Hokies Exorcise ACC Demons in Winston-Salem

Virginia Tech drops Wake Forest on the road 83-75.

[Henry Skutt]

Last season, the Hokies lost to Wake Forest in the final game of the regular season. This year, the storyline was different. Virginia Tech went into Winston-Salem and picked up a crucial road ACC win, 83-75, on Wednesday night.

Buzzketball put together a complete performance, leading from wire-to-wire. Tech was paced by Ahmed Hill with 21 points. Kerry Blackshear Jr. and Chris Clarke co-led the team with six rebounds.

The Hokies jumped out to an early 11-1 lead, courtesy of Justin Bibbs and Hill. The two Tech sharpshooters played extremely well in the first half as they both contributed 13 points.

"I've got great guys who will find me in the corner," said Hill. "They found me tonight and I shot the ball well."
"You're welcome," Bibbs shouted from the back of the room.

Clarke also got into double-figures in the first 20 minutes, knocking down five shots. His 12-point output in the first frame included a three-pointer and an "and-one", showing the skillset the Tech forward possess.

In the second half, the Demon-Deacons put up much more of a fight. Wake started out on a 9-0 run, trimming the lead to just 45-39. Tech immediately responded with three-pointers from Bibbs, Blackshear Jr., and Hill to open it right back up to a 15 point advantage.

"I thought we handled their runs with the highest level of maturity that we have this season," Buzz Williams remarked after the game.

Tech was able to open up a lead as large as 17 in the second frame. In response, Wake pushed the Hokies and trimmed the lead to four with two minutes left. However, Tech calmly converted several clutch layups and free throws to close out the game victorious.

"Last year it was Seth [Allen]," Justin Robinson noted after the game. "This year I'm trying to take a little bit of the responsibility."

The Hokies were able to get past a serious rebounding disparity. Wake finished the game with 10 more offensive rebounds than Tech. Not surprisingly, that was the final difference between the two teams on the boards.

It's not an uncommon theme this season, but the large rebound gap is something Tech has struggled to overcome. Tonight, the Hokies' hot shooting was able to balance it out. Tech finished 12 for 29 (43%) from three and 29 for 57 (51%) total from the field.

"If I was a fan of good basketball, at times I think we play good offensively," added Williams. "We don't play good defensively."

It was a closer than desired contest but by the end of the night, Buzzketball had picked up an ACC road win and will return to Blacksburg at .500 in-conference.

"I think the next step for us is, 'How do we handle this?'," reflected Williams after the game. "I think the guys handled the smacking Virginia gave us with great character."

Virginia Tech travels to Louisville on Saturday. Tip-off is at 4:00 PM.

My thoughts from press row:

First Half: Virginia Tech 45–Wake Forest 30

19:23 ‒ Justin Bibbs misses his first three-pointer of the evening. He's been ice-cold these past few games.

18:09 ‒ Blackshear Jr. picks up two fouls in a two-second span. But then he doesn't. The refs move the foul to Devin Wilson's stat-sheet. Huge break for the Hokies.

15:38 ‒ First media timeout. Tech has looked much better. As a team, they're getting out and running outlets at the pace they want. At an individual level, Bibbs and Hill both have a three-pointer, a welcome sight to fans.

12:30 ‒ Tech Hill is on a roll right now. The sharpshooter has three buckets from deep, matching his total from the preview three ACC games. Tech is up 21-8 and the home crowd is restless. Buzzketball as a team is 4 for 7 (57%) from deep; a much improved percentage from Tech's previous ACC games.

9:43 ‒ The Hokies have a serious height disadvantage in this game. That's not anything surprising, but the Deacons are capitalizing on the opportunity. Wake has six offensive rebounds. Their big man Doral Moore (7'1") is making easy work of Ahmed Hill in the post.

5:28 ‒ Demon-Deacon guard Keyshawn Woods hits a three to close the gap to five. For the first time all night, this arena is loud.

0.0 ‒ Nickeil Alexander-Walker ends the half on a 5 point spurt, hitting a deep three with 20 seconds left and then a layup at the buzzer. Hokies are up 15 at the break.

Halftime Thoughts:

The Hokies are shooting the lights out — 17 for 27 (63%) from the field and 7 for 14 (50% but you knew that I hope) from three. This is the type of shooting performance that will spur a tournament appearance for Tech.

This entire season, the narrative has been that when Tech shoots well, the Hokies can compete with anybody. When they're not shooting well, they'll lose by 26 (hello, Virginia). This matchup is a showcase of the former. Buzzketball is flat-out shooting Wake Forest out of the gym.

