MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE TIME OF THIS GAME
STARTING FIVE VS WVU:
@JustinBibbs10
@Dev_11VT
@JalenHudson5
@kjblack15
@ZachLeDay32
#ThisIsHome pic.twitter.com/uiVY0Tp236— VT Men's Basketball (@VT_MBBall) December 30, 2015
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Our last OOC game before ACC play Hokie fans and arguably our hardest!! How do the Hokies fare against a major foe after losing a tough game to St Joes and one of their top energy guys in Chris Clarke, (likely done for the season.) Tech takes on a Cousins team that comes into Cassell having only lost to UVA so far this season. One thing to note though is that they havent played anyone else from P5 Conferences and only San Diego State and Richmond are normally competitive from their schedule so far.
The 'Eers are led in scoring by Junior Forward Devin Williams, (#41) 6'9, 255 Lbs, providing 16.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.6 APG all while shooting 58% from the field. Williams is a monster down low and shoots a respectable 70% from the free throw line. We are going to need Hamilton and Pierce to step up in this game so that Blackshear doesn't get into early foul trouble. Williams is just too much body and size for Leday to match up and not get into foul trouble himself.
Williams is joined in double digit scoring by three teammates, most notably Daxter Miles, (#4) 6'3, 185 Sophomore Guard giving his team 12.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 4.5 APG. Miles and Williams complement each other's game because of how well they pass. Neither of these two are adept at shooting from outside so expect both to focus on finding the open shot down low.
The third WVU player in double figures this season is Jevon Carter,(#2) 6'2, 185 lbs Senior Guard. The Hokies will need Bibbs and Hudson to defend here. Carter is putting up 12.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 3 apg. He is also deadly from the free throw at 87% so not who we want holding the ball with a lead late in the game. Carter is their defensive motor as well, grabbing 2.3 steals per game and just being a constant source of harassment, meeting most point guards at the top of the key and outworking them.
The last double digit scorer for the Moutaineers is Jaysean Paige, (#5) 6'2, 200 Lbs Senior Guard with 10.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 1.4 SPG. Paige is another guard that will constantly have his hand in passing lanes.
As a team, the Mountaineers are averaging an impressive 12 steals per game, and force almost 22 turnovers total per game. If this happens today, the Hokies wont be able to stay close in this game.
The flip side of such a high energy defense is that they also foul quite often, averaging sending their opponents to the line 25 times per game, so with the Hokies offensive game plan, we could see that number spike here to 35 or more attempts. The key will be making them.
Splitting time down low with Williams will be Jonathan Holton(#1) 6'7, 220 Lbs Senior Forward and Elijah Macon, (#45) 6'9, 240 Lbs Sophomore Forward who combine for 15.5 PPG, 11 RPG and are both excellent at body control down low, making it difficult for opponents to get shots in the lane.
The biggest keys for Tech in this game is that Leday, Pierce, Hamilton and Blackshear stay out of foul trouble and provide good interior rebounding and a modicum of scoring. The jump shots have to be there to keep WVU honest or they will just pack the lane and run away with the game. The team as a whole needs to hit 70% of their free throws because they should get plenty of opportunities.
I just don't see how this team, without Clarke, will have enough energy to stay with this Mountaineers team. That's not a knock on the Hokies, this is a really really good Cousins team while we all know where we are in our rebuilding process.
The positives are that this is a sold out game, so the energy from the crowd should be high and that these guys are young enough that Buzz might fire them up enough to steal one here. We are also 17-12 against the Mountaineers in Home games and have won the last two at Cassell. This game will be very telling in how we will approach a lot of the ACC schedule on both ends of the floor, as this is a much bigger roster than many of the teams we have played so far.
Go Hokies, but in the end I think we fall 85-75.
Oh and one more note, the Lady Hokies play at 3 against Furman, and are attempting to close out their OOC slate with a 12-1 record. Go Ladies, rout Furman.
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