IT'S GAMEDAY!🏀 #BeatMSU 📍 Cassell Coliseum🕐 1 PM EST📺 ACC Network Extra💻 https://t.co/jCWtzv29Hw pic.twitter.com/oAL4D2apXq— VT Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) November 25, 2017
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: November 25, 2017 / 1 p.m.
Opponent: Morehead State
Site: Blacksburg, Virginia (Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum)
Radio: Virginia Tech IMG Sports Network
Talent: Jon Laaser & Mike Burnop
TV/Internet: ACC Network Extra
Talent: Jay Burnham & Mack McCarthy
Live Stats: HokieSports.com
Game Notes: Virginia Tech
Effort and Energy?
The virtue of strength is determined by how it's used...💪🏾— Buzz Williams (@TeamCoachBuzz) November 24, 2017
Buzzketball is now 4-1 on the season, with another thrashing of an inferior opponent that will just drag down their RPI all season, but I digress. The have another such opponent this afternoon so the challenge for Buzz is getting this team up for a post-Thanksgiving snoozer with a minimal crowd at Cassell due to the Holidays. Hopefully we don't see the sluggish brand of basketball that beset the Hokies on several occasions this season.
The Eagles come to Cassell with a 1-3 record, having suffered losses to #17 Xavier, Lipscomb, and IUPUI. Their sole win so far is over Marshall. The Eagles are giving up an average of 82 points per game so far. All signs point to a fourth 100+ point game for the Hokies after coming up short in their last contest by one point. These two teams have met one time in 1975 with the Hokies winning that contest.
The Eagles are coached by Preston Spradlin. He has been the head coach at Morehead State for since mid-season last year. He is 13-12 as a head coach, but after this game, the Eagles have several get right games ahead before playing Butler as their last strong Out of Conference contest. Spradlin has been at Morehead State since 2014 as an assistant coach, and this is his only coaching stop so far. He was the director of basketball operations at Kentucky prior to Morehead State, so he took many lessons with him from working for Calipari. Spradlin taking over last year did manage to get the Eagles to a second place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Defensively, the Eagles utilize a high pressure defense especially around the perimeter, as they focus on preventing clean looks. They also are quite adept at forcing turnovers, averaging over 23 a game last season although so far this season they are just above 15 per contest.
Offensively, they utilize the Dribble Drive Motion Offense so the Hokies should expect a constant rotation of guards across the top of the key and lane. The ballhandler pushes the ball for a layup and if not challenged he continues for a layup. If his path is blocked, he kicks the ball out to the open man for either a shot on the perimeter or a reset of the offense. Driving lanes are created by great spacing and constant hunting of open areas for kick-outs. The Hokies will need to ensure they protect the paint but are able to defend their assigned shooter.
What does that mean for the Hokies?
The Hokies should be in control of this contest from the beginning. As long as they come out with the necessary energy, this opponent just doesn't have the personnel at this point to provide much competition. The Eagles have a significant personal foul problem so far this season. They have six players averaging more than 3 fouls per contest and two more starters at 2.8 fouls per contest. Doesn't leave you much left on the floor with so many bench spots taken up.
This opponent will challenge the perimeter shot so it will be interesting to see how the Hokies react to that, considering they are averaging 22 attempts from outside per game. One surprising note, the Hokies opponents have actually attempted more threes than the Hokies so far this season. The difference of course is on the shooting percentage. The Hokies are shooting 51% from outside, on 56 of 110 shooting. Their opponents are only managing to shoot 34% on 39 of 116 shooting.
The Eagles are a much smaller roster, so Blackshear will look like a giant down low. The tallest Eagles are 6'7, although one stats website has a lovely Bucky Hodges-esque typo saying guard Adrian Hicks is 9 feet tall. While having a high advantage is nice, it also means more nimble defenders down low so Blackshear should not be trying to put the ball on the floor as it opens Tech up to turnovers.
The Eagles are a team that would like to rely on its starters but are not because everyone is in foul trouble. Right now, only two Morehead State starters are averaging 30 minutes or more a game. Regardless of who they are putting out there, they are terrible shooting the ball this season. As a team they are managing only 38% from the floor, but do manage to shoot free throws at 75% as a team. The Eagles perimeter shooting is even worse, managing just 29% on 19 attempts per game. The Hokies should focus on forcing bad shots rather than risking foul trouble.
Eagles Backcourt
Sophomore Jordan Walker, #2, 6'1, 177 lbs is the leading scorer for the Eagles, averaging 13.2 PPG, 3 RPG, and 2.2 APG. He is shooting 35% from the field and 84% from the stripe so a prime candidate to let shoot contested buckets rather than put on the line. He also averages a troubling 4 turnovers per contest and 3.3 personal fouls per game as well.
Junior Adrian Hicks, #0, 6', 185 lbs, of rumored 9 feet in height is scoring 9.5 PPG, 3 RPG, 2.8 APG and 1 SPG in 31.5 minutes per game. He is shooting 38% from the floor and 58% from the line. He is turning the ball over 3.8 times per game and racking up 2.8 fouls per game.
Sophomore Djimon Henson, #32, 6'3, 189 lbs another struggling from the field. He is putting up 8.3 PPG and 3.8 RPG. He is shooting 34% from the field and 77% from the line with 1.3 turnovers per game and 2.8 fouls per contest.
