REMINDER: IF YOU ARE GOING TO THE GAME ITS THE BLACKOUT GAME. WEAR BLACK.
Game day!We look to stay undefeated (11-0) at homeWear black tonight! ⚫️🏀 vs. Louisville📍 Blacksburg, Va.🕚 7 p.m. ETℹ️ https://t.co/fMI7RVZL1J📈 https://t.co/x0LoDRFkHL📻 https://t.co/Y5WNSie1Vm📺 ESPN💻 https://t.co/2jgXrEc4lY#getBETTER | #Hokies 🦃 pic.twitter.com/AD1EACbfk4— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 4, 2019
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Feb. 4, 2019 / 7 p.m.
Opponent: Louisville
Site: Blacksburg, Virginia (Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum)
Radio: Virginia Tech IMG Sports Network
Talent: Jon Laaser & Mike Burnop
TV: ESPN
Talent: Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas & Allison Williams
Live Stats: HokieSports.com
Game Notes: Virginia Tech
Sirius: 81 XM: 81 Internet: 81
How sweep it is!Nickeil Alexander-Walker (@TheReal_NAW1) & Regan Magarity earn @theACC Players of the Week, marking the 2nd sweep in school history 👏Dara Mabrey (@daramabrey) was Rookie of the Week too!📝 » https://t.co/yJ7vdat46O📝 » https://t.co/a6gSUKOUjr#Hokies 🦃 pic.twitter.com/JN0G4lNcOW— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 4, 2019
🖐 things to know vs. No. 15 LouisvilleThe main thing ⤵️Wear black tomorrow night! ⚫️ℹ️ » https://t.co/fMI7RWhlTh#getBETTER | #Hokies 🦃 pic.twitter.com/mfO2pnszmI— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 3, 2019
MUCKIN UP THE HOME COURT
Buzzketball and Louisville have been on very similar trajectories this season. The challenge for the Hokies will be to overcome critical injuries to Justin Robinson and P.J. Horne. The Cardinal have not seemed to miss a beat with new head coach Chris Mack at the helm.
This is a home game, a packed house, so the Hokies will at least have the energy of the crowd that they seem to need to be competitive. The Hokies need to be ready right out the gate to execute their offense effectively. The Hokies have to be on target from the perimeter or this could be long afternoon. This will be the forty second meeting between the Hokies and Cardinals. Louisville leads the all-time series 33-8.
The Cardinals are coached by Chris Mack, who is in his first season with the Cardinals. He is 16-6 at Louisville, and 227-102 overall as a head coach, with Xavier as his only other head coaching position. Mack took Xavier to the NCAA tournament 8 times.
Mack and the Cardinals this first season have key wins over Seton Hall, UNC and NC State. Their losses are all to top teams except for Pitt. Getting a victory in this game would be a huge boost for the Hokies come NCAA tournament selection time.
Defensively, Louisville under Mack is using the Pack Line Defense, much like what the Wahoos employ. They have been very effective in employing it so far but So far in ACC play, Louisville has an 11 point average margin of victory. Even that number is a bit deceiving. Other than a close game defeating NC State, and the two conference losses, this team has been blowing conference opponents out. They are holding ACC opponents to 29% perimeter shooting and just 40% shooting overall.
Offensively, the Cardinals under Mack run a Continuity Pick and Roll Offense. This offense is geared towards breaking down zone defenses by creating separation in defensive coverage to allow penetration to the basket. In this offense, the big or bigs are expected to be able to provide solid screens, freeing the guards to dribble penetrate for layups. One other aspect that is dangerous for the Hokies is that this offense is geared towards drawing an opponents bigs out towards the perimeter to defend. This is definitely not ideal with the foul trouble Blackshear has when he gets drawn away from the basket. It also allows secondary offensive players lanes to get ideal rebounding positions, increasing second chance opportunities on the offensive end. The Cardinals in conference play are shooting 36% from outside and 54% inside the perimeter. This will also be the first conference opponent that relies more heavily on its post players to score than its guards.
