"It may be time to stop doubting @TeamCoachBuzz & this year's #Hokies.." 👏📰 » https://t.co/bvmVyJ4VAF pic.twitter.com/xKvPsQFAxe— VT Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) March 1, 2018
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: March 3, 2018 / Noon
Opponent: Miami
Site: Coral Gables, Florida (Watsco Center)
Radio: Virginia Tech IMG Sports Network
Talent: Jon Laaser & Mike Burnop
TV: ESPN2
Talent: Mike Corey & Tim Welsh
Live Stats: HokieSports.com
Game Notes: Virginia Tech
SIRI 81 (Internet 81)
Heading to Miami to take care of business tomorrow 👊#BeatMiami. Noon. ESPN2.📰 » https://t.co/6leH2irDaS pic.twitter.com/tJsINN2wMO— VT Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) March 2, 2018
Three to Eight on the line
Buzzketball heads to Coral Gables needing a win to claim a top six finish in the ACC. There are a ton of moving pieces still in the standings but the Hokies go into this game knowing they could land anywhere from 3rd to 8th now that Florida State lost again to fall to 8-9 in conference. The first step is to focus on beating a dangerous Miami team. Miami comes home having just upset UNC on a buzzer beater three. The Hurricanes have the same conference record as the Hokies entering this contest at 10-7.
Concerning is that this is an away game at noon in a town that struggles to pack the house so crowd energy could be light, which hasn't always been best for this Hokies squad. Miami will be still be without one of its top players, Bruce Brown, who is out with an injury. Brown was putting up 11.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 4 APG as the primary playmaker at the top of the key. The area that the Hurricanes miss Brown the most though is the defensive end, where he was averaging 1.4 SPG and almost 1 BPG, while grabbing 5 defensive rebounds each game. This will be the thirty fifth meeting between the Hokies and Hurricanes. Miami leads the all-time series 21-14. The Hurricanes are 13-4 at home this season while the Hokies are 7-5 on the road or at neutral sites.
The Hurricanes are coached by Jim Larranaga, who has been at Miami since 2011. Miami has won at least twenty games in five of his six seasons, and are working towards another this year. Larranaga has taken the Hurricanes to three NCAA tournament berths. He also guided them to an ACC Championship both in the regular season and tournament in 2012-2013.
Defensively, Miami runs three different defensive schemes, primarily playing a high pressure man to man which usually rotates into the Scramble defense which is essentially a man to man defense with some zone trapping techniques utilized and then rounding it out with a curveball they call a 3-2 Disrupting Camouflage Defense which is a high pressure, perimeter zone defense that sags to the middle of the court. The 3-2 Disrupting Camouflage is almost the reverse of the Scramble defense. This defense has players back off their offensive players as if they were going to trap but then they shift into passing lanes rather than close the trap.
Offensively, the Hurricanes switch between a four out, one in and a three out, two in Motion Offense, based on the personnel on the floor. When Miami is in with two bigs, those bigs typically rotate between the top and bottom of the lane to create gaps in the defensive coverage while also opening up opportunities for the guards to drive to the basket. The Hurricanes usually attempt 21 threes per game but this is a game against the Hokies, where everyone seems to add 5-10 attempts. The last game out the Hurricanes attempted 21 from outside but Tech allowed them to hit 10 of those attempts.
What does that mean for the Hokies?
The Hokies are getting an opponent with a very similar offensive approach especially in terms of guard focused scoring. The Hokies need to keep Anthony Lawrence from having another career game, as the last time Tech faced Miami, the Junior went off for 25 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks. He was a one man wrecking crew as Blackshear just had nothing to give last time out and ended up only playing 15 minutes and no other Hokie could stop Lawrence down low. Lawrence even stretches the game offensively to the perimeter where he went three for three from outside.
The Hokies need to apply more pressure at the point with Bruce Brown out of this contest to try to force a few extra turnovers. The Hokies won the turnover margin in the last contest 13-9, so they need to continue that tomorrow.