Ahmed Hill found his groove in the first frame. His hot shooting from deep ‒ knocking down three of the Hokies' 7 so far ‒ has made this crowd groan audibly every time he's open.

Tech will need to key in on Doral Moore in the second half. His size is something the Hokies can't counter. He's been able to get open whenever he wants on the post, shooting 4 for 6 in the first.

Second Half: Virginia Tech83–Wake Forest 75

18:25 ‒ Wake opened this half much more aggressively. The 15-point lead is down to 10. Blackshear Jr. has picked up his third foul and will now spend some serious time riding the pine.

16:52 ‒ Tech grabs their first offensive rebound of the night. Wake has eight.

14:59 ‒ Blackshear Jr. finally gets some points; as he knocks down a three-pointer. The Hokies lone post player is turning into yet another legitimate threat from beyond the arc. Scary.

11:42 ‒ Hokies go up by 17 on a Hill layup. It's the largest lead in an ACC game this season for Buzzketball.

6:13 ‒ What a sequence. The lead has see-sawed between six and nine (nice) as the two teams have been trading three-pointers.

5:06 ‒ All of a sudden, it's a four-point game. Now is the time for the Hokies to prove what they're capable of. Can they recover in a hostile environment on the road? Or will they succumb to the pressure?

1:07 ‒ Robinson with a seriously fancy layup on the baseline, but Wake responds with a layup of their own. Tech is clinging on to a seven point lead (75-68).

0.0 ‒ Tech ices the game from the free throw line. The Hokies finish the contest shooting a stellar 13 for 16 (81.3%) from the charity stripe.

Comments

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"Take care of the little things and the big things will come."

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Five star get after it 100 percent Juice Key-Playing. MAN

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Five star get after it 100 percent Juice Key-Playing. MAN

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Five star get after it 100 percent Juice Key-Playing. MAN

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"GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM LITTLE BROTHER, THE CUP IS COMIN’ ON HOME!”

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Five star get after it 100 percent Juice Key-Playing. MAN

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A decade on TKP and it's been time well spent.

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Plan for the worst and hope for the best, not the other way around.

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"We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior" Stephen M.R. Covey

“When life knocks you down plan to land on your back, because if you can look up, you can get up, if you fall flat on your face it can kill your spirit” David Wilson

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Marshall University graduate.
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Formerly known as JWillHokieAlum.

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Maroon helmet with orange gobbler logo is the best helmet.....change my mind.

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Tweedy can run like a dadgum antelope or whatever. I like to use scalded dog. Do antelopes lumber? Cheetah, OK. He runs like a cheetah. He's fast. - Bud Foster

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“You got one guy going boom, one guy going whack, and one guy not getting in the endzone.”
― John Madden (describing VT's offense?)

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Plan for the worst and hope for the best, not the other way around.

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"Why gobble gobble chumps asks such good questions, I will never know." - TheFifthFuller

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Tweedy can run like a dadgum antelope or whatever. I like to use scalded dog. Do antelopes lumber? Cheetah, OK. He runs like a cheetah. He's fast. - Bud Foster

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Tweedy can run like a dadgum antelope or whatever. I like to use scalded dog. Do antelopes lumber? Cheetah, OK. He runs like a cheetah. He's fast. - Bud Foster

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Pain is Temporary, Chicks Dig Scars
Glory is Forever, Let's Go Hokies!!

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Five star get after it 100 percent Juice Key-Playing. MAN

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Outside it's night time, but inside it's LeDay

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Maroon helmet with orange gobbler logo is the best helmet.....change my mind.

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Marshall University graduate.
Virginia Tech fanatic.
Formerly known as JWillHokieAlum.

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Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

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Pain is Temporary, Chicks Dig Scars
Glory is Forever, Let's Go Hokies!!

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Tweedy can run like a dadgum antelope or whatever. I like to use scalded dog. Do antelopes lumber? Cheetah, OK. He runs like a cheetah. He's fast. - Bud Foster

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Maroon helmet with orange gobbler logo is the best helmet.....change my mind.

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"What are you going to do, stab me? - Quote from Man Stabbed

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I just sit on my couch and b*tch. - HokieChemE2016

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Pain is Temporary, Chicks Dig Scars
Glory is Forever, Let's Go Hokies!!

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Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

Please join The Key Players Club to read or post comments.

Maroon helmet with orange gobbler logo is the best helmet.....change my mind.

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Maroon helmet with orange gobbler logo is the best helmet.....change my mind.

Please join The Key Players Club to read or post comments.

Pain is Temporary, Chicks Dig Scars
Glory is Forever, Let's Go Hokies!!