Since it has only been a few days since we played Syracuse, I thought I would just update this post. I have updated the tables and made a few corrections in the text. New text is bold; revised text is strike through.
The Hokies play Syracuse at noon 9PM in the Cassell Carrier Dome. The game will be on the Regional Sports Network ACC Network. Syracuse is 10-7 8-6 with losses at home to UVA to start the season and also at home to Penn State(no 21) and Iowa(no 23). They also lost at home to Oklahoma St and Notre Dame. They also lost at Georgetown(receiving votes). Syracuse is not the dominant team we have seen in some years; but they are still very good and they still play that suffocating zone defense. All the teams they lost to have dropped out of the Top 25 and into the others receiving votes category, including VT. Since our game they beat UVA at UVA in OT and Boston College.
As usual the Hokies will be facing a taller team.
Syracuse is also a very good 3 pt shooting team. They shoot 42% 41% overall and 38% 37% from 3 in ACC games. But they have allowed 38% 41% overall and 28%34% from 3. Their defense has gotten better.
Surprisingly, given their height, Syracuse has been out-rebounded by none4 per game.
The Hokies have the talent to win this game; but they have the youth to play tight and lose. Hopefully, they can recover from their experience at UVA and shoot closer to their average. If they score from 3, they should win this one. But to do that, they need to solve the Syracuse zone. Keeping the ball moving and some inside presence will be important.
Good defense is going to be a challenge against this tall team that also shoots the 3 very well. if Tech tries to collapse and help against the bigs, Boeheim and Girard may shoot a lot of easy 3's. They need to be very careful not to leave too many easy 3 pt shots if they want to stay in this game.
There is probably more concern about our offense, though. Another big game in a historic setting. Hope the lights are not too bright for our young players to relax and play their game. If Cone and Radford continue to shoot well, the offense should be ok against the Syracuse zone. Radford has become the guy who can play behind that zone and force them back from the 3 point line.
Stats for the stats guys:
Go Hokies!
Comments
By the way. I don't have any special BBall knowledge other than I like to watch VT sports. I only put these up because the real Hoops Whiz is too busy having a life to provide true insight and perspective. So, if you think I'm full of it on any of my comments, you're probably correct. Feel free to provide your own insight. The community would benefit from other perspectives.
The community appreciates what you do and I thank you for providing the platform for those so inclined to more easily provide their insight and perspective.
Updated to provide a forum for today's game. Tables are updated with up to date data and comments have been revised slightly. I thought this game was recent enough that using the same thread might make sense.
VT hasn't won at Syracuse since the mid-70's. If they can find their shooting stroke again, they should be able to combat the 2-3 zone. I think this is going to be a higher scoring game. A good road test for the young team.
So you're saying they need to hit more open looks than they did against UVA...
Also, preferably, PJ Horne doesn't shoot any more threes.
Me Saturday:
Dang, PJ missed a wide open 3. He usually makes those.
Dang, PJ missed another. Keep shooting, it will fall eventually.
Dang, he's got to make at least one of them. Laws of gravity are on his side...i think
Dang, PJ is old enough to drink til he forgets, right?
You forgot the last one - Dang, I am old enough to drink til I forget, right?
Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, and Steph Curry would go 4-56 from three against Tony Bennett- magically. It's like they have a secret code nobody can break? Or they foul every possession.
To be fair, if it were today, Reggie Miller would probably be playing for UVA.
"Hold my beer" - Sincerely UMBC
Seriously though, I thought CMY did an incredible job of getting his guys open looks, especially early, but they simply didn't fall.
I think UVA picked whom to leave open. And they "chose wisely."
My point... open looks fall consistently against 321 division 1 teams... against UVA not so much
This is sneakily a big game. Up to now we've won the games we should (+Mich. St.) and lost when expected (against three top 20 opponents and a top 40 BYU team we played on short rest in Maui). Tonight will be the best indicator of whether we're a top half or bottom half ACC team this year. It's only one game, but we play Syracuse again in 11 days and I won't feel great about our chances in the two intervening games (NC State and Wake) if we can't juice the Orange.
oh yippee, another game on the ACCN that I won't get due to the awesome reach of the decade too slow planning. I was thinking the other day that I haven't kept up with basketball nearly as much as I used to and this is why. I used to get the games through all of the regional sports channels. So far the ACCN has been a net negative on my ACC fan experience.
