foul, it's a damn foul. They don't take them back, and constant harping and frustration about it is counterproductive. I'm not so sure it is a bias, except for at Duke when it is laughably obvious, but I do see it as inconsistent and sometimes, perfunctory, as if there is no way we could not have fouled whether we were within three feet of the shooter or all up in his face. I cannot imagine a much harder game to officiate than basketball, but I can always hope for an evenly called game.
Yep. Keep dreaming. There ain't NO such thing.
http://www.amazon.com/Scorecasting-Hidden-Influences-Behind-Sports/dp/03... *(If you get it, just make sure you go through the Key Play link)
Just bought this book back before Christmas. It pretty much agrees.
Do they have a whole chapter devoted to Lenny Wirtz? Back in the Metro days, he was so biased against VT that we were certain a Techman had stolen his wife or poisoned his dog or something. Maybe he had a daughter...
This. We called him "Lenny the Worst".
I called him worse than that many, many times. Loudly.
This game was the equivalent of dominating a Mario Kart race, falling in the water in the final lap of the banshee track, recovering to pull even with the leader, and then Peach - who wasn't even in the race at all - fires a red shell which hits you right before the finish line. Screw you, Peach.
You forgot the part where the refs unplug your controller.
That was my brother's go-to move.
In the above analogy, the refs were Peach. See above for my thoughts on Peach.
I implore you, do not denigrate the name Peach. My best friend and the best puppy in the whole wide world was named Peach. I love her and still miss her every day. I see her grave in the back yard every day. I have her on my screen saver. Please, please, do not conflate her sacred name and memory with those backstabbing mongrels who call a basketball game. Just don't! You guys are computer whizzes, find another bad guy for your analogies. In the name of all that is holy and good....
So basically most Mario Kart races.
Except add a blue shell in there.
I mentioned this on a game thread post...LeDay is slowing turning into a drunk, poor, infant version of Draymond Green. Give him an additional summer working on his game, I think he can turn into one of the best power forwards in the ACC.
Towards the end of last year, at an event for the first 50 student season ticket holders, Buzz said Leday had had "not a good redshirt year, a great redshirt year." Allen, fwiw, had a "good" redshirt year. So none of this is really surprising coming from Leday, but it's been a ton of fun to watch so far.
Wow, exactly what i was thinking. He really is that swiss army knife type player.
I think the annoucners hit the nail on the head: that was the prototypical Marquette Big East game from a few years back. Gritty. Tough. Effort. Which had me go back to Marquette's Elite 8 season--they didn't lose a home game all season.
Grind on the road, defend Cassell at all costs. That's how the rest of this season should go. And it starts in a big way against Carolina.
I realize this loss hurts, but given the effort that VT's young team gave, I can't fault them. I love this basketball squad. Even more, I love the progress Buzz Williams is making for rebuilding Hokie Basketball. He is making me a believer. And if this team comes back next year, oh man, I'm going to be hyped if they can keep this level of effort and play good ball.
There, FIFY. But in all seriousness, yes I LOVE what this team is about and what they bring to the floor. I'm genuinely excited as to what the rest of this season and the years ahead have to hold. Seriously wanting a Buzzketball shirt at the moment.
I hate losing but damn if I am not impressed and positively giddy for the future of VT bball. When Buzz came in and there was A LOT of attrition this is precisely why. Because these guys have grown so much from last year to this year and will continue to do so. More importantly they will see that growth for themselves so that these tough losses won't affect morale (hopefully). We almost pulled this game out and would have been 5 - 1 in ACC play. crazy. And even though this loss sucks especially with it in our hands the even crazier part, and by plan, is that this team is only getting started. The rest of this season is wide open in my eyes. And next year!? the year after that!?!
Your post sums up my feelings about things quite well. I do think, though, that so far, the tough losses and smackdowns haven't seemed to hurt morale. This team seems to grow from each experience. They just don't seem to be negatively affected to the point of carry over. I really think that's Buzz's influence, and every game I watch just makes me appreciate him even more. I hope the UNC game gets played Sunday, I hope the hometown crowd shows up in droves, and I hope they're ready for what could be a really entertaining game. Wish I could be there.
When you look at the total fouls, one would say the calls were fairly equal. Early calls in the beginning of the 2nd half went against VT. Those calls, IMO, took the momentum from the Hokies. However, the team fought thru this and remained competitive throughout. UNTIL that bogus blocking foul they called against LeDay late in the game.
