Buzzketball Central: Maryland Eastern Shore (1-7) at Virginia Tech Hokies (6-1) 830pm DEC 7 WatchESPN App

IT'S GAMEDAY! #BeatUMES Cassell Coliseum 8:30 PM ACC Network Extra pic.twitter.com/RAjIQhq5dz— VT Men's Basketball (@VT_MBBall) December 7, 2016

5 THINGS | #BeatUMES EDITION @VT_WBBall & @VT_MBBall doubleheader 8:35 PM tip off pic.twitter.com/deJ5ZFBUeP— VT Men's Basketball (@VT_MBBall) December 7, 2016

GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: December 7, 2016 / 8:30 p.m.
Opponent: University of Maryland-Eastern Shore
Site: Blacksburg, Va. (Cassell Coliseum)
Radio: Virginia Tech IMG Sports Network
Talent: Jon Laaser and Mike Burnop
TV/Internet: ACC Network EXTRA/Watch ESPN
Talent: Andrew Allegretta & Mack McCarthy
Live Stats: HokieSports.com
Game Notes: Virginia Tech

Donuts on a String

Buzzketball finally comes home after an extended road trip that saw the Hokies go 3-1 between the Wooden Legacy and the ACC/BIG Challenge. Lets hope that they have recovered and come into this game with a clear mindset of how important these next five games are. All home games, all against opponents they will be favored to beat, and now they need to find the mental fortitude to do just that. No let downs, no hiccups.

It starts tonight with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks, who come in 1-7 on the year with an average margin of loss of over 11 points. Their only win this season was against United States Collegiate Athletic Association member Central Penn. This will be the seventh meeting between Tech and UMES. The Hokies are 6-0 all time, going back to 1982, with our latest meeting in 2014, a 71-46 Hokie Victory.

The Hawks are coached by Bobby Collins, who took over the program in 2014. In his first season, he led the Hawks to an 18-15 record which got UMES into the CIT. Last year though UMES fell off significantly, going 10-22, which has continued into this season. Much of the falloff can probably be attributed to a loss of key personnel that essentially scored 40 PPG last year for Collins. Tough to fill that void in one off season.

Lets all be honest though, scheduling UMES is more about being able to bring Ace Custis back to Cassell Coliseum than anything else. Ace is in his third year as an assistant on Bobby Collins staff. Custis is best known for leading the Hokies to victory in the 1995 NIT over Marquette. He was also just the third Hokie in program history to have 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. His #20 jersey is retired.

Defensively, the Hawks essentially will throw the kitchen sink at Tech. Expect to see combinations of zone, half court man to man, full court slow press and full court pressure depending on where the game stands. They used a full court press against George Washington earlier this year to recover from a 51-33 deficit to eventually lose by 4. They know they don't have the top talent on the floor against almost every opponent so they use their speed and defensive capabilities to at least try to limit bigger, more talented opponents.

Offensively, the Hawks are very similar to Tech. They want to get out and run, essentially trying to get baskets before their opponent is set up in a half-court defense, which then puts UMES at a definitive disadvantage. They lack height and size on this roster, with a center very much like Zach Leday at 6'6, 220 lbs. They do have a handful of players that are able to hit shots from the perimeter, so expect to see an abundance of outside shooting, considering UMES has averaged over 22 attempts from the perimeter so far this season.

What does that mean for the Hokies?

The Hokies have to play their game and not fall into a lull against a very inferior opponent. Buzz hopefully will have reminded these guys how important coming out strong is, considering the first halves Tech had against Michigan and Nebraska. This is a game where they hold an overall size advantage but not so much that it needs to be a focus. Move the ball, get the open shots, hit the open shots, get back and play defense.

The Hokies will likely force the Hawks into playing the entirety of their roster simply by forcing the issue on fouls. The Hawks have five players that average more than 2.5 fouls per contest so far, forcing UMES to reach into their talent deprived bench early and often.

Not to surprising, but one area Tech will need to be extra careful on is limiting turnovers. UMES actually has a small edge over its opponents this season in terms of turnover differential. That said, the Hawks still turn the ball over almost 14 times per contest.

This should be a good game for the Hokies to manage their "licenses" as Buzz discussed during this weeks Tech Talk live. On defensive stops or turnovers, some Hokies have been granted "licenses" from Buzz to try to push the pace in transition offense. He didn't get specific on which players have earned this but it seems pretty evident that Buzz trusts his guys to make good decisions on transition attempts.

Buzz will also probably get his entire roster involved tonight if this contest goes the way it should. Get the big lead, play Donlon, Hamilton, Outlaw, and Galloway at least a good solid five minutes a piece. Probably not all together but you get the idea. Hamilton could probably dominate the interior against this opponent so I wouldn't be surprised to see him in double figures, especially if Seth is penetrating the lane to get him the ball.

Tech should have no problem finding open perimeter shooting, considering the Hawks come into this game ranked 323rd in 3PA%. Opponents shoot better than 40% from outside on this team.

Defensively the Hokies have to be prepared for a Hawks team that just doesn't stop moving. If the UMES bench can do one thing, its move around the half court on a continuous basis. They essentially try to move and pass so much that their opponents start to lag late in the game which gives them better open shots.