What provider are you using? I've gotten all the games so far (or at least the ones I cared to watch...not sure about the early cupcake non-conference games). I'm using YouTube TV
Yeah I'm using Hulu Live and I've gotten pretty much every VT game football & Basketball even though I live in Texas. And the ones that I don't see on Hulu's website I can find by going to watch ESPN and logging in with my Hulu credentials
In my opinion, Hulu live's UI is absolute garbage. While we did get most games that we wanted, we found that we absolutely could not wait to drop the service.
Been using YouTube tv the past two weeks and it's so much better.
I'm here in the Carrier Dome. Anyone else?
Go Boston College!
4:00 into game. 4 total points. Yikes...it's gonna be one of "those".
Just showed stats. We're shooting 6-19 FGs...but have 7 points. Not sure that math checks out.
Ace ESPN squad.
Bede looks really good in the middle of the zone. Finding the looks that we need.
edit: anddd I jinxed it
Cattor fouled how there?
Was breathing near the guy.
Seems like he got a makeup call on that push a few minutes later on the offensive end
It always seems like Syracuse plays in a library. No crowd energy at all.
For such a historically good program they really have the worst bball venue of any P5 team
Dolezaj is tough to defend. But we look well prepared for the 'Cuse zone, and I like seeing Alleyne more involved on O.
PJ really has Steph Curry confidence.
How many has he missed in a row? 11?
Horne was one of our best 3 point shooters for the first quarter of the season, the whole team goes cold, and he gets all the blame for shooting them?
No, I'm not blaming him at all, if anything it was just playing around. Only way to heat back up is to keep shooting. As a team, we just can't shoot right now.
He did shoot more threes than anyone last game by a wide margin, and missed them all.
So OBJ is here at the game...
why tho
No clue. Cuse is not a nice city
Not sure if Horne will ever shoot his way out of this. He has a pretty wonky shot, a là Ahmed Hill. When you play tougher competition that closes out on jumpshots faster, it makes it very difficult to nail wonky jumpshots.
He's been so wide open he has plenty of time to take his shot. He's just in a slump
I feel defense has been good. Cuse has made some very contested shots.
Shooting 50% overall and 3. We're 42% and 23%. Need to make our shots.
That acc 3 point shot record cost everything
Dude this is atrocious. What the heck is going on!? I am patiently waiting for the cold streak to end and it never does. This coupled with "over the back" not existing for Syracuse apparently I can't do it .
James Johnson
You're welcome everybody
Seems like we are too reliant on the 3. When its not falling we can't manufacture points. Wish we had a scoring threat at PG. I miss Justin Robinson
If we're going to play small and play imagination, a prime JRob, and prime Seth allen on this team would be fun
Nolley bricking shots he made in his sleep last month. Fuuuuuuuugggg
Ojiako isn't even jumping to get defensive rebounds. For a team that is vertically challenged, it seems we should be trying to get up as high as possible when grabbing rebounds.
5-22 from 3. We can't win like that.
Would like to see a faster Pace to get down before the zone sets on the breaks
My god this is frustrating. I know they're young. I know we're rebuilding. But shit, we can't buy a bucket.
Also,I think it is safe to assume that Nolley will not be going to the NBA next year. Hopefully her stays at VT
JALEN CONE WITH THE STEEL CHAIR
Make that two four-point steel chairs!
Cone, with the threes.
16 points.
Cone's form on his jumpshot reminds me a lot of Bede's... Except it actually goes in.
And we are now on fire where has this come from
VT back in this.
Awesome.
Finally, an over the back call.
Our defense has looked pretty solid.
I love the fly by on Cone's second 3...that dude missed by miles.
I'm also glad we've found the entry pass to the open baseline player.
Go Hokies!
Radford!!! This guy can leap (like Chris Clarke??)!!
Well, bye, Dolejai
Boeheim needs to get a grip.
Don't let the crowd have affect
I love it when the refs make the right call
Rare enough to be a novelty.
VT doing well with rebounds.
That was a bad possession.. c'mon Hokies!
Don't let them back in this!
Just noticed Cuse only has played 6 players
Amazing, since a guy fouled out.