This game should be a high scoring affair, with the fast paced offense that both these squads run. The Hokies just need to remember what got them to where they are now. Shooting the ball proficiently. The Hokies need to find that rhythm of turning energetic defense into a quick scoring offense today. They should be able to keep the Hurricanes a step behind if they force early turnovers, get out in transition and take confident shots.
Miami once it sets up its defense though is a much harder opponent to face. They rank in the top five in the ACC in almost every defensive category. They are especially good at keeping opponents off the board and out of the paint, allowing the fewest interior shots of any ACC team. Make your shots and stay in the game. Tech needs to be able to keep Miami out of the lane. Playing interior defense is what the Hokies do much better than playing perimeter defense so hopefully they are able to slow the Miami guards down this time.
Hurricanes Backcourt
Lonnie Walker (#4) 6'4, 192 Lbs Freshman Guard is averaging 11.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 1 SPG. He is shooting 36% from behind the arc and 43% overall. Also shoots 77% from the line. Walker is a bigger guard that likes to get into the lane to score. He is forced into the spotlight with Brown out and will need to find a way to add more to his game.
Chris Lykes, (#2), 5'7, 160 lbs Freshman Guard has drastically increased his production taking over the starting point guard role with Brown out. He is averaging 9.5 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 2.2 APG
Ja'Quan Newton, (#0) 6'2, 187 Senior Guard comes in averaging 8.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.8 APG and 1 SPG. He is shooting a miserable 20% from outside and at the free throw line, shooting 62%. He is better known for his quick first step and ability to drive inside. So far on the season he is shooting better than 45% inside the arc. Poor shooting seems the most likely cause for his reduced minutes this season as he still wasn't able to break out of his slump with Brown out. All that said, Newton managed 12 points against the Hokies on 4-7 shooting with six rebounds.
Dejan Vasilkevic, (#1) 6'3, 198 Lbs Sophomore Guard is averaging 8.9 PPG and 2.5 RPG in a backup role across 16 minutes per game. So far this season he is shooting 54% inside, 40% from behind the arc and 88% from the line. Miami is forced to use him for a larger role today with the injury to Brown. His improvement shooting outside should be a concern for the Hokies. Vasilkevic put up 14 against the Hokies, 5-9 from the field while 2-6 from outside.
Hurricanes Frontcourt
Dewan Huell, (#20) 6'11, 220 Lbs Sophomore Forward is one of the most improved players in the ACC over last season. He has essentially doubled his production compared to last year, averaging 11.7 PPG and 6.7 RPG. The Hokies managed to keep Huell fairly quiet, only scoring three points.
Anthony Lawrence Jr., (#3), 6'7, 185 Lbs Junior Forward is averaging 8.9 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.2 SPG. Lawrence is shooting 49% inside and is the Hurricanes biggest threat from outside, hitting 42% from beyond the arc. He is only a 68% free throw shooter. Lawrence had a career day against the Hokies, putting up 25 last time out.
Ebuka Izundu, (#15) 6'10, 231 Lbs Sophomore Center is averaging 5 PPG and 3.7 RPG in about 13 minutes per game. He definitely struggles staying out of foul trouble, averaging 2.3 fouls per contest over those 13 MPG. He does shoot 71% from the floor and 44% from the line so keeping him out of the game considering our size disadvantage could be huge.
What to expect from Miami?
The Hurricanes have greatly improved their foul discipline over last season so its unlikely they will be in foul trouble early. Last time out only Lawrence was in foul trouble a good part of the game. Hopefully Blackshear is more involved in this contest and can force some quick fouls down low by the Miami bigs.
Normally Miami would rely mostly on their guards to do their scoring but the Hurricanes have relied on Huell and Lawrence to lead them in scoring most games this season. Huell and Lawrence usually combine for about 40% of the Hurricanes scoring this year.
The Hokies need to disrupt the offensive rebounding in this contest either by having position to rebound or cleanly blocking the second attempt. They can ill afford to give the Hurricanes second chances. The Hurricanes scored 29 points on second chances or off turnovers in the last game between these teams.
