2022-23 Hokie Hoops Statistical Notes: Volume 2

The Men's Team
I know I've usually been doing these things in 4 game batches, but the way the men's and women's schedules are set up, it just doesn't work out, so I'll have to do this edition a little bit early.

The men are a solid 3-0 after running through a very weak slate of opponents by an average of 89-62. On the way, CMY now sits tied for 10th among all VT coaches with 57 career wins with Branch Bocock (who was also busy coaching baseball and football for the Gobblers at the time).

Scoring
The Hokies have scored 267 points through 3 games and, as expected, opponents have to pick which Hokie or two will go off against them. 10 Hokies have scored in double figures, 6 Hokies have scored at least 15, with 4 instances of 20 point games and a single 30 point game.

Four Hokies are averaging double figures in scoring, led by Soph PG Sean Pedulla's 20 ppg. Transfer PF/C Basile follows with 18 ppg, while SG Mad Ox (12) and SG Cattoor (11.33) round out the double digit scorers. The 5th starter, SF Mutts, is just shy of double figures, averaging 9 ppg. So for all intents and purposes, Hokie starters are all averaging double figures through the first slate of games.

The best scoring news is that the backup bigs are also putting up numbers. Poteat (7 ppg) and Kidd (6.67 ppg), and Camden (2.67 ppg) provide more off the bench big scoring than I can recall for Virginia Tech. Seriously, that is 16.33 points per game from non-starting bigs.

The downside to all of this (so far) is that our only scoring bench guard has been Fr Collins, who has managed 5.33 ppg off the bench for CMYBall's crew. I do expect that to change once Rodney Rice gets healthy.

But still, 22 ppg from the bench, while all five of your starters are in double figures is a good situation to be in.

Rebounding
Last edition, I said bigs are a good thing. That continues to be the case as the Hokies have crushed their opponents on the boards so far to the tune of 35.3 to 27.7.

Pacing the way is Basile with 20 total boards, but he actually trails Mutts (7.5) in cleaned glass per game. Backup PF/C Lynn Kidd is also high up on the list with 5.33 boards - again, the backup bigs are doing more than I remember. Poteat is next on the list, tied with Pedulla with 3.67 boards. Seven total Hokies are averaging a rebound a half.

Assists
I was a little nervous going in, but the numbers so far have been extremely good on the ATO front; especially when factoring in steals to adjust the margins. When you adjust for steals caused, Pedulla is sitting at a 14:1 AATO margin, Mutts at 11:1, and Cattoor at 9:1.

That is ridiculous.

Elsewhere, only Kidd (4:3), Basile (4:6), and Camden (0:1) have AATOs that are not either perfect nor north of 9:1.

As a team, the adjusted ATO is 52:10, adjusted by 12 steals.

Experience/Depth
We are seeing a solid 9 man rotation so far through 3 games. Paced by Pedulla's 32 mpg (the only Hokie above 30 mpg), Mutts (28 mpg), Cattoor (27.67), Maddox (27), Basile (23), and Collins (20.67) have averaged greater than a half of play. Backup bigs Kidd (16.67), Poteat (14), and Camden (11) all averaged greater than 5 minutes per half. Johnson (4 mpg) is the only other Hokie who has gotten in for more than a minute per game. Again, when Rice is healthy, these numbers will change, especially how high the numbers are for the guards. We may legitimately have a ten man rotation by the time conference play starts, balanced with 5 guards and 5 forwards.

Next Window
First will finish up at a neutral site game against ODU (201st in RPI) in the Shriners Children's Charleston Classic. The Monarchs' top returning scorer is 6-7 G Mekhi Long who finished the 21-22 campaign with 8.3 ppg. Long is also the top returning boardman, pulling down 6.8 per game. The only real height comes from 6-10 Soph Forward Faizon Fields, but again, he's had no Div 1 experience

Following that, the Hokies play the winner or loser of Penn State/Furman. I'm already assuming the Hokies should dominate ODU, so the matchup would most likely be against the Nittany Lions. Currently 3-0, the Lions barely pulled out a win against Butler 68-62, but managed to top 90 in games against Winthrop and Loyola MD. Like the Hokies, 5 players for Penn State are scoring in double figures (all are guards, oddly), with six scoring at least a basket a game. All play, both offensive and defensive, runs through Senior guard Jalen Pickett, who leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, and blocks. Shut him down, and the Nittany Lions will suffer. 6-10 Center Kebba Njie and 6-7 Forward Caleb Dorsey will be the greater threats down low, although expect Dorsey to get the bulk of the minutes for the bigs on this roster.