Unfortunately, they're all a foot taller than our guys.
That whole last series would have been different if they called the over the back when Radford was climbed over for a rebound!
CONE!!'
Player of the game.
Cone with another 3 pointer.
Only fitting since Cone started the turn around. Minus a couple shots he's had a great night
Also, if Bede were the 3/4 the shooting threat that JRob was, this game would probably be over at this point.
I get that we need him but Bede is so frustrating to watch sometimes.
In what world would that NOT be a foul?
Wow, that possession was awesome!
PJ. Steph Curry Confidence.
Horne has done a great job improving his shooting. I'm not sure where the announcer got the "only 1-2" stat.
That was the stat coming into the season. He had one three, but wrongly said it was his stat for this season.
I know MY likes his guys shooting, but after his hot start to the season Horne has been abysmal from the arc. MY might want to tamper down his shooting from out there.
They kept dragging our 3pt shooting in the UVA game....we were 4-25, but Horne was 0-9 with lots of wide open shots. It wasn't like our actual shooters were that bad in the game.....the other guys just couldn't get open.
Just looked and since the duke game where he was 3 for 8, he has been 1 for 20 since......
2 for 20 since Duke, plus 0-3 in this game. That's partly shaded by being ice cold and still taking 9 shots vs UVA, but yeah, he needs to find that range again. Made us very effective against bigger lineups.
Clemson 1-4 (1-4) 25%
Coppin St 3-4 (4-8) 50%
USC Upstate 1-2 (5-10) 50%
Lehigh 2-4 (7-14) 50%
Del. St. 1-3 (8-17) 47%
Mich St. 2-2 (10-19) 53%
Dayton 1-2 (11-21) 52%
BYU 3-4 (14-25) 56%
Duke 3-8 (17-33) 52%
Chatt 0-3 (17-36) 47%
G-Webb 1-3 (18-39) 46%
VMI 0-4 (18-43) 42%
UMES 1-1 (19-44) 43%
UVA 0-9 (19-53) 36%
SYR 0-3 (19-56) 34%
My apologies to Horne.....I missed the one game when looking back at the box scores. He's made 2 for 23 actually
In the UVA game, too much of the offense's motion was predicated on Horn at the top of the key. UVA quit guarding him, he missed a lot of open looks and the 4 other Hokies played against 5 defenders.
In the Syracuse game, VT went away from this formation and Horn hitting the baseline jumpers really helped the offense get going (plus Cone going off).
So much for indisputable evidence to overturn
He deserved at least 3 points for that. Oh well.
Let's make some FTs Hokies!!!
That's great coaching to double Hughes early in the last two possessions.
Let's Go!!!!
Hokies!
VT with the win!
That was a lot of fun to watch. Cone was the man!
FAM
Hahaha fuck you, Boeheim
Honestly thought this one was over at half. What a turnaround. Go Hokies!
Great win. Some great stuff from the young guys
Cone will be a beast by the time his days are done.
What a turn around for this game.
Great post game interview with Cone. Very well spoken and humble.
Yeah, I really like Cone.
He's a hell of a player. Freshman coming in and playing like that? In the Carrier Dome? What a great experience.
Just watched Jalen Cone post game interview......love this guy. Interview was almost as great as watching him knock down threes like crazy.
Yall might wanna scroll thru
I love our fans.
Boeheim was out coached once the Hokies got the lead. You see so many teams fight and claw to a one possession game and then take a bad shot or have a turnover that kills momentum. Props to the team for taking time to get good possessions to get that lead. Was 7-8 and went from down 5 to up 7.
Tyrece Radford out rebounding dudes a foot taller than him. Absolutely love his effort and style of play.
I thought we were well on our way to a repeat of the loluva game. We couldn't buy a basket and then Cone went off and we were off and running. Great final 10 minutes! We have two road ACC wins already. Now we just have to defend the Cassell. LET'S GO!!
Wow! MY can f'ing coach! We're in good hands. Commentators the whole game kept shitting on our offense and were amazed we were in the game........they didn't mention our defense hardly at all. The only reason the Cuse were up at half was because they drained some unbelievably highly contested high arcing threes....like 4 or 5 of them.