Three point shooting was a major factor as the Hurricanes scored 30 from outside. The Hokies can ill afford to allow the Hurricanes to do that again. Miami has gone 4-3 without Brown and all three wins were decided by 3 points or less, beating Notre Dame by 3, while beating Boston College and UNC by one each. The Hokies need to find a way to sustain a big run to pull away so the Hurricanes cant stage a comeback.
The Hokies
The Hokies need to hit their free throws. They were a paltry 9-17 in the last game against the Hurricanes.
Having Hill, Bibbs and Nickiel Alexander Walker hit their shots opens the floor so much more for Clarke, Robinson, and Blackshear in terms of getting inside or having the space inside to create their shots. This was certainly true for Bibbs and NAW in the last contest, scoring 16 and 15. The problem lay in the fact that Blackshear contributed nothing while Clarke managed a 7point, 7 rebound effort. Robinson lead all scorers with 22 but it shows you if not everyone is contributing, as was the case with Hill and Blackshear, then the Hokies have a hard time staying in the game.
Pound the ball inside to Blackshear. Blackshear also needs to find a way to pull down some rebounds tonight. He has been a double-double machine so far in conference play, so has to continue that today.
Highlight of the Duke Game
Watching this over & over& over& over.. pic.twitter.com/4SUdR2kk9s— VT Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 27, 2018
A Tournament Defining Statement Win. Tip of the hat though goes to Clarke for being in the right place at the right time several times in the last few minutes.
In Closing
If the Hokies can get Blackshear and Hill going while maintaining everyone else contributing than this game should end the Hokies way. This is a team that is very susceptible to the inside out game, so forcing Miami to react to both the perimeter and the lane is critical.
The Miami bigs have a tendency to get in foul trouble so providing Clarke and Robinson the space to drive inside along with Blackshear being able to draw contact down low could force Larranaga out of his game plan. The less of 6'10 and 6'11 that see the floor against the Hokies the better off we are in this contest.
This is not an absolute must win considering the Hokies current record but every win going forward only improves the Hokies seeding come the tournament. The Duke win likely got them in, but beat Miami and win a couple games in the ACC tournament and the Hokies could be looking at a 5 or 6 seed.
Hokies win 81-74 on the road because they come out like a team and everyone does their part. UNC Loses, Clemson Loses, NC State Loses. Hokies get the 3 seed.
Got the JUICE 🔋#Hokies🦃#getBETTER pic.twitter.com/hyBfkh3OZd— Hokies Basketball 🦃 (@Hokie_Hoops) March 2, 2018
Comments
LET'S GO
Hokies!
Hokies
LET'S HIT...
FREE THROWS
We don't need State to lose. I want them to win. If they lose along with those results, UNCheat is the 4 and State is the 8. If they win, we're still the 3 and State is the 4. Carolina misses the double bye.
Thank you.
I thought I figured it out, then I read this preview and got confused again. Also, we can't be the 8 seed, right? Either 3, 4, 5 or 7?
Correct. Lose and we're the 7. Win and we're very likely the 4-seed and no worse than the 5-seed.
ESPN's BPI has Duke as 79.2% chance of beating UNC while giving Syracuse a 49.6% of beating Clemson.
Also of note, at least one more team from the Commonwealth is going dancing:
-Radford (21-12) is playing Liberty (20-13) for the Big South's automatic bid on Sunday at the Dedmon center.
This was brought up in the Duke fam thread, but if there are any Triangle Hokies that aren't going to the Leesville Tap Room, I will be parking myself at Tobacco Road in Raleigh for the game!
This team has gotten my hopes up so much. I'm definitely riding the hype train now!
What are we drinkin Hokies?
What are you an animal? The games at noon. Screw drivers before tip, bourbon after.
Coffee
Sazarac Rye. It was the drink of all our big wins. Every game that I didn't have any, we lost (damn Virginia ABC rationing).
The Duke game convinced me that 1 shot before the game was sufficient. Therefore, in true TKP spirit, I calculate we have either 10 or 11 games left so I will ration accordingly.