Hawks Backcourt

Logan McIntosh, #3, 6'3, 180 lbs plays the point for the Hawks. So far this season he is averaging 11.3PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.9 APG, and 1.1 SPG. He is a terrible perimeter shooter so far this season, hitting just 25% of his shots but inside he is shooting 50% from the field. This kid drives with abandon very similar to Seth Allen. You just never know where he will end up.

Senior Thomas Rivera, #2, 5'11, 165 lbs covers the remainder of the point guard minutes in this offense. Often due to fouls, you will see both Rivera and McIntosh in the game together. Rivera is putting up 6.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 3.4 APG. Rivera is their top perimeter shooter, currently hitting at 47%. Shooting from outside is sometimes his only option with his diminutive size.

Junior Shooting guard, Ryan Andino, #0, 6'2, 175 lbs comes in averaging 13.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 0.8 APG. He also can drain from outside, shooting over 46% from the perimeter.

Catching the rest of the minutes from the Guard positions are Dontae Caldwell, #20, 6'5, 195 lbs who comes in averaging 5.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 0.9 APG as well as

Senior Derrico Peck, #24, 6'5, 204 Lbs who contributes 4.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 0.4 APG.

Missing from this group is Sophomore Ahmad Frost, who is out with a knee injury. He was being counted on to have a big sophomore year to support the guard rotation.

Hawks Frontcourt

Senior Forward Bakari Copeland ,#21, 6'6, 222 lbs leads all scorers for the Hawks. Copeland is putting up 14 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.1 APG while shooting 42% from the field. Leday will essentially be looking in the mirror, to find a less talented but determined opponent underneath. Copeland has had foul troubles, averaging 3.3 per contest, so getting him to the bench early in the first half could be a goal for Buzz.

Tyler Jones, #15, 6'7, 200 lbs. freshman Forward has managed 5.1 PPG, and 1.5 RPG, while shooting 65% from the field in only about 13 MPG. He also has a bit of an outside shot at 41%. Jones has been pressed into service as there is just no big man depth left on this roster behind him with much talent.

After Copeland and Jones, you hit the end of the bench to find any other bigs.

What to expect from UMES?

The Hawks play predominantly a half court man to man. So far UMES is averaging about 7 steals per game but forcing opponents into over 15 turnovers per game so this is a major component of their defensive strategy. Limiting their opponents shot total allows the Hawks to try to stay in the game.

In a half court set, the Hawks are very limited offensively. They have three players who average double figure scoring and not much behind them in terms of depth. Limit any of those three due to foul trouble and UMES will indeed have a nightmare scoring.

Rebounding wise, the Hawks numbers are fairly terrible, with about 33 per game, this is where their complete lack of size on the roster comes heavily into play. UMES has one bench player at 6'8 and one developing freshman at 6'7, and it only goes down from there.

This is a case of an opponent that is extremely outmatched in terms of size, speed, and talent. If UMES is in this game after the ten minute mark, it has much more to do with how poorly Tech is playing than anything UMES might be bringing to Cassell.

The Hokies

The Hokies need to methodically pull away from this opponent as the game goes along. They need to demolish one word in their opponent's vocabulary, "hope" and be able to use the latter part of the second half as a great experience builder for those Hokies that rarely get minutes.

Ball control, ball control, ball control. Focus on this, and play the game the way Buzz wants them to and this game should turn into a laugher. Come out flat, giving the ball away and this scrappy opponent will be right there to remind you that it's any given Wednesday night. Tech can't afford any Wednesday night. We just have to hope Tech doesn't play to their opponents.

Advantages at every turn, Tech needs to ensure that they utilize them to take the air out of this game. No first chance, let alone a second chance for this opponent. Hit your shots, both inside and out, have a field day underneath with a huge height advantage, and rack up those assists.

Highlight of the Michigan Game

Highlight of the game goes to the team. This was a team effort, even if Leday did most of the heavy lifting. This was a game they could have easily laid down on after the way the first half went. Everyone would have pointed to the long trip, not sleeping in their own beds, the atmosphere being too big. Instead, the Hokies are talking about a win, and the potential to reach the top 25 by the end of the month.

Closing

This game will seem like kids coming out of a cannon in the early going as both teams love to run. If Tech gets a big lead though, expect to see UMES try to slow the pace exponentially.

If things go as they should, Buzz should be able to use his entire bench for much of this game. One thing I would love to see only if just to see it would be Leday, Hamilton and Sy in the game at the same time. They could play keep away from UMES until the final couple seconds of a shot clock and then lay it in or dunk it home.

Winning the perimeter battle should ensure the Hokies a victory tonight. I am not advocating just throwing up bombs to throw up bombs but hitting enough to balance out the attack.

Tech drowns the Hawks, and continues to hit its free throws as they pull away in the first ten minutes and close well to win this one 91-63.

: How Buzz Transformed Virginia TechFull Story: https://t.co/EAaWPeGcvj pic.twitter.com/b3JvQP0WMv— Hokies Basketball (@Hokie_Hoops) December 2, 2016