Those shots didn't fall in the second half. Cone was huge.......I think Radford was huger (not a word, but going with it). Landers is the scorer, Alleyne is a good piece, Bede a distributor, Horne u never know, but Radford is the soul of this team in my opinion........he is a 6'1" Dennis Rodman
That is now two big time ACC road wins already for this team that is the 2nd youngest and 3rd shortest in D1 basketball. MY has to be on the short list for coach of the year.
Watching Jim Boeheim gesticulate and whine on the sidelines makes me really appreciate Mike Young.
First win in the Dome since Mike Vick 2000
It took awhile but the team was able to figure out how to beat Cuse's zone, which is pretty impressive considering how young we are. Most teams that inexperienced would have just kept chucking up and missing 3s like we were in the 1st half. Cone stepping up being aggressive really helped getting things going getting points for himself and opening up lots of good looks in the middle part of the zone and along the baseline for others. Missed that kind of aggression in the last game against UVA when shots weren't falling and while Cuse is not the caliber of team UVA is, its an encouraging sign to see the team be able to recognize a similar situation and make adjustments.
Also Fuck Jim Boeheim.
Let's go
HOKIES!!!
I never looked at the thread during the first game so I thought there was an all out flame war going on in here at 9am on a Saturday.
Jim Boeheim retired last night and Syracuse has announce that Justin Fuente is their leading candidate to be their next head basketball coach. Fuente has announce that he and his wife will be interviewing up at Syracuse later today, as well as house hunting. Timing couldn't have been worse.
#meToo
Edit: in response to VT_Fencer
Tech Syracuse 2 Electric Boogaloo
So is this on ACC Network Xtra or a RSN or both? This is frustrating because I have still been blacked out from time to time
RSN. Will be blacked out on ACCNX
I'm watching on the ESPN app in northern VA on Appletv, but the broadcast is coming through as fox.
weird
It's on espnapp outside Charlottesville
CONE ZONE BABY
On YES network in northeast. 576 on FIOS.
Fuck Boehiem screaming at his kid like that. Dick.
Just imagine if the ncaa would have made cone eligible for this team last year.
What should have been.
Cone was a junior at Walkertown High School last season. Nolley was the ineligible player last season.
Just a joke
I think you mean Nolley. Cone should be a high school senior this year.
I was kidding guys! I know that jalen is only 15
I hope we tear them a new one again today so that somebody can repost that picture of the photoshopped pornos ad that was on the twitters
Refs loving their whistles today.
Cuse keeps dribbling to the 10-12 foot range and then pulling up over our shorter defenders. Hopefully we can adjust defensively in the second half.
I'm always amused how fouls in the ACC always seem to even out, regardless of the style of play.
Nolley ice cold from three. If he can find his shot, we should be able to take control.
These announcers are licking every inch of Boeheims dick today
dude is a walking bucket right now I dont blame them
Dude, the guy is nuclear right now. What else are they supposed to talk about?
question: how do you get tickets in the unused seats behind the visitors bench? when we play the far away ACC teams, syracuse, miami, gt, bc, fla st, these seats seldom are full. just wondering.
You don't. I sat there one time with my Louisville buddy who got the seats from the Louisville SID.
Like the above says, you can't unless you have a connection with the other team's athletic department. Tech has said on several occasions that they are for the opposing teams family/fans and they can't sell them. I believe they are entirely distributed by the opponents athletic department.
Get Wilkins out of the game
Boeheim has 15 points acting like he's KD
We need to burn a few fouls bangin buddy around a little bit.
Or run at him a bunch on O and try to get him to pick up a few...
Refs swallowed the whistle on both ends of the court there...
Buddy Boeheim might become the new, less tenanted, Tyler Hansbrough in terms of unlikableness. Why is he shaking his head and laughing so much?
And smacking the floor.....
Man we look completely disinterested in trying to work hard today. Way way too much standing around on offense
Agreed, zero energy
Plenty of time left
'Radford not a shooter'. Yeah only the top FG% in the conference. The color guy is a moron.
The color guy said that we needed a shooter at the free throw line in the soft spot of the zone. Radford is not a jump shooter. He gets all of his points around the basket.
It was in reference to a point blank shot that Radford missed. His bread and butter. Also took the play by play guy to point out that passing the ball on the perimeter is a strategy to wear out the short bench that Syracuse uses. The color guy is supposed to know this stuff. He is terrible.