Cardinals Backcourt
Christen Cunningham, (#1) 6'2, 190 Lbs a Graduate Transfer Guard from Samford comes in averaging 10.4 PPG, 2 RPG, and 4.6 APG. He is shooting 57% inside, 38% from outside and at the free throw line, shooting 89%. Cunningham is the primary ball handler for the Cardinals. He is the one we have to be concerned about driving the ball and making a great pass to an open look. He is also the only guard in the top five scorers for the Cardinals so if he happens to get in foul trouble, the next man up is way down the depth chart.
Ryan McMahon, (#30), 6', 180 Lbs Junior Guard is averaging 7.5 PPG, 1.2 RPG, and 2 APG. He shoots 55% inside, 34% from outside and 94% of his free throws. He sees about 19 minutes per contest.
Darius Perry, (#2), 6'2, 195 Lbs Sophomore Guard is averaging 6 PPG, 1.2 RPG, and 1.7 APG. He shoots 52% inside, 35% from outside and 83% of his free throws. He sees about 18 minutes per contest.
Cardinals Frontcourt
Jordan Nwora, (#33), 6'7, 225 Lbs Sophomore Forward is the Cardinals leading scorer, averaging 17.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 1.6 APG. Nwora is shooting 55% inside, 40% from outside on six attempts per game and 74% from the free throw line. He has been a major find for Mack, considering last season he only played 12 minutes per game, averaging only 5.7 points.
Dwayne Sutton, (#24), 6'5, 215 Lbs Junior Forward is averaging 10.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, and 1.7 BPG and while not the leading scorer he is arguably the Cardinals most important player this season. His ability to control the boards has allowed others to expand their shooting zone and spread the court making it much more difficult to defend or attack the Cardinals. He shoots 56% inside, 38% outside and 75% from the line.
Steven Enoch, (#23), 6'10, 260 Lbs Junior Center is another big that has blossomed for the Cardinals this year after transferring in from UConn where he put up paltry numbers his first two seasons. He is averaging 9.3 PPG and 5.3 RPG. He has hit 59% of his shots inside, 37% from outside and 83% of his free throws.
Malik Williams (#5), 6'11, 245 Lbs Sophomore Forward is putting up 8.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 1.5 BPG. He is shooting 50% inside, 33% outside and 65% from the line.
V.J. King, (#0), 6'6, 215 Lbs, has taken a major step back this year in terms of contributing. He is averaging 4.4 PPG and 3 RPG. He is shooting 48% inside and 13% outside but only attempts one per contest. He hits 82% of his free throws.
What to expect from Louisville?
Usually success for the Cardinals is creating turnovers and turning them into points to spread their lead while also wearing down their opponents. The Cardinals are forcing over 15 turnovers a game averaging 19 points a contest off turnovers.
This season the Cardinal have adapted to a larger, slightly slower lineup and dominate the paint. As is evident by the scoring, forwards make up four of the top five scorers on the roster. The Hokies are usually pretty stout at clogging up the lane but size could be a major factor in this game.
Rebounding is also a huge key to how Louisville separates itself from its opponents. They have had success this season when they outrebound an opponent by double digit margins. The rebounds allow them quick put back points or to kick the ball out to Cunningham to begin again at the top of the key.
The Cardinals will look to take advantage of their height differential and get the Hokies in early foul trouble. This contest will come down to speed vs size and of course execution by either team, as was evident in the Hokies last contest.
The Hokies
The Hokies are getting an experienced opponent, one that brings to bear two seniors and two juniors in the starting five. The entire starting five average at least 25 minutes per game each so outside of Raymond Spalding, they manage their team fouls very well. You cannot count on getting to the line consistently against this defense. They allow opponents around 16 free throws per contest and only commit 17 fouls per game this season. The Hokies did manage to go 18 of 22 from the line in the last game.