You mean the textbook charge that was called the wrong way.
I lost sleep over this game, such a great effort by an undermanned team. Tough way to lose but future looks great.
I want to say also that the officials broke our rhythm at crucial points in the second half and that, despite that, if Seth hits that last three, we'd be taking this thread in another direction. But, in reality, this was the first time I can recall since I started following the Hokies back in 2000 that they looked like a competitive ACC team from start to finish. Most teams in most games have runs and the momentum swings back and forth. Last night we dominated this game at least in the respect that we got the lead and held it for most of the game. Many times they closed the gap and many times we opened it right back up. Auguste is a beast and I sure wish we could find one like him. The strategy was obvious in the second half - he was gonna drive and we were gonna foul. But mostly it still came down to a missed three. Otherwise, we were the better team for the majority of that game. We might be undermanned and young and inexperienced but last night was exciting and for the first time in a long time, I never once thought we were gonna lose that game until when we did. I've believed in Buzz since day one both as a BBall whiz and more so as a leader and developer with some philosopher tenets that rock.
Game observations:
1-You know how Seth Allen will play within the 1st minute of the game. Tonight he was outstanding.
2-It is hard to play defense when the officiating crew will not allow you to play defense. Very inconsistant referees and the foul total the first 8 minutes of the second was extremely lopsided, putting there guys on the line with about 14 minutes to play.
3-Robinson is going to be an outstanding point guard. Just needs to learn from more playing time.
4-Shane played the best I have ever seen him play.
5-Blackshear has to stay away from the stupid fouls, but he will learn. Non factor toniight.
6-Lack of height is still our biggest problem, but inconsistancy is becoming less of a problem.
7-Against good teams, we need to make every trip down the court count. Which they did for the most part. But I would like to trim back on the 8 second pocessions.
8-I hate to say it was a good loss but they played very well, officiating aside. The future is bright.
just couldn't stop the dribble drive to save our life in the last 5 min of the game and then when we tried to step in and draw the charge seemed to always end up being a block and plus one for ND. tough one to lose. I thought we had them.
Great game, tough way to lose. Nothing for our guys to hang their heads about in this one.
Just not understanding Buzz's lack of playing time for Pierce. He's 7-0 250, Auguste is 6-9 235. Pierce can defend, keep balls alive on the glass and score in the post. Buzz could have put LeDay on Bonzie Colson and Pierce on Auguste. Pierce could have at least kept Auguste off the offensive glass and LeDay would not be bulled to the goal for buckets and fouls by Colson as he did repeatedly.
Size does not make one a good defender. Henry is a much better defender than Pierce.
We did our best, put our 10 fouls on Auguste between Henry and Blackshear. Colson wore out Leday at times. Those two are very good players.
Having seen every minute of every game, I think Pierce could hold his own. He would not be bludgeoned in the post like Henry..
The one area of play that Pierce is a complete liability is in positioning. He probably wouldnt have taken as many bad fouls outside the perimeter that Blackshear did tonight but Pierce doesnt seem to be able to keep himself between the defender and the rim, especially in terms of second chance opportunities. Pierce too often wants to let the opponent get the ball and try to block by knocking the shot against the backboard. By getting beaten to the point of attack, his size is no longer an advantege because officials are going to whistle almost anything he does from behind because he is able to be seen above the crowd. Offensively, he probably would have been on par with how Blackshear performed last night but thats only because Blackshear was obviously was having an off night around the rim. I am surprised that he didnt get some run though, just because he could have at least provided continuity until getting his third foul since the others were in foul trouble. Having to constantly rotate Henry and Blackshear by possession really hurt our momentum.
Well, color me a big fan of Satchel. It takes most big men not at Duke, Kansas, UK, etc. time to develop so I hope he gets enough PT to continue to improve.
I like Satch a lot as well, but not because he's a great defender. He's an adequate defender and has improving offensive skills. Satch should have got some run last night, his progress has been slow but he can be a productive player his last two years if he keeps getting some time.
I guess ND was just so agile on the inside that Buzz didn't think Satch could handle it.
Satch showed a brief glimps of an offensive game against Wake, but he's such a foul liability on defense that it really just isn't worth it unless we're really desperate.