I hope the boys come out loose since the pressure to win to get in isn't there
I just hope we have power restored in time for the game because I'd like to watch and our house is getting F'n cold!!!!!!
Same here! Its 56 degrees on my house...no power. I'm going to have to head to a bar.
How are we supposed to react to a potential loss now that we know we're better than an NIT team?
Lament our inevitable loss in Dayton.
Didn't realize how long that entire offensive sequence lasted (we .GIFed the last pass & shots). Feels like an eternity watching from that angle until you focus in on the shot clock and it was less than 25 seconds.
Time for some deftones to pump me up
I guess ESPN laid off quality people who are responsible for getting the game broadcast ready...
Technical difficulties?
C'mon man!
Is there a reason that ESPN is playing SportsCenter instead of the game? It just says "Coming Up"
Damn watchespn is blocked at work. Living through comments and twitter I guess...
Even if it wasn't blocked you wouldn't be able to watch the game.
yeah, reading about the shitstorm that is "technical difficulties"
Technically difficulties at the bottom of the screen.
2-1 Hokies at the 17:50 mark
Bibbs with a 3, followed by two free throws by KBJ... 7-2 Hokies at 16:04
Someone tell me to stop if this is annoying.
fuck ESPN that is all
Well this sucks ass.. We've already missed the first 4 minutes but VT is up 9-2
Wish I could actually be watching this fast start. It's like they're playing in the upside down!
Should we call E$PN and complain? This is bulls.... not an ideal situation
ESPN with the old bait and switch to boost Sportscenter ratings.
Lolespn. Go Hokies!
I know we all have relayed our issues about ESPN, but this is just embarrassing.
So we get the womens ACCT game....
I got up before noon on a Saturday for this??? FUCK ESPN!
It's 10:00am here.
How Buzz gonna expect me to quit cussin' but then ESPN can't even get their shit together?
Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me.. the ACC women's tournament? Seriously?
So instead of VT vs Miami, we get NCState vs Louisville women?
Just as good, amirite?
Anybody know who we should email to "thank"?
I just logged in to WatchESPN to politely leave a message inquiring about the whereabouts of our game.
Nor'easter hit my town good. Been out of power for nearly a day now. Dodging fallen trees on my drive out to the bar, get there in time for tip-off and those FUCKHEADS AT E$PN ARE STILL AIRING SPORTSCENTER.
Now women's basketball is on???
Start Cussin' Buzz, i am livid!
ESPN is a fucking joke
Looks like we're shooting well from 3 early.
"Looks like"?
Are you at the game?
ESPN gamecast.
https://tunein.com/radio/Virginia-Tech-IMG-Sports-Network-s230249/
Theres the radio if anyone wants to listen while we wait for ESPN to turn a switch on.
ESPN Bottom Line:
I wouldn't consider this "bonus" coverage...
That line got me.
The best part is, despite promises about 'updates from miami', espn hasn't said anything about the score 20 minutes after tipoff.
That is the weird part, no score on the scroll line.
FINALLLLLLY
Oh yay! Espn fogured out how tv works!
Finally, the Game is on ESPN2.
Finally!
Alright! Here we go!
ESPN is garbage 🚮
I have it now playing on the espn streaming app
FUCK YOU E$PN. 25 MINUTES OF SC AND WOMENS BASKETBALL
Wow... I'll go ahead and say it. That offensive foul on Clarke was GARBAGE
Chris Clarke jumped, and the entire Miami lineup fell like bowling pins. He somehow fouled the whole team.
Hey, Miami, quit cussin'.
#1 for Miami looks so un-athletic
oh christ, it looks like ted valentine is officiating this game, no way any nonsense goes on...
3 straight missed free throws. gotta love giving up free points
But I don't.
TV Teddy sighting
Why can't Chris Clarke make a free throw?
Note to Hokies: Miami can make open three pointers.
So, can anyone with basketball knowledge answer this question for me:
Why, when a player has possession of the ball and slides across the floor or changes pivot foot 13 times while on the floor, is that not a travel?
