The Hokies couldn't have looked worse. Nearing the end of a ten-day road trip, Michigan blitzed a presumably fatigued Tech team early, jumping out to a 15-point lead before maize and blue-clad fans could even find their seats.
It would have been easy to pack up the plane and head back to Blacksburg, chalking yet another ACC/Big Ten Challenge loss to a less than favorable travel schedule. But on the shoulders of a vintage performance from Zach LeDay, the Hokies hung around, two words that seemed to define the breakout season Tech enjoyed just a year ago.
And yet, it still wasn't going to be enough. Much to the chagrin of third-year head coach Buzz Williams, nearly every bounce broke Michigan's way down the stretch, a desperation heave turned banked-in three with just eight minutes to play presumably the lasting image of a hard-fought Tech loss. But the Hokies hung around, fought through a litany of offensive fouls charged to star sophomore guard Ahmed Hill, and ultimately surged back with a 10-2 run down the stretch to take a 68-67 lead with 1:46 to play.
And then, astoundingly no longer trailing in a game likely already counted for the Big Ten tally, Tech hung on, stunning Michigan with a 73-70 victory in Ann Arbor that could serve as a key piece to a potential NCAA tournament resume come March.
None of it would have been possible without LeDay, the gritty leader of this Tech team inside who finished the night with 18 points and six rebounds. But looking beyond the box score, the Hokies' senior forward was quite literally the offense in the second half, nearly every successful possession involving some type of LeDay touch. The South Florida transfer was active as ever, cleaning up the Hokies' mess in transition while also banging inside as the lone Tech big man for much of the second half.
Khadim Sy showed promise yet again, fighting off an early dropped pass to turn in another productive performance in his first month as a Hokie. There's still room for growth — Sy was beat badly multiple times on defense — but the freshman post continues to show surprising polish for such a young player.
Zak Irvin led the way for Michigan, the senior guard exploiting Tech's constant switching on defense en route to a game-high 23 points. The savvy veteran blew by both LeDay and Sy with ease off early switches, but also showed the ability to score over smaller guards and paced the Wolverines with a trio of threes.
Surprisingly, the Hokies started the evening in a matchup zone, a unique defense that places a premium on solid communication and hard close-outs on the perimeter. But Tech looked a step slow for much of the first half, struggling to pass off cutters properly as Michigan knocked down 5 of their first 9 from behind the arc. Williams ultimately abandoned the zone after the under eight media timeout, switching back to a man-to-man defense that simplified matters for the Hokies and allowed them to dial up the aggressiveness on the defensive end.
And as so often happens in college basketball — especially for teams designed to run like the Hokies — high-energy defense turned into free-flowing offense as Tech used the newfound momentum to crawl back within nine heading into the break.
Michigan controlled much of the second half, seemingly fighting off every Tech run with a back-breaker of their own to maintain a comfortable lead. But the Hokies moved with far more purpose offensively in the second half, constantly switching sides of the floor to force the Wolverines into guarding Tech's numerous weapons for a full 30 seconds. It was a balanced attack behind LeDay — Justin Bibbs, Justin Robinson and Seth Allen all scored in double-digits, while Chris Clarke and Sy turned in 9 and 8, respectively.
It was a late surge from Allen that finally pushed the Hokies over the top, a left-handed layup followed by an open three giving the Hokies a four-point lead with 1:02 to play. Michigan answered with a three-pointer of their own from Duncan Robinson, but two free throws from Bibbs with three seconds remaining sealed the deal for Tech.
And while November victories should always be taken with a grain of salt, the importance of Wednesday evening can't be overstated for the Hokies. Just three weeks into the 2016-2017 season, Williams' team now holds road or neutral site victories over New Mexico, Nebraska and Michigan, three programs who have all danced in recent years and could conceivably be in the tournament picture once again come March. For a program that has consistently struggled to notch even a single noteworthy out-of-conference win over the past several years, Wednesday night in Ann Arbor represented significant progress.
A Few Other Thoughts
Why The Matchup Zone? The defense was miserable for the Hokies tonight, but that doesn't mean it's a look Williams won't go back to. In theory, it's a solid option for a versatile team like Tech, one that consistently has three of four players on the floor capable of guarding every position. Matchup zones are tough to run offense on, as they're designed to pass off cutters and switch ball-screens, eliminating the need for defenses to chase opposing scorers around the floor while still applying some amount of ball pressure. The problem, as was exposed against Michigan, is that the defense must communicate at a high level and close out with urgency. Failing to communicate and losing track of cutters will almost always result in open shots, and an inability to close out on shooters from the helpside "zone" position allows open three after open three.