You do not insult Waynesboro YMCA legend Corey Alexander like that sir.
no cheerleaders?
Are the High Techs there at least?
don't see them on TV
halftime observations: Tech just needs to make some baskets! Our field goal percentage is only 33.3%. But we have 9 assist on 10 made shots. We only have 2 turnovers. And we have nobody in major foul trouble (Wilkins has two). We're down by 7 on rebounds 22 - 15, all defensive. This is due to poor FG%. Come out in the second half and make some shots and put some pressure on Boeheim and we have a chance. Go Hokies!!!
Need to get the ball inside more to get some fouls on the Syracuse starters.
yeah... we've been out scored 16-2 in the paint
Cheerleaders sighted
Edit: lol wrong subthread
10-4! looks like 6 or 8 of them!
Nolley especially needs to start producing. 0-5 from three 2-8 overall. We need him to step up.
He's not having a good game on D either
nobody even guards Bede. sad
We calling fouls on VT for good defense now
Wilkins dude 🤦♂️
Refs taking over the game as we're trying to get back in it.
Won't even let us play D
Nolley train pulling into the station!
6-9 from deep in the second half. Gotta stay hot
If they pull this out I'm putting WiFi extenders in my Caddy.
HOW IS THAT A FOUL
Teams that are known for "elite defense" like UVA would never be called for that. Bede had his arms straight up in legal guarding position and the shooter pulled up into Bede.
Nolley is a turnover machine right now
That's his big weakeness so far this season
ALL BALL WTF
The whistle will be our demise today
Ref ball mode fully activated. The last three shooting fouls against us have been horse shit.
SMH...
That should have been an over the back call, and if not Boheim should be getting teased by everyone in Cassell for getting the ball swatted right back into his face, not rewarded with freethrows? Was that 5'9" Jalen Cone on the block?
Nolley is having an awful game
I've never come on here and complained about the refs but that last over the back no call did it in for me. Total BS. Add our 2nd half TO's and you've got a loss in the making. Great play to get close to taking the lead, but above two factors has put this to an 8 point game.
I should complain on here more.
BOOM AND BOOM!!!!
Is that a Hank Beamer fathead??
Here we go!
Feels like the first time they have looked for the baseline cutting man on the inlet pass all day. Way too many passes came into the paint and whatever Hokie received the pass has his back to the basket and his eyes on the 3 point line or top of the key.
1 point deficit, c'mon boys!
Gotta make that free throw
Bede's got to make the FTs.
Who is Wabeesee Bede? Is he the brother or cousin of Wabisa?
Have you ever seen the two of them in the same room?
Who takes the last shot?
Lol what the fuck was that Nolley
That was one of the most brainless shots I've ever seen VT attempt. Good god
Why did he do that?????😂😂
What the hell was that?
So we're down by 1 and the best play we have is a contested 27 footer? Nolley has to make that extra pass.
Wow... really?? That's the play???
Fucking stupid nolley 😐
Nolley had a terrible game and then ices it with that
Just an all around stupid game from him. Almost looked like he was not interested at all in playing today.
Frumius Bandersnatch!
Perfidy and outrage!!
Nolley single handedly lost the game today
We didn't lose because of Nolley. It was more a chess match (well, maybe checkers because it wasn't that complicated) of trying to find the right guard to post up in the middle of the zone. That shot was open all game and no matter who we played, we could not attack that point consistently. Bede isn't a scoring threat and he too often wouldn't even look to shoot. In the 2nd half (really about halfway into the 1st), Cuse wasn't even guarding him so whoever had the ball was facing a constant double team. Radford looked to shoot that FT line shot a few times, but he missed. Just didn't have it today. Wilkins didn't fair much better in that spot, but gave up more on the defensive end than Bede/Radford so every combo was a wash.
That was the key to the game that lost it for us. We had the zone beat by getting the ball into the middle of the zone in the FT area and either our guys couldn't hit the shot or failed to see the cutter moving along the baseline for the easy 2. The ball would get passed back out resulting in a much harder shot (we did hit more of them in the 2nd half though).
Still, WTF Nolley !?!? Chill out. You're not Steph Curry. You're not hitting that from the logo.