Kerry Blackshear has to stay out of foul trouble and limit the impact of Enoch and Williams, who could put Blackshear on the bench early and often.
This goes much the same in the other direction, the Hokies need to play defense like they have in recent weeks, clogging the middle while getting enough pressure on the perimeter to keep the shooters off balanced.
The Hokies need to make an honest effort to limit points off turnovers and second chance points. One area the Hokies have dramatically improved upon as the season has progressed is limiting turnovers and playing significantly improved defense, so that version of the Hokies needs to show up today.
Tech needs to be ready to go fast in this game. The defense and offense of Louisville play into the hands of what Tech likes to do best so they should be able to turn this game if they are consistently making their shots, especially from outside.
Stay out of foul trouble. As mentioned above Blackshear could face major issues but several Hokies will likely be faced with size disadvantages on the court most of the night.
In Closing
The Hokies need to take care of the ball and be effective on the offensive end. They have to be able to take advantage of their speed and ability to get to the rim to create separation.
The Cardinals will look to take the ball inside and use their size to their advantage. The Hokies need to limit the rebounding differential as best possible to limit second chances for the Cardinals.
Hokies make a valiant effort but this kind of opponent is just a little too much for the Hokies to overcome without Robinson and Horne. The size wins out in the end and Louisville escapes with a victory 72-68.
Our 7️⃣th 'Road Game' 📸 of the 🏀 season for our 'Culture Wall'!Thank you to all the #Hokies near ➕ far 4️⃣ their support. We are grateful!We will turn all blessings back 2️⃣ praise!🙏🏿🗣🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/V5qcxGZPnW— Buzz Williams (@TeamCoachBuzz) February 2, 2019
Comments
Let's Go!
HOKIES!
I do not like louisville.....
Who schedules a blackout against a team with Black as one of their colors?? Be proud wear orange or maroon.
Beware. Hokies are 3-0 since I last tuned in, and on the day of the Syracuse win I changed my garden flag from a reindeer to a VT.
I'm watching tonight and will be in Clemson on Saturday. It's a risk I'm willing to take and a burden I'm willing to bear.
You better watch every game then
Reread that. The last games I watched were UVA and UNC. Me watching is likely a guaranteed loss. While me not watching is a guaranteed win.
Keep one eye on the tv
Kinda like keep one eye open.
They need to be far far better shooting the ball to survive this game
Good news, we shoot a lot better at home than on the road.
This is aging very well
This is an important game. Knowing that there's bound to be a letdown game without JRob and the brutal finishing stretch, really would be nice to grab this one if we want a top 4 seed in the ACC tourney.
Key to the game: Opponent miss greater than 40 shots. Proven formula, why change now?!
So far our shooters look like they came down with what NCSU had over the weekend. Hopefully the shots start dropping soon. Getting open looks, but just missing
So far Hill is ice cold. He seems to be rushing his shot a little tonight. He needs to try to drive.
Oh boy now we are missing layup/dunks
And that is why KBJ doesn't dunk
Blackshear & Hill have looked like shit
Anyone else having issues with every video feed on ESPN app being in Spanish? Asking for a friend.
Make sure SAP isn't on
This could get really ugly if we don't wake up.
We have 4 points in 8 minutes of play and UofL is getting hot from deep.
Why does Lousivlle always have their best shooting games against us? why.
FIFY
Well shit - UL is hot from beyond the arc.
No.
Nwora is hot from behind the arc.
This is gonna be a long night
0-6 from three... Nwora on pace for a record night.
Anyone surprised?
We are on pace to score 20 tonight.
It's worrisome how horrible we are offensively when Robinson can't play. Like, legitimately horrible. If State wasn't so bad the story this weekend would have been how bad we were with the ball.
We need to stop settling for threes. We're gettimg decent penetration off the drive at times but not challenging in the lane. At least make the shitty ACC officials earn their pay.
