Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (16-7, 6-4 ACC) vs Maryland Terrapins (16-9, 5-5 ACC)
When: Tuesday, February 15 @ 8:00 p.m.
TV: ACC Network
Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, VA
The Opponent: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Bubble Battle Part II. The Hokies took Bubble Battle Part I back on January 21 against the Terps 74-57 and have won four of six since. In what is sure to be a wild environment, the Hokies have the potential to dampen Maryland's NCAA tournament chances and solidify fourth place in the ACC with a victory in Blacksburg tonight
The Terps have won five of seven since playing the Hokies, but are coming off a 76-72 loss at Boston College on Saturday. Maryland is one game back of Tech, but sits in seventh place as Boston College and Clemson stand in between the two at 6-5 in conference play. Obviously, this game has massive implications on how the conference race will shakeout in the final three weeks.
Here’s the projected starting lineups for the Terps:
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian Bowie | G | 6-2 | 190 | Sr. | 9.6 | 3.7 |
| 14 | Sean Mosley | G | 6-4 | 210 | Jr. | 8.6 | 3.9 |
| 21 | Pe'Shon Howard | G | 6-3 | 195 | Fr. | 5.1 | 1.5 |
| 20 | Jordan Williams | F | 6-10 | 260 | So. | 17.1 | 11.8 |
| 33 | Dino Gregory | F | 6-7 | 230 | Sr. | 8.4 | 5.9 |
The key to the Maryland offense is stopping Jordan Williams. The Hokies did a great job of containing Williams to 11 points and 11 rebounds in the first meeting. Now, that may not sound like Tech stopped him, but limiting a guy with 20 double-doubles on the season to 11 and 11 is pretty good. The big man has struggled as of late, recording just nine points and 11 boards last week against Longwood and just 12 points and 8 rebounds against Boston College on Saturday. The 2-3 zone from Tech was extremely effective in the first meeting, so you can bet Gary Williams will probably have a new strategy to get Williams the ball early and often.
Outside of Williams, the Terps don't typically offer much offensively. They have their role players in Adrian Bowie, Dino Gregory, and Cliff Tucker (6-6, 205). The trio averages between eight and 10 ppg and has remarkably consistent numbers whether in conference play or non-conference play. Tucker had the best night of the three in the first meeting, connecting on three three-pointers to lead the Terps with 13. Bowie had 10, but Gregory was limited to just two points per game, another result of Tech's 2-3 zone.
Sean Mosley and Terrell Stoglin (6-1, 185) alternate running the point for the Terps. Neither really got anything going in the first meeting between the two clubs and have nearly identical stat lines in ACC play with Mosley averaging 7.7 ppg and Stoglin averaging 7.6 ppg. Pe'Shon Howard is the final member of the Terps starting lineup and will also take some time running the point. The talented freshman was held in check in College Park, coming up empty on all five of his field goal attempts.
Keys to VicTory:
- Turn Up the "D"
- The Hokies did an excellent job on Sunday in changing up defenses, confusing Georgia Tech into 14 turnovers. Tech forced 16 turnovers against the Terps last time, four of which were steals from Erick Green. Maryland is prone at times to letting things get out of hand and stringing turnovers together, something the Hokies capitalized on in College Park. You can bet that Gary Williams will have something different for Tech to defend tonight, and the Hokies will have to respond to adversity once again. The question is how fast can they become acclimated with Maryland's altered scheme.
- Dominate the Backcourt
- The game in College Park was Erick Green's coming out party. The sophomore had 24 points on 12-of-16 shooting and earned ACC Player of the Week honors for his effort. Malcolm Delaney tossed in 19 and the Hokies completely dominated the guard play from start to finish. Tech forced nine turnovers from the Terps' guards and were able to get easy baskets in transition, opening up the sizable advantage. The duo has a distinct advantage over Maryland's front court and will most likely need a similar effort in order for the Hokies to win tonight.
- Big Man on Campus
- Jeff Allen has been dominant over the last five games, recording a double-double in each contest. In fact, some people are starting to mention his name as a potential first-team All-ACC type of player. He's going to have to prove his worth against a formidable opponent in Jordan Williams tonight. Allen struggled against the Terps last time, scoring just seven points, while grabbing 10 boards and recording four fouls. Despite that, the Hokies still outrebounded Maryland by seven. Who knows what that advantage could be if Allen stays out of foul trouble like he has in the last five games.
Only three home games remain in the 2010-2011 season and all three are critical to Tech's postseason hopes. A 3-0 record at home in these final three weeks matched with no befuddling losses probably equals NCAA for the Hokies. That being said, things can start to unravel with a loss to the desperate Terps tonight. Seth Greenberg sent out a letter to students voicing his displeasure with the student turnout Sunday. Needless to say, I think the students will respond tonight, and hopefully the team will as will. Because let's face it: this is a game we NEED to win.
