BUZZKETBALL CENTRAL: Virginia Tech Hokies (3-1) vs #4 Iowa State Cyclones (3-0) 7PM CBS Sports

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Virginia Tech IMG Sports Network
Andrew Allegretta & Mack McCarthy
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CBS Sports Network
Brad Johansen & Doug Gottlieb

All right Hokies fans, this is the game to prepare cold adult beverages a plenty for, find a seat in a place that not many people can hear you or the language that might exit your mouths. Could our Hokies challenge the Cyclones? Yes, it is indeed possible, as thus far, Iowa State has not beaten anyone of note. Colorado is their toughest opponent so far and they only won that game by six points. That said, Tech finds itself facing one of the most experienced lineups it will go up against all season. The Cyclones have a very established rotation of six players for the majority of games with a handful of role players filling in for breathers. All five starters so far are averaging in double digits and as a team they are shooting better than 50% from the field.

So where are there weaknesses?

Free throw shooting is a big one, as Iowa State is only shooting 54% from the line so far this season. Now that we have some depth we cant be afraid to take good fouls. Force them to beat us at the line if necessary.

Depth is another. The players behind the starters are not really tested for the most part. Get the starters in foul trouble early and we might be able to press an advantage. The most one of their non-six man rotation is playing right now is 14 minutes per game but after that is six for the next. They have only played 11 total players this season.

One other area that they are similar to Tech in is that they are turning the ball over at a high rate, averaging 13 turnover per game so far. We have to find a way to turn their turnovers into easy baskets or early trips to the charity stripe.

This is a neutral site game down in Destin, Florida as part of the Emerald Coast Classic, so we also get the benefit of it not being a home game for the Cyclones, as their arena holds a formidable crowd that packs the gym just about every night. This could work against us though as it is the first time many of our Hokies will play outside of Cassell.

The Cyclones are led by Senior forward Georges Niangs, (#31), 6'8, 230 Lbs that is excellent at distributing the ball from the lane with 4.3 APG as well as 4.3 RPG and 15.7 PPG across 30 minutes.

He is joined by Senior forward Jameel McKay (#1) 6'9, 215 Lbs down low, averaging a double double thus far with 13.7 PPG and 12.7 RPG. He is shooting an amazing 64.5% from the field so far this season and should contend for BigXII player of the year this seas

The third Senior is leading scorer, Nazareth Mitrou-Long (#15) 6'4, 208 Lbs shooting guard. He has put up 17 PPG so far this season, along with 2 RPG and 1.3 APG. He is also one of three players we must guard on the perimeter, shooting 43% from outside so far.

Next in the rotation is Junior point guard Monte Morris (#11) 6'2, 170 Lbs, who is their primary distributer at 7.3 APG, while also contributing 13.3 PPG and 3 RPG. He may be the slickest point guard we see this season outside of Grayson Allen at Duke.

The last of the starters for this lineup is Senior forward Abdel Nader, 6'6, 230 lbs. He brings 12.3 PPG and 5.3 RPG. All of the starters are playing at least 28 minutes per game so far, in an offensive strategy that has ISU running a High tempo offense with pick and roll combined with combined with a ton of off ball screens looking to get open shooters and easy layups for bigs.

Junior guard, Matt Thomas (#21) 6'4, 195 lbs serves as the sixth man for this team, allowing for guards to alternate on and off the court to keep legs fresh. He is sort of an anomaly, usually playing more like a wing when he gets into games. So far this season he is putting up 6.3 PPG and a surprising 7.3 RPG. After Thomas, they get about 8 of their 86 points per game from the rest of the bench.

This game is going to require the Hokies to play disciplined basketball, focusing on converting turnovers and limiting their own. It will be critical that they shoot at least 70% from the free throw line as it could make the difference in a game like this. I would expect Buzz to play a rotation of only seven or eight players unless the team gets into early foul trouble. There is not the luxury in this game to get guys like Pierce and Hudson in for much playing time if they aren't performing. Size wise we match up well against this team so we shouldn't be dominated like we may have been in years past unless we take bad fouls and key players like Leday and Blackshear head to the bench early.

Do not be surprised if Iowa State decides to run quite a bit of high pressure defense, to include full court press, half-court traps and isolation of our young point guards to try to create turnovers and give themselves a comfortable margin. Buzz will need to be careful where he employs those same tactics as this is an experienced squad that know each other's tendencies when needing help and could quickly dissolve press defense into easy buckets if the team does not rotate back quickly. In the half court, the Cyclones will likely switch into a 2-3 zone defense, high pressure up top and a triangle around the basket with their bigs. I expect them to defend the lane hard, basically daring Tech to beat them from outside.

Could Tech pull this one off? Sure, but will they? I think its unlikely that with our inexperienced personnel that we will pull out a victory here, even at a neutral location. Tech probably falls in this one, 72-66 and will likely face an Illinois team that gets upset by UAB in their first game of this tournament. The Illini have a couple of key injuries that are hampering their season so far so UAB could pull an upset there.