Yeah I wish Satch played in the final couple mins when we were down Blackshear. We weren't stopping them in the paint regardless and Satch might've made just one basket or put-back. And that's the difference. It couldn't have hurt anything, imo.
Auguste and Colson are way too quick for Satchel. Instead of bullying Henry/LeDay around the basket they would just glide right past him.
If Clarke were healthy, this game could have been a different story. He is probably the best pure rebounder on the team and would have likely kept Auguste and Colson off the offensive glass so much.
I expected us to lose by double digits, so even though we gave up a lead, I'm still not dissatisfied with this.
F-k neutered dame. That is all.
Probably mentioned on the other thread, but did you people see that ultra loluva'hoo? swaying song singing performance at game's end? Creeeeeepy, even without the resemblance to the uvers. Creeeeepy stuff that. Just another reason to hate on Notre and their skanky Dames. Wife says I need to watch Rudy again to regain my wah.
Two things for me:
1) Heading into ACC play, I wasn't sure we could grind out even one ACC win. I knew we could be competitive in a few games, but I wasn't sure we could actually win a game. This young team is growing a ton right in front of us, and it's fun to watch win or lose.
2) During the first couple of ACC games, I was really frustrated with the play of Zach LeDay. Sure he has always played really hard, but it seemed like he wasn't making great decisions agains "superior" ACC big men and thus turning the ball over. Boy am I pleasantly surprised to see him continue to work and find ways to score. It might not always look pretty, but the kid can ball and the kid is a straight hustler on the court.
To add on to what Brian said, I think "Zach LeDay jacks le trey" is going to be a very common saying around Buzzketball.
I agree with all the positives stated in this thread. This team is growing and can sustain itself through the ACC grind.
I wish Seth Allen would realize that he has to dish the ball sometimes rather than shoot that last three. He was 1-5 from 3 pt range. I was hoping on the last drive he would either drive the lane (get a foul or make the bucket to tie) or dish to a higher percentage 3 pt shooter for the win - especially after missing 3 prior to that shot. I realize the clock is a factor and Bibbs was probably covered, but I was hoping for a more cerebral thought process by him on that last shot. He needs to learn to control his alpha male tendencies under certain conditions - and that last shot was one of those times.
Great look, great decision to go for the win on the road. "Control his alpha male tendencies"? Ridiculous. Not even in that game without Allen's "Alpha male tendencies". We go as he goes. He's the best creator off the dribble on the team.
Idc if it's on the road, they should go for the higher percentage drive to the basket and extend the game. Much better chance Allen gets the bucket, both free throws, or a three point play, than making that rushed shot. Most of these guys play smart, but Allen consistently makes poor decisions in these moments. Proud of the guys, but disappointed Seth didn't play it safer there.
I am in complete agreement with this. Allen left his feet with over 3 seconds left to play, which is a lifetime in terms of driving to the rim from the top of the key. If we are going to shoot a three when it matters the ball has to be in Bibbs hands. Allen had a great day but still only shot 20% from outside, 35% from the field (5-14), somehow was credited with 8 assists, and only was pointed to for 3 turnovers. There were at least five possessions in the second half that Allen either rushed the possession or forced a confrontation that didnt go his way with how the whistles were working at that point and almost every one of those possessions lasted less than 10 seconds from end to end. Thats 100 more seconds we could have worked off the clock when we had the lead. Take away almost two more minutes from ND and thats potentially 6-8 less points scored. Sometimes making it methodical is important. All of this said, this game didnt hinge on Allen missing the three or just his decision making down low. This was definitely a team effort, be it allowing Notre Dame inside position down low for easy put back baskets, taking bad fouls completely away from the basket for no reason, and the fact is we were facing a quality opponent that we didnt force their guys in foul trouble to foul out. Jackson should have been gone with 5 minutes to go and Colsen should have followed him about a minute later if Tech was actively working againt them. We did neither and both played crucial roles at the end of the game.
When it works, you're loved, when it doesn't you catch hell. I love his aggressiveness. His ability to beat people off the dribble is the difference in this year's team from the past 2.
