Buzzketball Returns Home and Takes Care of Business, Defeating Maryland-Eastern Shore 75-59

The Hokies returned home to Cassell Coliseum Wednesday night for the first time in nearly a month, knocking off Maryland-Eastern Shore 75-59 to improve to 7-1 on the year. One look at the final score and it appears that the Hokies cruised to an easy victory over a Hawks. But it wasn't all unicorns and rainbows Wednesday night.

Against a team that won their first game of the season two days earlier over Central Penn, the Hokies looked acutely aware of the perceived competition gap between the two squads. The game was knotted up at 9-9 ten minutes into the first half before the Hokies distanced themselves from the Hawks.

The Hokies led by as many as 27 points three minutes into the second half, but UMES chipped away at the deficit behind a barrage of triples from guard Ryan Andino. Andino, who finished with 23 points, tied the Cassell Coliseum record for made three-pointers by an opponent with seven.

The Hawks cut the Tech lead to single digits with just under eight minutes to play, before the Hokies pulled away down the stretch.

Only eight Hokies saw the floor against a team that they should have steamrolled. They came out of the gates slow and sloppy, reflecting a team that hadn't seen game action in a week. It wasn't altogether surprising. After a resurgent comeback win in Ann Arbor last Wednesday, an 8:30 tipoff against a one-win team doesn't exactly get the juices flowing.

Early in the first half, the Hokies settled for a lot of perimeter shots — specifically Ahmed Hill and Justin Robinson — and weren't playing with a ton of physicality on the defensive end. The dynamic offense that cuts and drives on the brink of recklessness appeared only in flashes, but felt more like a response and less like a standard.

As has been the case in the past, senior leader Zach Leday entered the game and immediately reset the tone. He had two strong finishes in transition, including an emphatic breakaway dunk, providing a much-needed spark to an otherwise languid team.

Buzz Williams also recognized the lack of sharpness and attempted to boost his squad by implementing some full-court pressure after the Under 12 timeout to try and generate turnovers. Suddenly, the Hokies were rolling. UMES struggled to set up their halfcourt offense as the Tech press led to turnovers that the Hokies turned into easy transition buckets.

"I think it's just part of how our team is trying to morph and trying to evolve," Williams noted regarding the man press defense. "I would say the timing of introducing it was probably right. Not like we were trying to be secretive but we work on it in practice."

Over the final ten minutes of the first half, Tech fans were treated to a better representation of team they've loved watching this season. Zach LeDay began out-willing opponents on the block, snatching offensive boards on consecutive possessions that led to a put-back layup and then two made free throws. Guards began breaking down the Hawks defense by penetrating the lane and kicking out to wide open teammates on the wing. And freshman Khadim Sy displayed some slick passing, throwing a fantastic skip pass to Seth Allen from the opposite block that Seth happily drained for three.

Despite the dull start, the Hokies closed the first half strong and went into the locker room up 38-16. But three minutes into the second half, the listlessness that plagued the first half returned and allowed UMES to get back into the game.

The Hokies' perimeter defense went to hell-in-a-handbasket, allowing UMES to hit a bunch of wide open perimeter shots. Tech appeared to struggle with poor communication and bad rotations coming out of their press. In the end, the Hokies were fortunate that UMES — outside of Ryan Andino — wasn't particularly confident. Against a team like Duke, things would have gotten even uglier.

Offensively, Tech looked all too complacent shooting threes over the top of the UMES zone. The problem was, the triples were rarely falling. It reflected the larger issue of a lackadaisical, almost too relaxed team that looked to be playing a pickup game instead of Division I basketball.

Mired in another rut against a hard charging Hawks team, Zach LeDay stepped up to provide a much needed boost. He hit on back-to-back And-1's coming out of the Under 8 media timeout and the Hokies never looked back.

"I think, so far, maybe a little bit even bleeding into the end of last year, when things are haywire they're going to throw the ball to Zach," said Williams. "And Zach wants them to throw the ball to him. He's going to score, he's going to get fouled but he also does a good job of finding the next guy."

Buzz made a big adjustment coming out of that same timeout. After settling for open jumpers against the Hawks' zone defense, the Hokies found a lot of success attacking the zone using a high-low set.

Chris Clarke would flash to the high post — typically the play-side elbow. When the high post man received a pass, he would turn to face the rim and could either shoot, pass to the block or the perimeter. This approach led to higher percentage chances than previous attempts at shooting overtop of the zone, which the Hokies had been doing prior to the adjustment. LeDay's second And-1 came off of this approach, as did a wide open triple from Ahmed Hill on the following possession.

The Hokies would go on to cruise to their seventh victory of the season. LeDay led the Hokies with 23 points and six boards. He has now scored in double figures in seven of eight games this season and has topped 20 points three times on the year. Seth Allen provided 11 points and 8 assists off the bench. Robinson added 12 points and Bibbs chipped in 10.

The Hokies return to the hardwood Sunday afternoon at home against Ole Miss.

Quick Impressions

What Can We Learn From This Game? Honestly, there's not a whole lot to take away from a game like that against a team like Maryland-Eastern Shore. The Hokies should have dominated this game (they didn't), but is that indicative of what we might see against, say, Duke or North Carolina? Probably not.

We saw what the Hokies can do against a top flight team in a hostile environment. We should have no doubt that they will get up for the big games. My only fear is that they play similarly against a team more capable of an upset, like Charleston Southern. The lack of focus is a bit troubling, but it's hard to get up for a game in front of 3,000 fans against a team that won their first game two days earlier.

Defensive Struggles Defensively, the Hokies were a disaster Wednesday night. They were lethargic for periods and, as mentioned above, really struggled with their rotations and communication. Justin Bibbs looked completely lost chasing Ryan Andino around when matched up on him, continuing to run under screens and putting himself in a poor position to defend the impending perimeter jumper.

Buzz wasn't too pleased with the defensive performance, either. "I thought defensively, as a team, we were as bad as we've been in the second half," he noted post-game. "When we can get consecutive stops defensively, we're better because we're fast physically and fast when the ball is moving downhill. My concern is not offense. I think our staff has done a good job of recruiting guys that can pass, dribble and shoot. We've just got to figure out how to improve defensively."

Implementing full court pressure against a less talented opponent like UMES can quickly jump start an otherwise sluggish offense. But the Hokies cannot rely on quick turnovers and easy transition buckets as the season rolls along and the competition increases. In addition to their halfcourt defense, they will need to work on settling into their defensive sets off of the press and improve their rotations; otherwise, more talented teams are going to pick them apart.