Blackshear is so bad sometimes and I hate watching him chuck up long bricks
I'll change the pace. Blackshear is one of our better players so far.
Nice free throws Senor Blackshear. Go Los Hokies!
From now on only NAW gets to shoot from deep... Lol
Awesome start
thought this was supposed to be a sell-out. i see lots of empty seats. Cassell Guard needs to create some excitement to get the team into it!
When the ball is in NAWs hands and he looks to drive and create, we force rotation and usually get an open look.
I repeat, only NAW gets to shoot from deep
Jesus now NAW in foul trouble...this could be bad
That wasn't a smart foul. Pretty obvious moving screen
Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
It's... still lasting?
Outlaw only hitting the backboard and Hill missing the whole bucket. Not ideal.
last two 3's have not found the rim... come on guys
I didn't realize losing JRob would mean we would forget how to make open threes
Med Hill is.... Struggling?
He's gone full ACC Hill
Ya when Med goes cold he goes completely ice cold
It looks like he is pressing a little bit - rushing his shot again. If he would just pause for an additional half a second, I think he's start finding the mark.
I think Hill pulled a Freaky Friday with Beverly after the game. His shot is getting progressively worse tonight. Just badly airballed that last one.
Looks like Louisville has decided Hill is the shooter to leave open. He needs to start making the extra pass.
Him and KJB when he gets the ball beyond the arc. They goaded him into 3 bad shots earlier by just not guarding him from 3
Because he has the green light for some reason from 3 even though he sucks at it
He just needs to drive it. He's been effective when he's not launching 3s.
Right. On. Cue.
This is IMPRESSIVE. I mean we are playing a 6 man rotation. Gotta love Buzz.
Turn around the cold shooting in the 2nd half and we could take it.
Mack with an... Interesting interview at the half
You can tell where he wanted to answer those questions with comments on the officiating but couldn't.
Louisvilles coach is super salty I love it
Lol Chris Mack is a douche.
Looks like Voldemort
Douche'
Volderdouche
It's sad that we have more guys in street clothes than uniform.
Happy to be down 5 after the way we started. If we can pick up the shooting and keep up the D, we have a chance.
Man, what sucks is if we had Robinson we would definitely be winning this game.
Maybe, maybe not. If everyone not named NAW could hit anything from 3 we'd be winning as well. Not sure 5 being back would make Hill and Outlaw suddenly not suck from behind the arc. Theyve had plenty of open looks
Agreed. The possessions where Bede slows everything down and we rush a shot at the end of the clock are where we really miss 5.
but we have to play slow. can't afford to get in a running game. with no depth if we play fast we will soon be dragging our tongues and start playing sloppy. thus causing turnovers and foul trouble. l'ville has tried to speed things up when they have the ball.
At some point, you would think we would hit some three's. Hopefully that will even things out a bit.
Keep it within 5 or less & we gotta chance.
maybe we can make 3's on this side of the court
Why's KJ always look like he's starring into the sun?
Finally, a 3 from not NAW!
Wow this officials are totally fucking us over
Start cussin
Maybe it's just me, but the way these refs are interacting with Buzz tonight, it certainly looks like they're out to fuck us over
Well, flopping Louisville and the ACC refs showed up
Refs need to at least be consistent in how they suck. To not call that foul on Hill on the rebound but then call KBJ for the foul is ridiculous.
ACC refs y'all
They didn't realize we were the home team, cause we're not wearing the home whites.
I guess Mack was just upset the refs weren't sucking him off and cleaning up the mess the first half.
NAW gets hit in mouth....and gets called for a foul.
Refs tell Buzz to sit down.
🤔
Okay...the fix is definitely in. KJB gets a foul for going up with a guy reaching over his back.
I mean they could at least call traveling on Loservillle.
We get to within 1 point. Several "questionable" calls...lead balloons to 10.
Sigh Bede just loses the easy rebound between his feet
Back to 6 points. Time for a BS call.
