2022-23 Hokie Hoops Statistical Notes: Volume 5

The Men's Team

Boy, isn't it?

We lose a close road game against a team with a pathetic home crowd, and lose our starting SG to "day-to-day."

Still, the Hokies managed to go 2-1 in the last triad of games, closing the conference slate at a pretty impressive 10-1, and 11-2, overall. Oh, that one loss, was on the road against a team that is currently dancing according to Lunardi. Both losses on the season have come against teams that are rated in KenPom Top 25 for Luck.

Scoring
As a team, the Hokies put up just one point shy of 70 per game over this frame. Once again, starting PG Sean Pedulla has led the team in scoring with 18.33 ppg. Also averaging double digits were SF Mutts (14 ppg) and PF Basile (11 ppg). Just short of joining them was SG Cattoor (9 ppg) and SG Maddox (8 ppg). Only PF Poteat (4.33 ppg) averaged more than a basket a half. C Kidd (3 ppg) and Collins (2 ppg) each provided a basket per game.

Rebounding
The Hokies had a very small gap between their top rebounders this window. Basile (5.33 rpg) led the team, followed by Mutts and Cattoor (both with 5 rpg), Maddox (4.67 rpg) and Pedulla and Poteat (4 rpg). Also adding a board per half were Kidd (3 rpg) and Collins (2.67 rpg). Camden added 1 board per game played.

Assists
All told, the Hokies put together an ATO of 43:38 (not great), but adjusted for steals, a much more respectable 43:15 AATO. Cattoor had an AATO of 3:-1, Basile 5:0, Pedulla 15:5, and Mutts 9:1. Of the regular contributors, only Maddox (1:2) had an AATO that was worse than 1:1.

Experience/Depth
Four Hokies averaged at least 30 minutes per game, led by Pedulla (38.67 mpg), Maddox (35.67 mpg), and Cattoor and Mutts (30 mpg). Basile was the only Hokie in the 20-30 minute range, at 26.33 mpg. Collins was close, at 19.33 mpg, followed by Kidd (13 mpg) and Poteat (11.67 mpg) in the 10-20 minute range. Camden (5), Johnson (4), Dawyot (1), and Ward (1) compiled the remaining minutes in this edition.

Next Window
All ACC from here out on the regular schedule.

Virginia Tech will end the calendar year on the road at Wake Forest. The Deacs have had only 4 players (2 G, 2 F) manage to play all 13 games, 2 (1 G, 1 F) who have missed one game, 2 (1 G, 1 F) who have missed 2 games, and 1 (F) who has missed 3. This is going to be a game where we will need long range accuracy the likes of Willis Lee, as those 5 previously mentioned Forwards are all 6-10 or taller, while 2 of the 4 regular guards are 6-1. As with most teams that favor bigger lineups, the ATO is bad. 12:7:13.9. Surprisingly, with such height (including a 6-6 starting guard), they are only accruing 2.5 blocks per game. Appleby is the dynamo of the roster, leading the team in scoring, assists, steals, FT%, and 3pt%. Also odd considering their size advantages, Wake takes slightly more 3s than the Hokies, and makes slightly more. If the Hokies can play good perimeter D, and the interior players can get the rebounds (which, again, the taller Deacs are bad at, averaging fewer than the Hokies).

Starting 2023, CMYBall moves on to hosting Clemson. The Tigers are 1-1 on the road this year, both against major conference opponents. This is a deep team that has 5 players having played every game, and 5 more who have only missed one. As a team they are dangerous from range and take care of the ball very well. They have a little bit of size, with two players at 6-10, but as a whole, they rebound worse than the Hokies. Starting guards aren't particularly tall, as none of their guards are taller than 6-4. There will be a very good battle all night long between Mutts vs Hunter Tyson, and Basile vs PJ Hall, down low.

Wrapping up this frame, Tech will welcome NC State to Blacksburg. The Wolfpack consistently play 6, but have seen good minutes from four other players. Expect a four guard lineup, as the top four minute earners are all guards having logged six and a half hours of play through fourteen games, and two forwards who have played every game have combined for less than a full-time slot, mostly due to a patella injury to their starting center. As a result, this is a team where the Hokies will not be shorter than their opponents down low. The Pack do rebound decently, and they are very good on the defensive end. Like the Hokies, NC State does rely on the 3 ball, even moreso, as they have shot nearly 60 more through just one more game, and they have 2 shooters hitting mid-to-upper 30%, and one hitting almost 50%, with a minimum of 50 attempts.