Where Does Devin Wilson Fit In? This one comes out of left field, but it hit me the other day: what happens when Wilson returns? With the continued emergence of Justin Robinson and the leadership of Seth Allen, not to mention the bevy of athletic wings on the perimeter, minutes will be hard to come by in January when Wilson reappears in Cassell. The senior guard does offer Buzz a solid option as an on-ball defender and can help steady Robinson and Allen at times, but don't be shocked if Wilson's minutes dip once again with the Hokies' added depth.
Wait, This Team is 6-1? I expected Tech to struggle early without Kerry Blackshear Jr., and admittedly Texas A&M handled the Hokies inside for much of the second half out in Anaheim. But many of the question marks headed into the season — most notably Ahmed Hill's health and Khadim Sy's ability to contribute — have already been answered through the season's first month. Despite a rocky night in Ann Arbor, Hill has been outstanding through seven games, showing impressive touch from behind the arc while flashing an improved all-around game and a beefed-up frame. Meanwhile, Sy doesn't look like a freshman, and that's huge. Throw in Justin Robinson continuing to build on his play from last February and March, and this team has the look of a true contender in the ACC. And perhaps beyond.
Comments
Fantastic win from the boys. Was very upset though because some of the calls called on Ahmed Hill.
I almost gave up after that offensive foul on Seth near the end. I thought the refs were going to give them the game.
That was a foul on Allen, and it was a dumb one.
It was definitely a foul. But that kid did a pretty good job of selling that contact.
But his sell was so delayed from the time of contact. Looked like a soccer player diving!
A picture is worth a thousand words. Well done notagadget. This amount of contact could be called on nearly every single possession in every NCAA game. I absolutely see a future in professional soccer for Robinson. Bad call, it happens.
That said, what I find distasteful are the comments that suggest that referee crews are intentionally biased for or against one team or another. Those comments are just bad form. And it's curious that these comments seem so much more prevalent in basketball discussions than in football.
It's because a lot of fouls in basketball are more subjective than in football. Increased subjectivity opens the door for accusations of bias by the losing team. The discussion on this call is a great example. This was a foul. If you extend your arm like that, it's going to get called reliably. If Seth had led with his shoulder, probably no call. But the conversation is centered on the defender "selling" the foul.
I agree, it's bad form, and I would hope that as a community of thoughtful, intelligent sports fans, this community would be above it. But it's probably one of the universal truth about sports.
It's only bad form when not true
I'd agree that it's unfair/distasteful to claim intentional bias in games like this. But no denying there was some sort of bias last night. I'd argue it's easier to notice in basketball because the action is happening in front of you at 100mph. That's a tough job for a ref. And some of the crucial calls they will make are due to subconscious bias that stems from coaches and players creating relationships with the refs on the court, always in their ear schmoozing up to/cracking jokes with them during breaks, free throws, any chance they can get. Magic, Jordan, Coach K, Kobe, Lebron, Steve Kerr, Curry, you name it. They're smart. Because when it comes down to that split second in a tight spot when the ref is compelled to make a call, who do you think he or she's going to favor?
At least to me, that's why it felt like Michigan absolutely got the calls at pivotal points since Beilein has been around the block a few times and developed relationships maybe with one or two of those refs. It's the nature of the beast with the game. Just glad we got out of their with a win.
I believe it was Real Sports on HBO that put out a segment about bias with refs. They basically concluded that the bias is mostly subconscious and home field/court advantage plays a huge role in that. You don't want to upset 40,000 or 60,000 people.
I didn't mean to say the refs were intentionally giving the game to Michigan. I don't think they are horrible people with agendas. But I think they are humans and make mistakes.
Yeah exactly. Bias will always exists, no way really around it with all the external influences. You just hope a ref doesn't ever blatantly blow a game.
But I never meant my comment to be directed at you, just a general statement. I agree with you. A few too many bad calls in our game.