Eagles Frontcourt
Junior Forward Lamontray Harris, #13, 6'7, 210 lbs is averaging 25 minutes per game so far, while putting up 9.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 1.3 APG. He is shooting 35% from the field and 84% from the line, so definitely another let him shoot rather than put him on the line guy. His issue is much like the Tech bigs, in foul trouble. So far he is averaging 3.8 personal fouls per contest while also giving the ball away 2.3 times per contest.
Freshman Malek Green, #12, 6'5, 216 lbs is the future for the Eagles. He is averaging 8.8 PPG, 5 RPG, and 1.3 BPG while shooting 60% overall and 50% from outside. His one weakness is his 67% from the line. This is the only real threat to have a very big night against the Hokies with his ability to hit from outside while also being able to drive the lane. He is also the only Eagle starter not averaging more than 1 turnover per game but is racking up 3 fouls per contest.
Sophomore Londell King, #1, 6'7, 220 Lbs, is the sixth man for this roster that does good work down low. He is averaging 6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 1.5 BPG. He is only the second main contributor that is shooting better than 40% from the floor. He is putting the ball in at 42% but like Green, struggles at the line at 67%. King seems to be dealing with some kind of injury limiting his time on the court.
What to expect from Morehead State?
High intensity defense geared towards forcing bad perimeter shooting and creating turnovers. This team will crash the lane constantly with guards while regularly trying to get the ball in the hands of open shooters.
So far they struggle to shoot the ball anywhere but the free throw line so that combined with foul trouble could make for a very long night for the Eagles. It could be like watching the UVA and VT offenses playing football.
This is a young opponent that will not quit, so even if the game gets out of hand score wise, they will continue to compete. This is just a case of too much opponent for where this team is at right now. Give Coach Spradlin a couple years and his recruiting talents will make Morehead State a much stronger team. They have the building blocks in Green and Henson.
The Hokies
Take what the opponent gives you and put this game away early and often. The Hokies have no reason they shouldn't reach 100 points in this contest unless Buzz puts in the end of the bench for significant minutes. Even then, they might still get there. Opponents are shooting 50% from the field against this team so execute your offense and the result will take care of itself.
Blackshear should get a healthy result if he stays down in the blocks. I would expect an easy double- double for him in terms of points and rebounds. The other player I could see having a solid scoring game for a change is Chris Clarke, who will have a better chance of making his layups in this one.
Nickiel Alexander-Walker should also return to prominence in this game with his ability to attack the basket. He came back to earth after the first two contests so is only averaging 16.6 points per game but could easily surpass the 20 point mark again in this one.
It could be interesting to see how this team functions if they are not able to make double digit perimeter shots. If that is the case then the overall score may not reach the century mark but it shouldn't impact the final outcome
Highlight of the Houston Baptist Game
#kicksofthegame » @Wabissa_B11 #BeatMSU#getBETTER pic.twitter.com/RY5j4Xl3ME— VT Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) November 25, 2017
Wabissa Bede responds to Buzz' challenge to improve his free throw shooting by going 6 for 6, while putting up 13 points in 11 minutes on the floor. He hit his lone perimeter attempt while also getting two rebounds and an assist.
In Closing
Do the Hokies come out with the energy they are capable of or do they come out looking bored with basketball? Which of these versions is out there really impacts the type of game we will watch, but still probably doesn't affect the outcome.
This game should be before the Eagles get off the bus but they still have to play the game. All signs point to a big Hokies win, with a fourth game over 100 points. The Eagles will put the effort in so if the Hokies mess around they could find themselves the same place they were when they played St Louis but even that unfortunately is a stretch. The Eagles just don't shoot the ball well enough to stay in this contest long term.
Hokies 117 – Eagles 71
Comments
There was a sighting!
Interesting to see the guys using the press defense so early. I have to wonder if Buzz thinks this will get the energy up and get these guys out of the funk from the first half last game.
They've also struggled so bad defensively this year... Might be trying something new to see if it works.
Frustrating to see Blackshear struggle against a much smaller opponent in terms of getting inside. He needs an extra dose of aggression.
Richmond area, on any channel? Sometimes we are lucky.
Internet only on this one I am pretty sure. Not even available today on XM/Sirius
Team seems to be on track. 51 points in the first half. More than doubled their opponents output. Drew 10 personal fouls. 12 of 14 from free throw line.
Scrubs once again cost them the Century Mark, 96-63 final. Team was solid throughout both halves. It was a complete game for once.
I'm happy with the end result. Overall concerned with how ACC play will go when it starts and if we'll be ready to respond when we go up against defenses that can hit us in the mouth.
Bring on Iowa!
Wait. They already played the game?!?
Smdh
I thought Horne played better D than Blachsheat, despite being much smaller. I love Wilson, but the announcers keep saying he can guard any position right before he gets abused by a PF.
Horne is a better defender than Blackshear. Blackshear is too hesitant to assert himself down low. It really could get ugly against ACC big men because when he hesitates he picks up unnecessary fouls. Horne plays harder because he is giving up quite a bit of size and realizes if he doesnt time things right he is going to be out of position to use his athleticism that allows him to play bigger opponents.