Only if it's called.
We just saw why Med hasn't been playing a lot. 4 seconds on the shot clock and he gives up a blow by to a player that definitely isn't known for that and leads to an uncontested 3. Disappointing.
Edit: of course if he's going to bury 3's. That's not a terrible trade off.
Why in the world a guy would leave his man on the 3 point line to play help defense with 2 seconds left in the shot clock to give an easy kick out 3 is beyond me
#1 for Miami looks like all the guys in the church league...
Med is BACKKKK
Med getting his shot back at a very convenient time.
Hill with two 3's - would be great to see him have a big game today!
three
Med picked a good game to show up for on offense.
Ahmed Hill seems to remember he's a great 3 point shooter today! Two quick corner 3's and then gets fouled on an aggressive drive. Been waiting for this Ahmed Hill to show up for the past 2 months
I swear his release is too slow for ACC play. As soon as we get into league play against defenders with length, he struggles to get his shot off. It happens every season.
Are you kidding me Lykes?
Miami is getting in foul trouble
Can't stand how Blackshear doesn't go up strong sometimes & misses some very easy putbacks by making them way harder than they should be
The way he plays he, when he goes up he's looking for a body to hit and try to get fouled.
He's always looking to get fouled. Which is fine sometimes but at times you'd like him to play through the contact and dunk the ball or at least look to finish strong.
Yeah I understand looking for contact and he does pretty well at finishing when he gets hit, but when you have such an easy put back like that it's just not necessary.
That was the easiest offensive board he had all season too.. his game is to draw contact though. No denying that this kid takes some ugly shots of the glass and gets the and 1.
Looked like he made both of his missed putbacks harder than they needed to be by not finishing with his left hand. Drew contact on one, though.
Someone needs to take my phone away every time I look we start playing bad 😢😢
Good to know we have our "longest-biggest margin" here.
Horne plays mean, doesnt seem afraid to body up bigger players. That kid is gonna have a mean LeDay-esq scowl in a year or two.
Look at Pig working down low!!
2 offensive rebounds to get a tough two.
Nice charge taken PJ!
Seems like every time we're about to take this game by the throat we give up some easy points.
This is one of those games where we could've had the big at half. When it was 12 we had the opportunity to extend that lead. Regardless, good half from the good guys. Hoping it carries over.
Robinson is having a good day, but he needs to slow down a bit and play under control. That's two possessions he's just got out of control and let them have 4 points.
Yeah he's playing way too out of control & has given Miami some very easy points. This lead could/should be double digits right now
never, ever, ever let the other team have the last shot of the half when you have the ball, the lead, and no shot clock. either you take the last shot (under a second) or eat the ball
We always look to push with around 8 on the clock. Get a shot off with around 4 and maybe you have a chance at an offensive rebound. It's just that J-Rob turned the ball over trying to do too much.
Turnovers aren't usually planned. Bibbs didnt need to leave his feet and draw the foul on that though, not that early at least.
That kid that was driving him is a shrimp, Bibbs could probably swatt him flat footed.
Highlights of Jalen Hudson going off for Florida make me a little sad
Glad to see him having success. He did a lot for us when we were not a good team.
Suddenly, the game is at risk and the crowd is in it.
And here we go.
Blackshear getting abused so far this half and trying to do too much on the offensive end. Better wake up or this is going to swing to an uncomfortable position very quickly.
Whenever he gets beat on D he tries to go down and make some ridiculous move on offense and usually either turns it over or misses. The guy needs to start playing smarter. Also, our defense has been abysmal
this is what you get when let the other team score the last 2 points of the half! they get the mo!
Wow, somebody go back to the locker room and tell the team the second half started.
Yes, get their zombie alter-egos off the court.
What a bullshit start to the second half. Why the hell do we look like we're moving in slow motion any time we come out of halftime with a lead
I miss the start of the 2nd half and suddenly there's a 10 point swing. What the heck!?
What the fuck was buzz thinking watching Miami score 10 unanswered and watching us go full panic before calling a timeout
Turns out Miami can make unopposed threes. Meanwhile, VT can't buy a shot. Go figure.