You can't extend the arm though. They allow pushing off a tiny bit but, once that arm is extended and it creates space it's an easy call.
yeah, Allen's was a definite push off, but the defender threw his head and shoulders back as if he had just been smacked in the face. It's concerning that our senior lead guard is still making silly mistakes in crunch time, but I guess it's just something we'll have to live with.
It was a weak call.
But, it was the right call tho...
that doesn't get called 80% of the time.
60% of the time, it works every time.
No doubt, of all the offensive fouls called on Hill, I only agreed with one of them.
the first offensive foul was esssentially just hill out-muscling the defender on the way to the hoop
Huge win!! Fun second half. A true road win out of conference could be really important later on.
FAM!
Great win for our Hardwood Hokies! (giggity)
They've definitely earned their rest this coming week before UM-Eastern Shore comes to Blacksburg.
I had an intramural basketball game at 9. When I left the dorm we were within 4. Before the game I checked and we were down 10. I thought to myself, "It's just one of those night." I checked my phone again at halftime and am greeted to a text from my dad talking about how big of a win that was. Can't wait to watch the replay of the second half!
Got home from work. Just watched it. They didn't quit. 90% from the ft line. Way to make em count. They can mix it up. Run a fast pace or slow it down to a 1/2 court offense. New Year's Eve, 1-0 in the ACC.
One of the things that pains me the most watching/listening to these games is playing 30 seconds of defense only to have a 3 drop at the buzzer. I'm not saying it happens to us more than the other way around, maybe it does, but over the last few years and during the SG era we've been in a lot of close games and some tough losses, with some okay to great teams. That magical 3 when you think you've got em stymied just seems to upset me more than anything else I see on the floor.
Maybe it's a perceived "Hokies can't stop a running QB" effect on my part, but seems like there's a flurry of these every time we're trying to make it a game.
I think we had 5 or 6 crazy 3 pointers drop against us at the halftime buzzer last season.
The other type of 3 that bugs me is the one that occurs after we fail to secure a rebound after 30 seconds of stellar defense. Typically, the guys are in position for the board, but it is such a long rebound that we can't secure the ball. This definitely happened last night and had me thinking that it just wasn't our night. Thank goodness these guys just don't quit.
Giving up those rebounds after forcing up a rushed shot at the end of the shot clock is demoralizing. I feel like we have given up a lot more offensive boards this year
That's just gonna be how it is this year. We are tiny compared to most teams and the only thing that actually helps in rebounding is height and length. No matter how much "Want It" your team has, if you are short, you aren't gonna rebound well. We just have to learn how to win with that built in disadvantage, and so far, it's looking pretty good.
There's always a give and take. If you add more height, you risk having a slower team and that tall guy likely isn't a good outside shooter. The Hokies don't need to be a great rebounding team... they just can't let it kill them. What's really interesting to me is that Buzz seems to be building them into a modern NBA team. You almost never see traditional power forwards in the NBA anymore. Everyone who plays the 4 can shoot, or if they can't, then the 5 is able to spread the floor to make up for the lack of spacing. Almost every significant player for VT can shoot from deep, and the ones that can't are excellent rebounders. That's how the Warriors are built. That's how the Spurs are built. That's how the Cleveland Cavs are built. Actually the Cavs' starting center is the same height as Khadim Sy.
If you take care of the basketball reliably, you can use turnover margin as a way to offset offensive rebounds for the other team.
While this may be true in general, our team gets out rebounded quite often because we arent even able to position ourselves correctly. Too often we fail to get inside position and even when we do, we fail to time our jump correctly to prevent an opponent from just reaching over the top to take the ball away. Texas A&M's freshman forward did this to Chris Clarke like four times in the second half of that game. You dont have to have height to get rebounds, but body control and positioning are critical.
Watching tape of opponents shooting to understand how they normally miss shots was something Dennis Rodman was known for. He is 6'7 and in the top 25 rebounders of all time in the NBA. Charles Barkley 6'6 was another that put this skill to great use during his career. Paul Silas 6'7 is a third "shorty" that comes to mind. Even Jason Kidd 6'4, had over 8700 rebounds in the NBA. Almost everyone of these guys practiced and practiced putting themselves in the right spot to most reliably get a miss.
Very true. 6'7" Kenneth Faried another example (he's listed at 6'8", but if he's actually that tall, I'll eat my hat).
Danny Coale's spirit animal made that shot!
