Hokies Take Down Pittsburgh 65-61 For Fourth-Straight ACC Win

Following a pair of deflating mid-season losses to Pittsburgh and Syracuse, Virginia Tech head coach Buzz Williams looked in the mirror in search of answers. What he found may surprise you.

"My demeanor, since the last time we've played Pitt, I've tried to be more of a confidence giver instead of a confidence taker," said Williams. "I just think sometimes I was overwhelming them...I just think I was pushing them so hard and they were trying to please me so much that at times I was overwhelming them and putting more on their plate than what they needed."

Williams hasn't gone full mute — and most certainly never will — but the noticeably toned-down head man watched his Hokies rattle off a fourth-straight league victory Wednesday evening, the latest a convincing 65-61 win over Pittsburgh.

"I do have more confidence in them," said Williams. "I don't know that it's necessarily letting them go. I think it's letting them go within the same things we were doing a month ago, but they're more comfortable in it."

The numbers show he might be right.

A year ago, the Hokies managed just two conference wins. This year? Nine.

A year ago, the Hokies failed to win a league game on the road. This year? They've notched three.

A year ago, the Hokies battled, scratched and clawed past fellow cellar-dweller Wake Forest on the opening day of the ACC tournament just to make it to Wednesday. This year? The Hokies don't begin play till Wednesday.

"Maybe on the outside, maybe the perception is changing," said a clearly pleased Williams. "But on the inside, I think that they're believing in the habits that we've tried to instill from the very beginning."

Zach LeDay paced the Hokies early and often with 20 points and 10 rebounds, yet another double-double for the most unheralded of the Hokies' newcomers. Fellow transfer Seth Allen had a less productive night, but the Maryland product drilled a pair of triples that seemed to suck the life out of the Panthers.

Justin Robinson and Devin Wilson pitched in 10 and 7, respectively, a healthy sign for an offense that is at times overly reliant on their core four scorers.

And after giving up 90 points last time out against Pittsburgh, everyone dressed in maroon and orange seemed especially pleased with the defensive effort. But while the defensive performance was no doubt improved — holding anyone to under 40% from the field is an accomplishment — Williams attributed at least a portion of the growth to the offensive side of the ball.

"We cut our turnovers by 60 percent, shot the ball really well particularly in the second half," said Williams. "So, for the most part, they were playing against a set defense. That helps us."

Both the Hokies and Panthers started out chilly from the field early, neither team able to find their stroke from deep throughout the first half. The Panthers held a 19-10 lead through 12 minutes, but a 5-0 run from the Hokies courtesy of a LeDay layup and a Justin Bibbs triple brought Tech back within striking distance. The Hokies proceeded to make a temporary living at the line, knocking down seven free throws over the final five minutes to keep pace with the suddenly-hot Panthers. But despite their best efforts from the charity stripe, Tech still trailed by two just 30 seconds before the break. No problem for Williams and company, though, as Allen connected from the field for the first time of the evening with a deep three that miraculously sent the Hokies into the break clutching a 27-26 lead.

But for as fragmented and slow-paced as the Hokies looked in the first, they came out blistering in the second. Balanced scoring from the Hokies' backcourt gave them a 35-32 lead less than four minutes in, and LeDay followed up with two nice finishes around the rim to extend the Tech lead to seven. Following two made free throws from Robinson, Wilson knocked in a rare three — just his fourth of the year — to give the Hokies a commanding 12-point lead. It looked as if Tech would cruise to an easy victory over a seemingly defeated Pittsburgh squad, and for about eight minutes, that's exactly what happened.

But Pittsburgh, like all good teams, had one last run in them. The Panthers blitzed the Hokies with a 9-0 scoring spree in the game's final four minutes and cut the lead all the way down to 3 with just 1:10 left to play. The Hokies missed an open three on the ensuing possession, but Pittsburgh point guard James Robinson came up empty from deep on the other end forcing the Panthers to foul LeDay with just 19 seconds remaining. Leday made one of two, and the Hokies locked down for one final stop to seal the victory.

The Hokies' ninth conference win clinches the program's first .500 record in the ACC since 2011 under former head coach Seth Greenberg. And perhaps more importantly, a win over a potential NCAA tournament-bound Pittsburgh team no doubt solidifies Tech's NIT resume. But even as the Hokies continue to reach milestone after milestone, climb peak after peak, their leader still believes there's a long way to go.

"I think so many times in life, even in sports...(it's) 'Well, how's it feel to be 8-8?' 'Well, how's it feel to be 9-8?' As if that's a breakthrough, right? And comparatively speaking, I understand that it is a breakthrough," said Williams. "But I think so many times in life, even in athletics, when you have a breakthrough, your nature is to go, 'OK, good. We made it.' And you exhale...I disagree wholeheartedly with that concept."

"I think when you have a breakthrough, you realize the battle only intensifies."