Get blackshear out of the game jesus
Yeah. He just plays very poorly against Miami for whatever reason. Time to roll with PJ and see what happens.
He should never get that shot off
This team puts on a clinic every game on how to blow a lead
Probably seems that way, but that happens to every team.
Now that VT has shown they can beat a team with "bigs", Miami brings out a "little".
Luckily, the little turd going to foul out soon.
Edit: but not until he causes a disproportionate amount of damage.
How many point-blank misses. How many
NAW is having a rough day.
Walker needs to be quicker on that crossover or behind the back.. Lonnie Walker saw that coming when he first got the ball.
What the fuck was that Bibbs?
There is nothing that pisses me off more about officiating than when a ref waits to see if a player misses a shot to call a foul. It's either a foul or it isn't.
What are we doing with all the overpassing.
I don't know if I've seen this team come out strong to start a 2nd half when we have the lead all season. It's almost like we have to come out of the half from behind to come out with some aggressiveness
It's ACC basketball.
Nobody said it'd be easy.
Lots of steals in this game.
That is one way to look at it...
I've said this every game it feels like, but here it goes again: IF YOU GIVE A TEAM OPEN LOOKS FROM THREE AND LET THEM GET A RHYTHM, THE CONTESTED THREES LATER ON WILL SEEM LIKE OPEN THREES.
I'm pretty sure this is some kind of law of basketball physics.
I'm going to start watching for it.
this is a true statement
Game of runs right now. We just have to start playing defense like we've showed we're capable over the last month. Horrible defense right now. Just leaving shooters wide open despite not even showing help. Unacceptable
Bad defense+can't make open shots is a serious recipe for disaster.
The cure for it is to make shots.
Doesn't seem like we can manage that right now for whatever reason. We need to make a push now or we'll be behind the 8-ball at the under 4.
Guess we're happy with just letting fucking Vasiljevec take over the fucking game because we can't play defense for more than one possession in a row today
I hate Miami with every ounce of my being.
I can't upleg this enough.
THIS guy torched us every game but we keep leaving Him open on threes
I think we are all overlooking the real issue for us this game, Clarke changed the hairdo. That + bad defense + sloppy with the ball + missing open looks has really been giving us problems. But mostly just the hair.
KJ just cannot guard that kid.
How was that not a travel? And instead Blackshear picks up his 4th foul
We have not valued the ball today at all.
Robinson has played really well but that turnover was unacceptable, especially unforced with a chance to tie or take the lead. That kind of shit has been killing us, like when we forced a bad deep three and got out on the break only to turn the ball over dribbling.
And he knew it.
Our old pal Turnover problem has showed his face in this game. Bad time for unforced errors right now.
With a chance to tie or take the lead and Robinson throws it at 60 mph out of bounds
For as good as JRob has been scoring today, he has been an absolute turnover machine. When the player who has the ball in his hands at least 50% of all halfcourt possessions has 5+ turnovers, it's very tough to win. Hot take, I know.
Don't think it's a hot take. It's a fact. When Robinson turns the ball over a ton we struggle to win.
.....does this mean Miami gets to break out the turnover chain?
Not really sure why Bibbs is jacking up contested threes early in the shot clock.
Fuck. 14-11 on turnovers. Fuck-dammit.
Hey, aren't you supposed to be doing sombody?
Miami keeps giving us possessions to take the lead and we keep giving it right back. Hopefully we can play with some composure here and pull this out.
Love Clarke putting his head down during this run.
Tie game 2:30 to go. I think we have a little bit of the mo right now.
here were go, finish strong. CC's been big this half
Eyyyyyy finally called a walk nice job by the zebras
Miami travels well.
Thank god Miami is in meltdown mode on offense or we would be screwed.
Teddy V with 3 huge calls for the good guys in the last few minutes, all good calls too.
Good call on the charge on Hill, but he is making the calls all about him. Not signalling anything til the ball hits the ground. I hate him so much.
