Buzzketball Exacts Revenge on Radford 74-65

In what may have been the low mark of Buzz Williams' debut season, his Virginia Tech men's basketball team lost to New River Valley foe Radford at Cassell Coliseum. On Wednesday night, exactly one year and two days after the first matchup, the Hokies traveled to play the Highlanders and won 74-65.

It was a solid performance all around, one in which the final score doesn't dictate how well Tech played for much of the night. Seth Allen, Kerry Blackshear Jr., Jalen Hudson and Justin Bibbs all finished in double figures and helped the Hokies race out to a double digit lead within the first four minutes of regulation.

The margin grew to 20 on two different occasions, as Williams' bunch slashed through the lane for easy opportunities at the hoop. Allen benefitted from the often soft defense and finished with 17. Hudson earned his second straight start, and the sophomore guard capitalized by scoring seven of his 12 in the first half. And Blackshear put forth his most well-rounded effort as the lone post player outside of Zach LeDay to see any playing time.

It'd be easy to focus on the seven minute stretch in the second half where Tech, up 20, turned on cruise control and lapsed into mistakes. It almost cost them, as the home team trimmed the lead down to six with just under three minutes left. But just as it looked like an all too familiar collapse was on the precipice, Allen made a key drive and dish to Blackshear and then converted a three point play moments later, and the win was all but sealed.

Instead, turn your attention to a much more positive note. Not the offensive numbers (impressive), or the fact that this was Buzzketball's first true road win, but simply the way this team came out of the gate swinging. The Highlanders beat the Hokies for just the second time last year, embarassing them on in front of their home fans. Tech wasn't just there for a win on Wednesday, they walked into the Dedmon Center to dominate.

Growth is a tricky thing to pin down, in life not to mention sports. For instance, it's difficult to judge your child's development on a day-to-day basis. How are they better today than they were yesterday? This week compared to last? It's something even the most terrifyingly obsessed parents would struggle to answer. From month-to-month? Maybe. Year-to-year? Absolutely. But real change occurs in the minutia.

There is, however, one relatively easy way to track it. Take a situation that happened in the past, and see how your child reacts and changes in the present. Do they make the same mistakes as before, or have they learned enough to improve upon whatever is put before them?

It's a method used across the board. From an infant who figures out the need to avoid hot surfaces to your buddy realizing he shouldn't date college students after a failed relationship (or five), it's a foolproof way to illustrate maturation.

In 2014 Tech was befuddled by Radford's press, turned the ball over 12 times and shrank when everything was on the line. The very next year, against the same team, they handled every adverse thing thrown at them, and looked like the clearly better team from start to finish. This, friends, is growth. It may be difficult to see game-to-game throughout the season, but this is a tangible step towards the future.

Now, it was still supposed to happen. The Hokies were the better team before and after the two met. And while it's easy to point to Radford's wins over Georgetown and Penn State as signs of a good team, it's vital to remember they also have losses to Coastal Carolina, James Madison and Siena. They're inconsistent and certainly wouldn't end up in anyone's "good wins" list when bracketology times comes around. But for Tech to win in an environment packed to the brim with a standing room only crowd who wanted blood? It's a very positive sign.

A Few Quick Notes

• Tech has it's best lineup offensively. Devin Wilson/Allen/Bibbs/Clarke/LeDay runs very well. It's hard to commit to any one player defensively because they all bring something relatively unique to guard against, and it places the team's best shooter (Bibbs) with two players who can suck in the defense (Allen and Clarke). Combine with LeDay's intensity on the glass and Wilson's floor vision and it can make for pretty ball.

  The problem with it, however is size. As fun as it is to see the ball move, it's almost as painful to watch the group protect the rim. In fact that's where the Highlanders' most scorer efficient scorers (forwards Kion Brown Brandon Holcomb) did much of their damage. Buzz cycled in Blackshear and Hudson (two guys who add length at the very least) and the D held well enough. Will they be able to get away without playing their bigger, offensively challenged low post players (Satchel Pierce and Shane Henry) every game? Probably not, but the fewer minutes those two see the more conducive it is to a flowing attack.

• I've often been one to scoff off Wilson, even going so far as to just assume he'd be the odd man out on this year's team. But what I underestimated was his ability to contribute when not being counted on as a primary scorer. He was asked to do far too much over his first two years, to not only act as the one true point guard but also Tech's primary scoring option. He's not that guy.

  What he is, however, is a decent defender whose effort is visible, a great passer who keeps the ball moving throughout a half court set and someone who does a thousand little things. For instance, he's great at taking charges. In two consecutive games he's single handedly stopped a fast break by drawing an offensive foul. Last year Williams seemed to insist every presser that his point guard would be much more impactful if he didn't have to play 35 minutes each time out.

  Quite frankly I assumed it was lip service to hard worker who was asked a lot of. It turns out coach may have just been telling the truth.

• Things get really exciting when Hudson and Clarke are on the floor together. Of course it's a "close your eyes and white knuckle your way through a possession" type of exciting, but it's fun to have the two best athletes on the court at the same time. You're not always sure where the ball is going to go, and they often lead to blind drives into a wall of opponents, but the two can get up and down the floor quickly.
• Blackshear's skills are intriguing, but frustrating at the same time. The big man has great touch around the rim and can make nice adjustments mid-air, but it also means he's not powering through smaller post players. He finished with a nifty 13 and 8, but against a small Radford team. Can he be as productive against a team with real bigs? Right now, unsure, but I hope he keeps getting minutes because he's the only efficient guy who can play center on the roster.
• One last thing. Allen was the reason this team iced the game. He had a hot start, cooled considerably, but stepped up in the closing frames. After two straight turnovers Wilson found himself on the bench with 90 seconds to go, and the ball was in Allen's hands. He delivered. The transfer won't always be efficient, but he'll often be necessary. As much as this may bug a contingent of Tech fans, he could be the difference in one or many of those close ACC games we've become so accustom to watching.