Ah...there's the 3 point shot foul.
Man we always foul three point shooters
My boyfriend is currently shaving his beard because he's convinced the basketball gods demand that sacrifice 🙄
I have changed my shirt 3 times this game already. Appreciate the dedication.
He might start shaving his head next.
That just might work.
You'll get no argument from us. Would certainly show his commitment.
It shows his commitment, yes. But the good guys still lost and now he has a salty girlfriend because the beard is gone. I think a valuable lesson was learned last night 🤔
Of course they call a foul there
We keep getting it close, but can't get over that hump
Naw hasn't turned it on yet... I'm hopeful
They fouled Hill 3 times in the first half on 3s and no call. Now we close in and they call that? KMA refs.
And he was never touched.
3 point shooting foul
And the shooter was never touched
#goacc
When Jay Billas is calling the refs out...
Except he really didn't. "Can't blame the refs for making a shitty call!"
Big believer in sports starting to suspend players for flops like that (soccer too).
Fuck these refs
Good job Jay...."he was not touched"
Bilas was also calling all those travels in the first half the refs could let seem to be bothered with.
That's the 3rd time Blackshear has just not caught a pass and turned it to an easy turnover the last 6 possessions
He's literally giving the game away
Blackshear can't catch passes.gif
Dude has noodle fingers
This is painful
Bricks for hands.
We have had every chance to get this game level and we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot. Not to mention, Louisville shooting 10-21 from deep.
This game was lost when the Hokies let that douche bag get a wide open 3 after they had time to walk down the court and set up their defense
Fucking hell and another stupid shit turnover. Fucking hell guys get your heads in this fucking game
Don't forget about losing a shooter in transition.
Flopping little shit
Home game ...bricks... thunk
Wrestling ranked @ 12.
I'm sorry but this program is in trouble if we turn to shit this easily without 5 playing.
Offensively we look like pure dogshit. Absolute atrocious play. Our defense is somewhat keeping us in it but offensively we look so bad it won't matter.
I know you know this but we are basically playing 5 on 9...
That's an excuse and it makes we worry about the program more. We are ALWAYS so thin. It's something that should have been fixed seasons ago
I agree with you that we always seem thin. I wouldn't call it an excuse though. It's just reality and it's a detriment.
I mean come on. Buzz didn't go out and injure JRob and Horne and it's not like he could do anything in the Nolley and (arguably) the Clarke situation.
We DID fix it, and people got injured/had personal problems/didn't qualify.
Not sure you can blame that on Buzz.
Reread his comment 3x. Nowhere does it say he blames Buzz for the predicament.
Who do you think he's saying should have fixed it?
He didn't specify. You're operating beneath an automatic presumption he means Buzz.
What is in Buzz's control that puts 5, Horne, Nolley, Clarke, and Sy on the court tonight?
Sit the next few plays out man
Alum07, you are an embodiment of everything that's trending wrong with the hokie fanbase.
Excessive expectations, premature irrational judgements, hypocritical comments, and a tendancy to justify your own misinterpretations.
I'm sorry for lashing out, and apologize to everyone else for causing a scene, but it seems like one out of every five comments comes from you, and one out of every five of those comments involves a bunch of unnecessary drama.
If I'm off base with this then I'm sorry, and y'all won't hear anything else from me about it. I'll learn to deal with it or move on, one or the other.
Guess I'm just asking if you can tone it down a little, either the drama or post volume. Either way, just want to say up front that I'm not replying to anything else here. Not looking to argue, just wanted to say my piece.
Seconded.
I won't apologize for saying our offense has gone into the gutter without Robinson, because it's true. Our only hope for winning games is to shorten them because our offense is so bad we need to keep scoring down to keep it close. We have no rhythm right now, our shooting is a mess, we are misplaying passes that hit players in the hands. It's just a bit of a 40 minute Trainwreck out there.