Have to take what you can get with Valentine. If he has to be the center of attention, at least he's making good calls.
Finally another travel.
Was that Seth Allen there outside the huddle? He cut his hair
That and-1 by Hill wouldve been huge but it was the right call on the charge. And we get rewarded with a good travel call on the other end. Gotta finish strong here & pull out the win on the road, come on fellas
Awful shot choice by Walker and of course, he drills it. That is frustrating late in a game.
Bibbs has taken him away since he came back in.
Dont make a FG for 8 minutes then Lonnie Walker hits a step back fadeaway contested baseline jumper. Wow.
Damn, Miami is hitting some tough off-balance shots today.
Fuckkkk. That was perfect defense by Bibbs, Walker just hit a tough shot
Bibbs was right there. gahhhhhh
Wow Bibbs. That's an easy layup. You have to make that.
Bibbs nearly airballed a bunny. That's not good.
Damn it Bibbs... Also when Hill got that rebound Chris Clarke was wide open underneath
You've got to be kidding me...
TV Teddy strikes again.
Point blank misses
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME THAT'S NOT A FOUL
BS call.
Good call right there. Robinson got blown by and tried to recover by reaching from behind which is a foul more times than not.
We've gotten a couple of calls in this game, but that was questionable against 5.
What in the fucking fuck
Chris had extra time on that...
It wasn't a bad call. It was a HORRIBLE and LAZY play by Robinson to do that after getting beat. They will call that shit every time. That is the dumbest foul I have seen us commit in a long time. An unforced, non-shooting foul in a tie game with under 5 seconds left. Completely unacceptable.
Agreed. Lykes is going to get that call a lot more than not just based on his size and how he pinballs off of any contact. You can't risk it. Either way, wouldn't have mattered if Bibbs could have not essentially air balled a 2 footer on the previous possession.
Yeah, I was frustrated with both the shot choice, a contested jump stop floater, and it was just a bad shot at that.
Especially considering Blackshear had also just unleashed at 27 footer for some reason. I know Miami was putting the clamps on Clarke but you've got to be able to create something better than what we attempted. I'm frustrated but not terribly surprised.
go back to giving miami two free throws at the end of the half
Dang.
Love the way we fought back in the second half but we put ourselves in a terrible spot.
What a frustrating game
Fuck ACC officials. Fucking absolute bullshit way to lose the refs just fucking handed them that win after we fought back into it. Fuck Teddy Valentine & Fuck Miami
Nope, the call was correct, lazy bullshit and unnecessary reach from Jrob
That was the right call. And Teddy Valentine called the 4-step travel against Miami with a few minutes to go when the closer ref just stood there and did nothing.
The clock started before he touched the ball as well
Losing the season series to both Miami and Louisville is ridiculous.
Why go for the reach #5. Just body up and play defense. Awful decision, that was the game. Can't give away free throws when a 5'2" gaurd drives the lane in the final seconds...
Fucking went from likely getting a double bye in the ACC tournament & possibly moving up in the NCAA tournament to a fucking 7 seed in the ACC tourney & a very slim chance of getting a better seed in the NCAA tournament. Fucking fuck
And based on results we would have had the 3 seed. Now we have likely ND which will be a tough match up with Coulson back. But they are no better than Duke, UNC or LOLUVA so I have confidence.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the scoreboard graphic at the bottom of the screen showed VT having one timeout left.
Well it's Saturday. I'm gonna go get drunk.
You're not already??
Jim Larranaga is a legit coach.
Again, JRob was great scoring, but his turnovers and horrible defense on Miami's last possession are what this game came down to in my opinion. As the recently established leader of the team, he can't let that happen.
We go as he goes. We had way too many turnovers that immediately led to points for Miami. The end of the first half comes to mind. He knows he has to be smarter than that and he's shown that he's capable of being great. Hopefully he can gather himself and come into the tournament season composed and ready to lead this team. We all know he can do that.
When you play like dog shit, you get that L. Let's hope it was a learning experience and we make a deep run in the two tourneys.