I'll bet that in a similar situation Devin Wilson is guarding the opponents best player down the stretch. Not sure who that takes PT from but you just know he'd have been on Irvin last night.
I think it will be really fun once he gets back. Like the announcers were saying, we needed some more energy in the 1st half. Wilson is definitely energy, but also, an additional player would have helped tired legs after 4 games in a week.
They did it! Fucking FINALLY! Been waiting on this for the longest time. DAMN it feels good to be a Hokie.
I'm happy about the win but also very confused. ...What did they do that they haven't at some point before?
No, it's more of the feeling that the team is taking better care of business in the non conference games earlier in the season. Something I (and others) didn't feel like they were as effective at before (particularly with SG) and it feels like a huge marquee victory (IMOP) for the Hokies in the ACC-B1G match-up. Hope that clarifies it.
Win a road game against a quality opponent (although we did beat Miami last year).
Great win but Seth Allen drives me crazy. Two big shots at the end of the game but he plays out of control too much!
Baby Russell Westbrook
My favorite NBA comparison for Seth Allen is Monta Ellis. Similar size, similar playing style, similar strengths/weaknesses.
holy crap, pat! Welcome to TKP brother.
My thought process: goodraisin? what the heck kind of screen name is that? I think I knew someone back in college who used that as his IM name or something...clicks on profile. Heyhokie? Wasn't that pat's old sports blog? ...clicks on twitter. boom useless trivia memory for the win. /creepy internet experience.
You and lee and...matt (maybe?) led a YL LT study I was in my freshman year. Ironically, I'm actually grabbing dinner with Scott from that study tonight. Small hokie world...
And there you go again, freaking people out by somehow magically figuring out what their TKP identity is. I don't think you have enough to do at work... ;)
everybody's got hobbies.
Actually I'm currently salvaging a train wreck of a $5million dollar project like a boss. Otherwise HR/IT would actually come down on my for my TKP usage...
True. You do you Charlie. I'll just keep being the sixth Fuller.
EDIT: That should have been my TKP name....didn't think of it til it was too late...
Don't talk to me about username regret....
Don't get all butthurt now.
Perhaps a butt rub would make you feel better?
Not that there's anything wrong with that making you feel better.
I was going to use that old "New phone, who dis?" line, but then saw Charlie later down and of course I remember. Good to "see" you again buddy. Once upon a time when this site was first started up, I was being considered as one of the writers (possibly because of my HeyHokie blog), but I stalled too long on giving an email reply and the rest is history. In retrospect, probably worked out for the best since I couldn't keep up with writing regularly for my own blog. At any rate, I like the content here and decided to finally make this my first stop for Hokie sports info.
This was the kind of game that tournament teams win.
I think recently, and dating back the SG era, we were mediocre or worse early and tired to make up for it later. This is a really good win.
Great win by a scrappy, hardworking team. This will definitely pay off come March.
I tweeted something similar last night: but Michigan fans were surprisingly 'soft' it seemed last night. Guess they had trouble getting pumped for Buzzketball in Ann Arbor (who is a whore).
They were soft! Half the time just standing around no cheering or anything.
Just odd looking lol
They were afraid of bringing on bad karma by rooting against us. Because what they really really want is for us to beat Clemson on Saturday. I would call that smart fandom!!
Man, what kind of mess would we create if we beat Klemptsen, Navy wins on Saturday, and Washington loses. The Bowl system would be royally screwed.
That Veronica Vaughn though....
They are trying to mask their shame. They all, ALL, know Danny Coale caught that ball.
One thing I noticed as I was watching last night, and so far I've watched every game except the a&m game, with all of the hype it seems we've been hearing about Outlaw, you don't seem to hear his name much during the games
I'm going to need you to not miss watching anymore games, kthanks
Will do my best
He is a weapon from deep, only attempted 20 shots this season and 15 of those (75%) are from three. Seems like he doesn't have much confidence to create his own shot to start the season. Thus, he is getting limited minutes.
This team is loaded with three point shooters, so he is likely not getting as many minutes as some of Buzz's more dynamic scorers.
EDIT: Further stats analysis - He has not hit a single 2 pointer this season, going 7-15 from 3 point land + 5 free throws for 26 points through 7 games. I know he was a prolific scorer in the JC ranks, so he may just need to find confidence in his inside game.