Kudos to the defense for keeping it somewhat close, but if NCSU doesn't go historically cold the other night, we are likely looking at back to back losses with our offense sputtering. The language I used might have been a little more explicit than people would like, but the premise is true. If we are this dependent on one person being able to play, we are in serious trouble for not just the rest of this year, but the years to come.
And if you don't like the fact that I post a lot sometimes, well... Yeah sorry, I just don't care.
The team is rotating six players and has had exactly one hour of practice since Robinson went down. 3 games in 6 days, 2 games in 3 days.
Buzz can't make JRob and PJ unhurt themselves and he can't help Sy, Clarke, or Nolley's situations. Sometimes you just get the dick man.
The refs fucking suck.
Anytime we play a long athletic team, we get run out of the gym.
At some point, I'd love to see Buzz get some length on this team.
Totally man, we need some length to guard a 5'10 white guy.
If only Sy would not have screwed us over two years in a row
We look gassed and it doesn't help that we aren't getting any help from the refs
Big difference between not getting any help and getting jobbed!
>Sighs< Whelp,
This team is going to lose to every good team they play at this point.
How nice it must be to have some size and depth.
We are going to start losing to bad teams if they can't figure out an offense.
If not for NCSU historically crapping itself over the weekend we are looking at the second horrible offensive outing in a row. Might go back to back games scoring less than 50 (probably not but it'll likely still be less than 60). This is pathetic
So are we a football team again?
Just out of gas and lost looking. NAW doesn't seem to have the dog in him that he needs to be a leader.
I know where the kid is on all of the NBA draft stuff, but he isn't nearly as dominant as all the other guys who have first round projection.
He's not Zion. He's in the back of the lottery, maybe in the 12-16 range.
You gotta look at some of the plays he's making (strong left handed finish, cross court passes on a dime) and realize those are NBA talents.
Certainly on both counts. But I could list 25 guys that can do those two things.
I guess all the professional scouts are wrong then.
I think you didn't read my original post....
Lol
I repeat. Fuck these refs
Wouldn't mind using an offensive possession to sling a firm chest pass into mcmahon's face.
And nows were only having 6 guys to rotate in kills us someone needs to step up and play point or we're gonna struggle down the stretch to put up points
The refs have decided Louisville gets to win this one no matter what...how was that not a foul during Outlaw's 3?
Because we're VT
Got some winnable games coming up. Really going to have to grind out a couple wins without 5. Just hope we don't wear down come tourney time doing it.
Buzz needs to just go on a tirade & get tossed. These refs need to be confronted & we've already lost because of them anyway. Make a point
Blackshear and hill have been abysmal. They have the potential to be great but just shit themselves like this at times
Blackshear has like 20 points. What game are you watching??
This......
I don't think it's the final stat line more than it's the missed dunks/inability to dunk, butter fingers on more than 5 passes a game that results in a turnover, and really I think he co tributes a lot but plays more like a 4. He doesn't show the strength or aggression you would expect a strong down low to have.
Every dunk he missed that I saw he took contact on. He's a center, not a point guard so of course his ball handling skills leave something to be wanted. A lot of those passes that were mishandled would be difficult for anyone to handle, especially a 6'10" guy having bounce passes thrown through the lane at his knees. Dude busted his ass all game and without him we would have gotten destroyed. He balled out and threw him under the bus. I flat out don't get it.
Yeah honestly we'd have been in an insurmountable hole to start that game if not for Blackshear getting us on the scoreboard, immediately blocking a shot on the other end, then turning provider for a couple of NAW buckets. I'm really not sure why Blackshear gets so much flak on the whole, especially after a game like this one.
Also need to remember that he's our ONLY big, and can't afford to get into foul trouble or take too many breathers. We're asking a ton from him right now.
How in the actual fuck did they call that a charge on NAW
NAW never touched the defender on the charge
This is such an obvious screwjob
But then again Bede does shit like that and, we aren't exactly helping ourselves
They just can't help themselves. As good as they can be when we they down they lose their heads.