He had 3 turnovers when it was 55-53 Syracuse and then they open the game to 66-58
I hear ya. But we still closed it to a one possession game after that. He didn't play well, but he's not the sole reason we lost. If he had those 3 turnovers and that awful shot all consecutive plays at the end of the game with the score the way it was, you'd have a point. But he didn't play well, the others didn't play well, and we still had an opportunity to win the game. That was a collective failure.
There's no fucking way that was the play call.
Absolutely none.
We had 10 seconds and he throws up a prayer from the center Court logo with 7 seconds left. Just unreal
Freshman. = Ups and downs
They will bounce back
Mike Young's blank faced reaction was the proof
Come on man, a contested two in the middle at least you have a shot at the free throws!
I kinda thought we'd just go right at them and force them to defend or foul
Can't let that be the last shot, have rarely had a chance at an offensive board all day, the pass needed to come into the paint and out to the wings if there wasn't a open two from 8-10 feet out like there has been all damn day..
woulda, coulda, shoulda
Holy shit Nolley. Talent doesn't excuse a bonehead play like that. You should NEVER shoot that shot, let alone in that situation. If he hits Radford there instead of jacking it up, we win the game.
Yeah it was a bad shot but missed free throws put us there.
I mean they missed a lot of free throws they usually make too. You get the situation you're in
we were 4-8, 50%. If we had been 70% like they were it would have given us 2 more points... tie game... overtime.
I know Nolley is our best player but that was an outright selfish play... 7+ seconds left to run the play and he wanted to play hero. SMDH.
He isn't our best player though just the most talented. 5-16 and 3-13 from three, theres your proof on the selfishness
then who's our best player?
No doubt, Nolley's our best player. Hands down.
Bede is clearly the most important player, but Tyrece Radford has really stepped up his game and is making a difference all over the floor. Nolley has the potential to be the best on the team and one of the best in the conference but I'll take efficiency over straight numbers any day of the week.
Plus there's a lot more to playing well than just scoring points
to be clear, you think Bede and/or Radford is better than Nolley?
Who's the "best" player is completely subjective. To me best means most important to winning. That's who OUR best player is. Most talented is something different, that's clearly Nolley. But is he more important to us winning? No. So yes in that way I think both Bede and Radford are better than Nolley
I guess agree to disagree.... IMO we have a lot more losses without Nolley than we do without Bede or Radford
Agree to disagree
Have to give Syracuse a lot of credit. They made a lot of contested shots. We helped them by missing a lot of open shots.
And by paying the refs less to not get the same foul calls against Cuse that we were getting on us with straight arms and all ball.
We had the ability to win this game no matter how the refs called it
100% did. The refs aren't to blame for bad second half turnovers and missing wide open 2s all game long.
Man, that was one we let slip away. I feel like if we'd have scored two more points at the end there, we'd have won.
Maybe that will be a learning lesson for Nolley.
If Nolley is going to be a 1 and done player, he needs to put the team on his back in games like this. Today he was just one of the players and not a particular good player.
Yeah, if we can take any solitude, it should be that Nolley may realize he has things he can work on, particularly putting the ball on the floor, and decide that he wants to round out his game before moving on. We could be very good next year.
Really don't see him leaving after this year. Has he even been on any mock drafts?
He's not on any 2020 mocks that I've seen, but quite a few have him as a mid-late first rounder in 2021.
Yeah I see him here two years just like NAW which has me very excited for next year.
Some post game news. CMY provided an update on Kabongo who hasn't played this year
Coach Mike Young is the man
Huh? Sure sounds like the players (multiple FR, including Nolley) didn't run the play CMY called.
Glad he takes ownership for not preparing his players adequately, but that was not a coaching botch...
Wouldn't have needed that look if the refs called the clear goal tending earlier. Sucks we were in that position, but that non goal tending call was huge. I think it would have cut us to 5 pts at that point in time......turned out to be pretty big in a 1 pt game down the stretch before we had to foul and they got the last free throw. Maybe they were the ones having to foul if that call was made. Coulda woulda though. This team is still fun to watch and I think they may squeak into the round of 64. If they do then MY should be coach of the year without question.
BTW never re-use a game thread ever again
Agree. Not only was it awkward, it was harder than creating a new thread.