The guy took an entire year off - not just from basketball, but from physical activity. Give him time.
8 games into the season and we already have 2 resume building wins for March. Not bad at all, and this win at Michigan could end up being huge towards the end when they're likely ranked.
Every time I turned on the game to watch Michigan would go on a run. After that absurd banked in 3 I turned it off and just waited for the final score. You're welcome everyone, I gave us the win.
The ball movement in the second half was an absolute joy to watch. There was a specific play toward the end of the game where we drove to the hoop, kicked it out to the corner three and passed twice around the arch to nail a three at the top of the key. Lot of fun to watch. Really looking forward to ACC play this season.
I believe that specific play was when we took the lead... and yes, it was a thing of beauty
Everytime I hear corner 3....
https://youtu.be/3mro6PZpiQY
This was such a fun win. I kept saying from the beginning...stay within 10ish point and we are ok. We grit and grind til the end.
Amazing how we fought back last night. Watching the replay, got the sense this surprised
UM. Like the spirit of our team.
Not gonna lie. I had given up on the game half way through the second. Glad I was proven wrong. Go Hokies!
You're not alone. Was ready to turn the game off, but I'm glad I fought the urge. The culture that Buzz is building in Blacksburg continues to shine. Impressive win.
First off, great job in giving Beilein his 400th Career Loss. Excellent Milestone.
If the Hokies did anything in the second half that turned the table it was force Michigan to pursue perimeter shots and then they defended those shots much better than the first half. If you watched the first half, you wouldnt have thought there was any way at the end of the game the Hokies would have made 6 threes and Michigan would only have made 10.
Michigan first half three point = 5/10
Michigan second half three point = 5/17
While the second half numbers are not terrible on any given day, it shows how many more opportunities the Hokies had to take away possessions from Michigan in the second half without the Wolverines scoring.
Overall though, another scary stat from this game that Buzz will likely focus in on next practice. Michigan put up 13 more shots than the Hokies in this game (46 compared to 59) Turnovers and offensive fouls were at the heart of this considering the Wolverines only had 8 offensive rebounds compared to 6 for the Hokies. Now Beilein will also use this stat to teach his guys about wasted possessions as well considering they lost the game.
Free throw line made the major difference though, Hokies getting to the line 21 times, hitting 19 of them compared to four of seven for Michigan. Pretty crazy that the Wolverines only made it to the line seven times considering the Hokies were whistled for 17 fouls. Hard to swallow how many offensive fouls the Hokies were whistled for, but they deserved most of them.
Not a program changing win by any means, but definitely one that will help them if they arent as successful this season in ACC play as they were last year. Looking at the remaining OOC shedule, the Hokies should be favored in every one of their contests, even the Ole Miss game on the 11th. The potential is there for the Hokies to be 11-1 going into conference play.
Buzz's bunch kept at it. Even after going back down double-digits with 4 minutes left, there was no panic. Leday is such a typical VT guy: not the biggest, not the flashiest, but gritty as hell. I'm not sure I've seen a more elusive guard attack the rim like Seth Allen does, he is so silky smooth a deceptive with his hesitations and crossovers and can finish around the rim with either hand, what a headache to try to contain.
I was a huge fan of Blackshear, I wonder what the ceiling for this team would be if he wasn't hurt.
Along those lines, last night I did spend some time pondering the roster for next season.
Thoughts of a starting five of:
Kerry Blackshear
Khadim Sy
Chris Clarke/Seth Leday/Ty Outlaw
Ahmed Hill/Justin Bibbs
Justin Robinson/Tyrie Jackson
That doesnt even account for where Alexander-Walker and Bede fit in along with whomever else Buzz might sign with the third available scholarship. Likely we wouldnt see Sy and Blackshear together as often with how Buzz likes his smaller faster roster but at least knowing it is possible is exciting.
That was my thought as well... I don't think we'd see Sy and Blackshear together much unless Blackshear can really start to hit the three point shot with consistency... even then, Buzz might still favor Clarke at the 4 because he rebounds so well and gives you that interesting dynamic of having a point forward when he's in the game.
Clarke really needs to work on high pointing the ball though as part of his rebounding game. Too often he seems to be caught flat footed underneath which gives opponents bigs the opportunity to work him for a jump ball or outright possession. He will be a critical factor next year in terms of rebounding, especially with Zach graduating.