It is hilarious how every three they take with a Hokie close, they fall after they land to try to draw a foul.
I won't cry if one of them hurts themselves doing that.
This has been an extremely frustrating game to watch. I love our fight though
Careful, some folks on the thread don't think we're fighting at all.
Dont fucking quit on this team, cause they damn sure wont
Haha he was falling before NAW touched him.
LOL Malik got hurt flopping eff him
I was hoping that would happen.
one fucking time hill
Huge miss by Hill, need a better hill to show up to win these games without 5
Hill please stop shooting 3's
Hill gets a wide open look after an in bounds steal.
And barely grazes the backside rim
God when he's off, he's really bad
Just not our night. I mean that bank shot was BS
This game is unbelievable. Hopefully we have better luck (and refs who aren't horseshit) at Clemson on Saturday.
Hill is 0-7 from 3 tonight after being 3-13 from 3 on Saturday.
3-20 over 2 games is atrocious. You want to know where our offense went, well there it is
Yep. He just needs to drive and finish or dish.
Agree, but to be fair, two of his three pt attempts against nc state were with one second on the shot clock......an in bound play where there was one second and then one where he received a pass and had to do a crazy spin move left hand shot just to get it up. Still bad, but not quite as bad taking those two shots out
Hill needed to make that shot to have a chance
Fucking banked 3. This game was just kinda BS all around.
We can blame the refs all we want, and they deserve it. But the FT shooting has been poor, 3 point shooting has been terrible, bad turnovers, and leaving shooters wide open is on us
If Med could hit even a third of his shots, this is a 1 possession game
Instead, he's 0-fer from 3 when he's supposed to be the shooter
Well, if you take the 5 walks and the flop for 3 and the flop charge on NAW, that would be 15 point swing due to bad reffing.
Louisville knows whats up... Put VT on the line.
Louisville has been unconscious from 3 against us the last few seasons because they are super long and use that to their advantage by shooting over us. We can't keep chalking it up to luck.
They also screen the defense for the shooter. They have a guy planted a step in front of the shooter on shots and it effectively gives them an open look every time.
They ran that over and over the first half.
Yeah, quite a few of them were illegal screens, but of course these refs don't call them.
Curious, it looks like VT may have 3 players on the bench in street clothes, not counting #5. I assume Nolley, and probably Horne.. Anyone know of any other player(s) that might be in street clothes on the bench?
Tyrece Radford, who is redshirting
Thanks, but damn, another 6'-2" guard. They all looked like 6'-8" forwards sitting in street clothes, through my rose colored glasses. Perpetually in search of a true P-forward.
Sucks we only moved up a spot after 2 ACC road wins. We lose at Clemson(likely) and I feel like we're gonna drop like a rock in the rankings.
2 points in the first 5 minutes of each game since we lost 5.
Spot on prediction here!
What's the closest you've been to an accurate prediction?
This is up there this season unfortunately. May have had a couple others about the same.
The fatigue is killing this team. Hopefully they can get some sort of rest before the Clemson game
Two games in three days, three games in six days. Two games on the road. Dead legs=bad shooting. It happens, we'll be fine.
L'Ville just created the blueprint to beating us...go deep into your bench and crank the tempo to 11, we'll eventually run out of gas.
Wilkins and Kabongo need to step up. They need to be able to put together 20-30 minutes of playing time between the two of them otherwise I don't understand why they have scholarships.
It was over when...we pulled within three when McMahon grabbed wilkins' hand and got 3 foul shots from it and drained all three.
It was really over when...we stole the inbounds and NAW didn't drive to the rim. Instead he hesitated, passed to Med, who promptly faked himself out and almost air balled a 3.
Btw, it sucks taking the under because you expect us to play defense then realizing that you'll probably lose your money if the good guys even close the gap at the end. I mean, I won my bet, but I wasn't happy doing it...