Prediction

Cattoor being out, especially with three games where outside shooting will be key, does not put me in the holiday spirit. The possibility of getting Rice may lessen that dread, therefore, I am optimistic in at least 1 win out of 3, with the possibility of getting 2. I don't think we can win all three, although I will be ecstatic if we do. One win moves CMY into a tie for 9th All-Time and a tie for 6th best 4-year start to a career at Tech.

The Women's Team

After achieving an all-time best ranking in the AP Poll, the Hokies have fallen for the first time of the year, against the best opponent they may face for the next four months. Still, the as-of-right-now #2 seeded Hokies have a favorable four-game window ahead.

Scoring
Kitley led all scorers (shocked, I'm sure) with 19.67 ppg, followed by Soule's 16.67. Also in double figures were Traylor (13.67) and Amoore (13). No other Hokie averaged more than 5.33 points (Gregg), as King (4 ppg) fell off. Vejsicky (2.5 ppg) and Ford (1 ppg) also managed to get on the board.

Rebounding
Kitley led all rebounders (shocking, again) with 12.33 boards per game. Soule pulled down 6 per, followed by Gregg (5.67), Ford (2.5), Traylor and King (2.33), and Amoore (1.67) at getting more than 1 per game. Vejsicky and Geiman both pulled down 1 board each over the frame.

Assists
The Hokies put up a solid 52:30 ATO over the three games, and factoring in steals, it jumps off the page to an adjusted 52:16 margin. The AATOs per player are ridiculous: Soule 4:0, King 5:-1, Amoore 15:5, Dunn 0:-1, Traylor 12:-1, Geiman 1:-1. Kitle,y who didn't record a steal, still had a 10:6 margin. Only Gregg (5:7) and Ford (0:2) had ATOs of worse than 1:1 (neither recorded a steal)

Experience/Depth
Pretty balanced minutes across the top 5, with Traylor leading with 33 mpg, followed by Kitley (32.67), Amoore (32.33), Soule (31), and King (29). Gregg (22.67) provided the bulk of the remaining minutes. Geiman (10.5), Ford (9), Vejsicky (7) and Dunn (6.5) rounded out the remainder of the minutes.

Next Window
First up, the Hokies travel to Clemson. The Tigers are 9-4 with 3 losses in all 3 games against ranked opponents and they haven't been close. Kitley will be the tallest player on the court and should have her way with Clemson's most productive post player who is only 6-0. Only two players are scoring in double figures, but two more are within a point of that mark. Clemson has a bad ATO margin, but it looks very good when you factor in how active they are on the defensive end. They don't shoot particularly well from beyond the arc, nor are they strong from the charity stripe, except for leading scorer Robinson who is shooting 91%. However, take that number with a grain of salt; she's shot fewer FTA than Kitley has FTM and only a few more than Traylor has FTM.

The Hokies welcome the New Year and #13 UNC, next. The Tar Heels are heavy guard action as their top 5 and top 7 of 8 scorers are all guards. In fact, only one F has seen action in every game, while the next most active has missed almost 1/4th of the games played. However, the odd thing is that the tallest player who will see significant minutes for UNC is a guard. Both teams score well, and UNC is the better rebounder and better at causing turnovers and blocks. They are equal from range, but the Hokies are better from the line.

Then the Hokies welcome those from Charlottesville. Perhaps the best turnaround job in the NCAA. They have 11 regular contributors and feature a 3 guard, 2 forward lineup, with nobody getting more than 28 minutes per game and the only one getting fewer than 10 is getting 9.6. While they have 3 players scoring in double figures, only one isn't scoring a point per quarter. They kill on the boards as well, and have a very good AATO margin, which leads to them having a top 10 FG% Defense and a top 10 3Pt% Defense. All of the forwards are 6-2, so the Hokies will have a size advantage down low. Additionally, they don't shoot well from range (245th) or from the charity stripe (217th).

Rounding out the four game set, the Hokies travel to South Beach to take on a struggling Miami team. The Hurricanes run 9 deep, and all of those 9 average between 14 and 29 minutes. Like the Hoos, they score well, rebound well, and have a decent AATO. However, they are better FT shooters and better from range. What this tells me is that they give up a ton of open baskets. */checks stats. 254th in OppFG%, 229th in Opp3ptFG%. Yup.

Prediction
Clemson and Miami should be easy wins. UVA and UNC will be tough. Brooks will have to be a better roster manager than he was against Notre Dame and actually give players a breather. The starters played 89.5% of the minutes against the Irish and only 1 player came in for the remaining 10.5.%, we're deeper than that. With both of those at home, I give us one of them, probably UNC as they are 273rd in Opp3pt%, King, Traylor, and Amoore should have a field day. Hell, maybe Kitley will even get in on the act.