The problem I have is that it works less than it doesnt even if he is scoring the most. He has big games point wise, but its how we get to those points. There is no arguing he has been a critical piece in changing games this year, some for the good, some for worse. Yesterday, the only Hokie that shot worse from the floor than Allen was Justin Robinson going 1 for 3. All the others had better shooting percentages, and that is how almost every game ends. Allen rarely has the 45% shooting night. Almost every time he goes out there, there are at least five to seven possessions that he essentially throws away for this team. If on even half of those he hit an open teammate that scored on half of their attempts you are talking 4-6 more points per game. Essentially half of our losses are within that range.
The other aspect that frustrates me to no end is his inconsistency on the defensive end. Some nights, like the UVA game, he cant be beaten and he is forcing turnovers, others like last night, especially late in the game, he cant stop anyone and allows ND several late key layups.
To show you how much of a negative his defensive play is, you need look no further than his Win Share per 40 Minutes in Conference. He has a .01 win share, thats seventh on the team, tied with Johnny Hamilton. You look at the conference total and compare his Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating and you find him with a -23.4 points per 100 possessions. All of these stats have some minor outliers but it shows the underlying truth, in a lot of ways Seth Allen hurts us more than he helps us.
Reference:
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/virginia-tech/2016.html
In the post game talk, Buzz touched on how much offensive efficiency Notre Dame is known for and how a guy like Auguste can dominate. Thats the area I would like to see the most improvement from in Allen's game. Control the drive rather than going with reckless abandonment. Know where your teammates are, and consider whether anyone is in position to rebound or available to pass to in the event you wont be able to shoot. Bibbs had an awesome drive and kick last night that found a teammate with a wide open three, we need more of that from Allen. Allen too often loses control of the ball, takes a bad shot or has his shot blocked. We need the improvement along these lines all the much more next year when we get guys like Hill and Clarke back that will already be taking up possessions with some of these same reckless drives. They just have the body style to make it work better.
Buzz's plan seemed to be getting Allen out just before the media timeouts to increase his rest. Every time he went out, Wilson came in and either fouled, sagged off allowing a Jackson 3, or got the blow by on the defensive end, coupled with the turnovers he had while in, I was much more confident and content with Allen in the game slashing with his big play potential. But then again, Brett Favre is probably my favorite quarterback ever. High risk, high reward guy, here.
I have no issue with saying that Seth needs to improve his decision making, but it really seems like Buzz is working with him on that. There was a point in the second half where he got the ball late in the shot clock and I think earlier in the year, he would have taken a deep, bad three. Instead he assessed the situation, and found Hudson in the corner for a big three. It really seems like he is starting to trust his guys more as everyone gets more comfortable.
As for the three at the end of the game, I have no issue with that whatsoever. He had hit a three going towards the basket in transition like that earlier in the game, it was from straight on, and it was on the road against a good team. Not to mention if you had to pick our "closer", it would easily be him. I like Bibbs but he needs to step up and be more aggressive. Lastly, I agree 3 seconds is plenty of time to drive to the rim but the problem is that once you make that decision, you're stuck with it. That's likely not enough time to drive and kick so you better score or make both free throws. So in that situation, with the defense sagging off him, I think it's the right shot.
Either way though, I want to point out that Buzz might be the best coach I've seen when it comes to using the players he has. His substitutions yesterday were really impressive between keeping the guards fresh, keeping Seth from getting too far out of control and rotating the bigs as they got in foul trouble. We are lucky to have him.
Multiply that by the fact that many of those derailed possessions lead to easy fast-break points on the other end. That's killer.
I hate to jump on Allen because it happens a lot but I couldn't agree more with your post, thanks for your insight and bringing the stats as always. It is hard to believe the sheer number of possessions he completely throws away before anyone touches the ball. Add in the easy transition buckets & it's a huge point swing as well as momentum changer.
I also thought that Allen rushed the last shot. LeDay was open for the 3 and I was hoping Allen was going to dish it. Obviously, if Allen's shot went in, I'd be singing a different tune.
EDIT: Couldn't get the video to start at a specific time. Just go to 1:30 to see it in the above video
Huh? Couldn't have gotten a cleaner look.
Left the floor way too soon. Don't have a problem with the shot but he rushed it
Thanks for this. Wow, Henry set a great screen. Yes Allen had a great look, but LeDay is sitting all alone, with his feet set... - and he was 2-2 from three last night...
No matter how good Leday has been playing, that shot is 100% Allen's 100% of the time. That is the type of player he is and the amount of confidence Buzz has in him. The only other player that they really would haven't wanted that shot in the hands of is Bibbs.
