Buzzketball Beats Clemson At the Buzzer 71-70

There are two different reactions in the moments between when a player releases a last second shot, and when it reaches the basket.

Many people contort their body, and lean in a way that looks like a last ditch attempt to telekinetically will the jumper through the net. Or, they stand confidently. Coldly staring at the ball, daring it not to go in.

The second type of reaction is one of a stone cold killer. Someone so sure of himself, there's no doubt in his mind that he's about to hit a game winner.

As time ticked down on Tuesday night, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team trailed Clemson by two. With seven seconds remaining, the Hokies had a sideline out-of-bounds play for one last stab to keep themselves alive.

And there was no doubt who would hold the dagger.

Yes, that's Seth Allen. Aka Buzzketball's lone assassin. Aka the man with testicles the size of Lane Stadium. Aka the man who did this:

And then just two days later did this:

Three game winners in the last 10 days. It's second nature for him now.

As far as standouts go, Allen was far from the headliner. He struggled with foul trouble and sat for most of the first half, as an onslaught of three pointers kept the Hokies afloat. Fellow senior Zach LeDay lead the way with an efficient 19 points and eight rebounds. Fellow point guard Justin Robinson drove the offense in one of his best performances of the season.

But as has been the case for much of the last two months, it all came back to Allen. Because despite LeDay's post presence and a hot night from behind the arc (12-22, 55% as a team), the Hokies could never pull away. And when guard Marcquise Reed gave the Tigers a two point lead with 0:22 to play, Tech's offensive explosion seemed moot.

But Allen answered.

And with his clutch response, this haunted program is on the verge of their first NCAA Tournament berth for the first time in a decade (more on that in just a second). They head to Boston College on Saturday, before finishing the regular season with back-to-back games in Blacksburg.

"That was our 15th game in the ACC and nine have been decided by six points or less. That was Clemson's 11th loss, eight have been decided by five points or less," head coach Buzz Williams said after the game.

"The line, obviously, is very thin, but maybe almost invisible for the most part. The value of every possession is so monumental and, with the complexion of our roster the way it is, whatever the adjective is in the thesaurus above monumental, that's what it is for us. Incredibly grateful and thankful because it could easily be the other way."

The margin may be tight, but right now it seems like the team is flying high. And with the last second shots falling like they have, who can blame them?

One not-so-quick thought

Over the last decade, Virginia Tech fans have learned two things. Their football team will probably demolish Virginia, and their basketball team probably won't make the NCAA Tournament.

The Hokies last went dancing in 2007. A senior heavy squad finished third in the ACC, with wins over top ranked North Carolina at home, and #5 Duke on the road. They secured a five seed, and lost in the second round. Here's a brief rundown of each year since:

2007-08: Too little, too late. After starting 14-11, the Hokies won five of their last seven in a frantic hurdle towards the postseason. A win over first place UNC in the ACC Tournament semi-finals would have probably given them enough to make the field, but Tyler Hansbrough and Tyler Hansbrough's stupid face made sure that didn't happen.

2008-09: This snakebitten group lost four non-conference games by four points or less. Despite this, they still made it to Valentine's Day 16-7 (sound familiar?). Tech then promptly lost six of their last seven to end the year at 17-13, and were knocked out of the ACC Tournament by Hansbrough for the second time in a row. With two good wins and a boatload of recent losses, the Fighting Greenbergs were left to the NIT.

2009-10: Everyone remembers the pain from the next year, but '09-10 may have been even worse. The Hokies beat a ranked Wake Forest team on February 16th to improve to 21-4. They lost three straight after that, and then lost to last place Miami in the first round of the conference tournament.

But still, no team had even been left out of the tournament with 10 ACC wins. Especially with victories over other bubble teams like Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest, they'd be fine, right?

Nope.

2010-11: Ah yes, the classic snub everyone remembers. After beating Maryland on February 15th, the Hokies were 17-7 and in search of one last signature win to all but guarantee a spot in the tournament. 11 days later, they got it:

Alas, Tech dropped their last two after beating the Blue Devils, placing them firmly on the bubble. But the group rallied back. As the six seed in the ACC Tournament, the Hokies won two games to get to the semi-finals.

A signature win, tied for fourth in the conference, and a mini-run in the tournament? It had to be the year.

Nah. It was the beginning of the end for Greenberg, as he started to spout conspiracies like a message board poster.

Greenberg was so shocked, so angered by the latest NCAA snub that he launched into a rant that included a bit of a conspiracy theory Sunday night at the team's practice facility.
"You almost wonder if someone in that room has their own agenda and that agenda doesn't include Virginia Tech," he said, referring to the NCAA tournament selection committee. "I totally wonder it. What I'd like to know is if there's ever been a team that's won nine games in the ACC and played the nonconference schedule that we played and beat a No. 1 seed and still didn't get in. I'd love to see the research on that."

2011-16: (Takes deep breath) Greenberg got fired. Montrezl Harrell decommitted. James Johnson got hired. Dorian Finney-Smith transferred. Robert Brown transferred. Losing happened. Recruiting plummeted. James Johnson got fired. Buzz Williams took over a dumpster fire whose best player was a 5'9" gunner. The team got better.

Disguised in a veil of pain and agony, however, is a lesson for this iteration of Hokie basketball. Buzz's bunch came into mid-February 16-7, with things trending downwards. Prior to the game against UVA at home, Tech had lost three of four and found themselves squarely on the bubble for the first time all year.

Look back at all of those Greenberg snubs. Three different times those squads rolled into mid-February at about the same point as this one. And the reason all three were left out? They couldn't finish down the stretch.

No one on the selection committee will say that recent performance is a criteria when considering at-large bids. But it's human nature to lean towards the schools who leave the best impression most recently. As a committee member, it's probably tough to talk yourself into a bubble team who lost seven of their last nine (Tech in '09), four of their last six (Tech in '10), or followed up their best win by getting blown out at home (Tech in '11).

There's still room for chance, but Buzzketball has done the exact opposite. They've saved some of their best basketball for the end of the year. And should this trend continue, they'll avoid those Selection Sunday anxieties we all know so well.