Go Hokies!
We lost by one point on the road to a team who beat us at home. We didn't play our best all game, but we damn near beat them. Dog shit seems harsh.
Agree...Go Hokies!
You're right. My apologies. I just hate throwing away a winnable game, especially one that really could have improved our post season odds.
Thanks for the perspective change.
No, I'm right there with you in my frustration. Hate that we had numerous chances to win that game, but couldn't capitalize on those chances. I'm just trying to keep things in perspective as best I can while I'm nursing my bummed out feelings and trying to avoid getting hung up on all the what ifs this season has presented us.
Judging from how we fans are reacting and feeling, I can only imagine what Buzz and the boyz are going through. Post season play is tough enough without having to start in a hole we had a pretty good chance to avoid. Oh well, onward and upward, right?
Don't think I've been this angry after a loss since we lost to Wisconsin last year. We just gave that game away & have made our schedule much harder because of it. God damnit
I really don't want to play Notre Dame in our first tourney game but that seems like the most likely scenario.
Seven seed likely facing Notre Dame after Bonzie Colson obliterates Pitt in the first game and if we play like we did today Colson et al will have a field day. Free throws missed amd 15 turnovers cost the Hokies a lot more than just one win here.
Yep. We really fucked ourselves out of any chance we had of winning the ACC tournament today & playing ourselves out of the 8/9 game in the NCAA tournament. ACC tournament just got about 10x harder for us, for absolutely no reason other than we played extremely lazy for 90% of the second half today
Don't forget that Matt Farrell will be back as well. This is a terrible matchup for us.
Well we all wanted a 7 seed... Maybe we fall to 10 with a loss. Same thing right?
Just my uneducated observation but it seems pretty sweet that our basketball team is seemingly in a similar place as our football team. One or two pieces/seasons? away from being a hell of a lot better than we've been in recent memory. Now let's go make some noise in the ACC and hopefully get past weekend #1 in the NCAA.
If BC beats FSU then BC will be 10 seed so consider me the biggest Boston College fan right now.
Very likely true considering BC's enthusiasm for basketball.
painful loss. If Bibbs finishes on that last possession, we win that game. If we just didn't we win that game. Heck, even the end of the first half where we failed to run out the clock and gave miami 2 points and momentum into the halftime could have changed that game.
so sad.
Miami is a very tough place to play and you saw why with the way the came out to start the 2nd half with their energy, got the crowd going, and all that stuff. So its not like its a bad loss to lose there. With all that said, we played well enough to win the game for like 98% of the time. Just too sloppy to close the game out with Blackshear taking an ill advised 3, whoever got the rebound on the shot (didn't see clearly who it was) missed a wide open Clark underneath, Bibbs almost airballing a 4 ft shoot, and then J-Rob with a stupid foul to seal the deal. No one to blame but ourselves for that one.
I'm not sweating it much though. Those dumb decisions are easy to clean up. Play the way we did the rest of the game and we're still in good shape to do some serious damage in the ACC Tourney despite the 7 seed.
So who do we pull for today? I really don't want to play ND or FSU on Wednesday. Is there any way we can get BC or even Cuse?
Very likely its ND. But we will have to see how the rest of today plays out.
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Now that some time has passed since the end of the game, I thought my frustration to the end of the game would temper... I was wrong. I still don't understand the foul called on Robinson where the Miami player stepped on HIS foot and trip, yet he was called for the foul. Please explain!
It was a reach... Terrible play by 5, correct call by the officials.
SO YEAH I've had time to ponder and tho I'm still upset for selfish reasons I'm also upset for the guys who I think we've all come to appreciate and want to see them do well. With tha being said instead of a doom and gloom outlook I had a refreshing thought this morning...we were literally in this position of "tough road to the ncaas now" with duke uva on the remaining games being huge under dogs....and we won both of those. So cheers we've been here before let's keep fighting and out performing expectations!
Also I might add...OXVT had a chart ranking ACC in conference schedules and VT had the toughest and we still had a shot to finish third! Not too shabby
Amen.