As a referee on the High School level, I can't imagine how college refs call a game. We joke on the HS level and its true in college - refs get a year old, but the kids stay young forever. Players are so quick and athletic, it's hard to get every call correct. What you look for is if the ref is reaching ( I didn't watch last night - I was on a court). 3 officials have their Primary areas, If they go outside of that, their correct call rate goes way down. We are taught that every year. Pregame meetings emphasis it. If you reach, everyone in the gym should know that your partner missed something. I saw some people say refs end up favoring the home team -that's not true, IMO. Coaches may sway them on their side to a degree or sway them to the other side if they aren't communicating in a way the ref likes, but i think most refs are immune to home team advantage crap.
What I'd like to see fixed in the college game is the # of refs available. People think ACC has bad refs - but those refs work in most of the other leagues as well. They aren't only ACC. They work too many games. I think the top flight D-I ref works 6 games a week - that's probably 1-2 games too many
I agree completely with what you said here, I'm not a basketball referee, but I do referee soccer at both the travel and high school level. Speaking from my experience, I think you're 110% correct about refs calling in the home teams advantage, that's complete bullcrap and I never even give a hoot about who's home/away when I'm reffing. Maybe it's different at the college level, but I know several NCAA soccer referee's who wouldn't give a darn about home/away either. Honestly I think Dook is the only place you're gonna see that kind of honest-to-goodness discrepancy.
There were two plays that really frustrated me in this game. The blocking call on Leday and the play where Allen let the ball roll on the in bounds play right to a Notre Dame player. They were both critical momentum changers.
Solid game overall, but Allen really spiraled out of control in the second half on a number of possessions. Despite that I have no problem with that last shot of the game. He had an open look and pulled the trigger.
Unfortunately that look is going to be open for him all season, he is a horrible three point shooter. Players are going to let him take that shot and then grab the rebound.
Currently shooting a disgusting 25.8%. Why is that disgusting do you ask? Only because he has attempted 89 of them. 23 of 89 66 missed attempts. Thats six more attempts than Justin Bibbs, and 64 more attempts than any Hokie not named Bibbs. Only two Hokies shoot a respectable outside shot so far this season. Zach "Le Trey" Leday is currently at 44% on 12 of 27 attempts and Bibbs is at 53% on 44 of 83 shooting.
I guess the sad part is that Allen percentage wise is fifth best on the team. Only Hudson at 28.6% and Robinson at 28% are slightly better shooters than Allen. The difference on those two shooting though is that they rarely do it, Hudson is 10 of 35 and Robinson 7 of 25. The team as a whole is a dreadful 100 for 292 from distance. Buzz should essentially take away the keys from all but the two that consistently make them considering Bibbs and Leday are a combined 56 of 110 and the rest of the team are 44 of 182. Want to find a well of lost opportunities?
He's a career 32.4% three point shooter. Wouldn't exactly call that bad.
So that says to me his outside shot is regressing. To be a 32% shooter isn't terrible but it's still not consistent enough to be your teams leading attempt guy from outside. It also says that when he was at UMD that he shot around 35-37%; that's a steep fall off to where he is this season. That says to me it's not something he practices enough to be using in game situations as much as he has been.
I respectfully disagree. I think he's taking worse shots, not that his outside shot is regressing. He takes some stupid shots, I'll concede that night and day, but he's our most dynamic offensive weapon, I can live with them.
However you choose to slice it, if the ball isn't going in the basket than its that many less points on the board for Tech.
i think it says he's shooting more off the dribble than he used to. wonder what his fraction is on catch and shoot.
that said, no prob with the last shot. he was wide open for a game winner. can't pass that up.
Allen is rushing his shot a little too much. You can see it in that final shot, where he just gets a little too quick, and when he pulls up to shoot, he's still moving forward and his momentum was the difference between the shot going in and clanging off the back rim. Hopefully, with some more experience, eventually it'll slow down and he won't be playing so fast and the game will slow down for him, and once that happens, I have all the faith in the world he'll be an absolute lights out shooter.
He is a junior, he shouldn't need more experience. I don't think he knows how to slow down.
That's alright, we'll get them in football
On another note about Coach Buzz, he's really gained some fans from other fan bases. I keep hearing from VMI alums expressing their admiration for him, especially when his lessons on the National Anthem circulated the web.