Preseason NIT Tournament Review – 3-0

The team played extremely well and as a whole on Monday, and Erick Green’s presence made a world of a difference in ball control, tempo, and movement.  This team is starting to play better, as the rust seems to have worn off a bit since the opener against ETSU. During the second NIT game, point guard Erick Green reinjured his strained Achilles tendon and did not play most of the second half.  Hopefully this goes away, because this team needs him; his presence changes the way the Hokies play. 

NIT Game One vs. Monmouth (W 91-46)

MVP – Erick Green

After a semi-slow start, the Hokies poured on points like water on a house on fire. It seemed as if no one could miss, and it was fantastic. The lone exception was freshman Dorian Finney-Smith, who had a slow second game.  The team played better as a whole, better defense, and better rebounding, than in the season opener. There are certain aspects that need to be cleaned up for when we play Syracuse on Wednesday, November 23rd. We need to box out better and cut out the dumb fouls. Finney-Smith had four fouls this game and was on the verge of fouling out through most of the second half. If there is a high chance of fouling a player going for a lay-up, let the layup go. It is not worth a foul, especially on our key players.  It is a problem that plagued Jeff Allen throughout his whole career, and everyone knows that a key player can’t impact the game on the bench. Now on to individual performances:

  • Dorian Finney-Smith – Not the same game that he had in the opener, which he looked mighty impressive in his first start.  He did not score until late in the second half. Besides his offensive struggles, he did play decent defense and rebound well when on the court, but this goes back to the whole fouling issue. But he is a freshman, and will hopefully learn sooner than later, because we need him on the court.
  • Dorenzo Hudson – His continued resurgence is great for the Hokies, as he is a true leader on the court.  His leadership will greatly help this team and put the freshman in a position to succeed. He is playing very well coming off the injury last season.  Great to see him on the court contributing big time minutes and plays.
  • Erick Green – Not expected to play in this game, but was welcomed.  He completely changes the look of the Hokies. The team has their point guard back, and that changes how the team functions at its most basic level. The continuity was there, the scoring was there, and the speed was back. Point guard play was considerably less sloppy than in the season opener. 
  • Tyrone Garland – He played much better in PG relief in this game than he did solely playing the position on Saturday.  There was an incredible point in the second half where he literally could not miss. He hit on a barrage of three’s and three point plays.  He shot well and handled the ball better; maybe the butterflies of playing point guard are gone.
  • Jarell Eddie – Shot the three well, played an overall good game. We will need him to step it up and play at a high level all season. He has the potential to be a very good player in Blacksburg.
  • Rest of the Team – Played well, but needs to work on boxing out better. That is one of the most important aspects of basketball, and if we want to beat the big boys (#5 Syracuse) then we need to iron this out as soon as possible. 

NIT Game Two vs. FIU (W 78-63)

MVP – Dorenzo Hudson

With the upset of George Mason, FIU played on Tuesday against the Hokies.  Unlike the slow start in game one, Virginia Tech came out shooting lights out. The Hokies took a quick 12-2 lead before Coach Greenberg made some (in my opinion) untimely substitutions when the team was doing just fine with the starters in.  This seemed to cool off the team a bit, but a mid second half run gave the Hokies plenty of breathing room. And the end result is a win and that elusive trip to New York. Finally. The team still has to work on the foul issues, but overall was a cleaner game than against Monmouth, minus some pathetic calls by the refs who just need to let the kids play a bit more and get over the minor hand-checks. The team did not show any fatigue from playing the day before; they looked fresh and rested, which was good to see. Now for individual performances:

  • Dorenzo Hudson – What a game by the senior.  He is playing better than I remember him playing before his injury last year, and we will need everything that he can contribute to have a successful season. 31 points, with many of them coming at key times, was what helped win this game for the Hokies.  Game ball goes to Hudson for his performance.
  • Dorian Finney-Smith – His performance contrasted the poor outing against Monmouth.  He started off playing outstanding basketball.  He did not have the severe foul problems as he did in game one, and was actually able to score.  He used his length to his advantage by rebounding well. Overall, he improved from the last game, but I expect to see ups and downs by the freshman during this season.
  • Victor Davila – He had some foul issues in this game, but when he was on the court, he was dominant. A couple massive rejections and dunks made the students that were there loud (C’mon fellow Hokies, GO TO THE BASKETBALL GAMES!). Good game by the senior, but he needs to work on his free throws, as his poor free throw shooting is the same as it was last season.
  • Rest of Team – Good game. Need to box out better and not let the other team get second and third offensive rebounds; that will kill us against top-tier competition. Pointless fouls need to be cut down, and if you have to foul, make sure it is a hard, clean foul. Do not let the shot get off. Two points can’t turn into three.

Next up: #5 Syracuse at MSG, Wednesday, November 23rd on ESPN2, around 9:30pm. This is a chance for the Hokies to show that we are a good team without Delaney, Allen, and Bell. This group of Hokies did something that the last group never did: get to New York.  This game will be a true measuring stick for where this team is right now, and we'll know what to expect from this team for the rest of the season. Erick Green should be healthy by then, and we will need him to have a shot in this game.  We will be significant underdogs, but I always have faith in my Hokies. 

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