I am cautiously optimistic about the Hokies' chances in that game, so they would play the winner of South Carolina and Davidson for the championship. Based on the RPI right now, that would be South Carolina. The Gamecocks have struggled, pulling out one basket wins over both SC State and Clemson to start the year off. They will offer a different challenge than what the Hokies have faced so far. This is a bigs heavy team, led in scoring by 6-9 Frosh PF Gregory Jackson II with nearly a double-double per game (15/9), and 6-5 Sr SF Hayden Brown who is also scoring 15 ppg. Two guards for the Cocks are also averaging double figures, but the cliff falls off pretty soon thereafter.

Prediction
I expect a thorough whipping of ODU. The toughest matchup will be the Nittany Lions, in my opinion, but I think a deeper Hokie lineup will prevail in that contest. The Hokies' size and veteran advantages should put them over South Carolina. I think we'll be looking at a 6-0 Hokies going into the Thanksgiving holiday and Mike Young will have win #60 as a Hokie, moving him into 8th best 4-season start of a career for a VT men's basketball coach.

The Women's Team
Damn these women are good. I likened the SC Upstate game to a cat playing with a two-legged mouse, only keeping this interesting for personal enjoyment despite the issue never being in doubt. None of these games have been particularly close, as the Hokies cruised to a 3-0 start to the season obliterating everyone in their path.

Scoring
Unlike the men's team, the women actually have 5 players in double figures, with a sixth just one bucket away. Paced by All-World Kitley's 17.67 ppg, other Hokies in double figures include King (16.67), Traylor (12.33), Amoore (11), and Soule (10). That's 67.67 ppg from our top 5, but Owusu (9.33) and Dunn (3.33) have also added some scoring. I'll take 80 a game from our top 7 scorers.

Rebounding
As expected Kitley is dominating on the boards with 10.67 per game. Soule has come in and cleared the glass 5 per game, and Gregg has pulled down another 4 per game. Other bigs have contributed a combined 3 per game. They have paced the Hokies to an embarrassing 42.3-27.3 margin

Assists
Amoore leads the way with 17 dishes through 3 games, while Traylor, Soule, and Owusu also contributed more than 2 per game. All told, the Hokies handed out 46 assists to 34 turnovers. Not great, but factor in the 29 steals, and you get a much more insane 46:5 AATO margin.

Experience/Depth
Six Hokies are seeing greater than 10 minutes per half, led by Amoore's 28 mpg, followed by Kitley's 27.67, King's 25.67, Traylor and Owusu's 24.67, and Soule's 24.33 mpg. Gregg (17.33), Geiman (9.33), and Dunn (8.67) also managed more than two minutes per quarter. That gives Coach Brooks a solid nine player rotation. Like the men's team, very balanced on post players and guards.

Next Window
First up, we will see stiffer competition for the ladies in the form of Kentucky. Coming off a home 4 point win over Radford, the 3-0 (will be 4-0) Wildcats only have 3 scorers in double figures, and their non-guard scoring threats are 7th, 8th, and 9th on their list, averaging a combined 12.67 ppg. They have a little height inside, with two 6-3 and a 6-2 forwards getting most of the run. Kitley will probably have her day down low, as it takes all three of those forwards to put up better rebounding numbers than the All-American. They also don't move the ball particularly well, averaging an AATO of 21:6.67.

Missouri is next and is an entirely different story. They're currently 4-0 and should be 6-0 by the time they face the Hokies, with a win over fellow ACC member Wake Forest. This team plays defense, so don't expect high scoring. Also, don't expect them to score much. Only two players average double figures, and they rotate about 10 players regularly, including a center, two forwards, and seven guards. Again, this is a team where the Hokies have the height advantage down low, but the Tigers are overall a taller team. The key for the Hokies will be to disrupt Hayley Frank, and Lauren Hansen. Missouri also doesn't pass well, if their 14.3:8 AATO is any indication.

Prediction
The pair of SEC foes will present different challenges for Virginia Tech to address. RealTimeRPI says both are better than us (marginally), but RPI also says we're the worst team in the ACC (patently false). We may not get to 80 against either feline, but in the end our scores > their scores. Hokies to 5-0.