Tech Sports Blog

Ecstatic. Redeemed. Relieved. All of those apply to how the Virginia Tech men’s hoops team must feel after their overtime win over Duke on Saturday, Jan 6th. I’m not sure what was more amazing – the fact that the Hokies dominated much of regulation or how they bounced back after Duke tied the game with a very difficult three pointer with 18 seconds left in regulation. When that shot hit, Hokies everywhere had images of last year flash in their heads. While I almost had a stroke, I still had faith that they could pull off one of the biggest road wins in Virginia Tech basketball history. That faith stemmed from the fact that I saw them play the entire 40 minutes of regulation with intensity and hunger. It also came from the miracle fade-away Jamon Gordon sank after slipping but before falling on his butt. When that shot hit, I had the feeling that Hokies could not lose that game. Although, I will admit my confidence was a little shaken when Duke forced overtime.

Tech jumped to an early lead and were one step ahead of the Blue Devils for much of the first half, forcing turnover after turnover. Thanks to the efforts of DeMarcus Nelson, Duke stepped up its game in the second half, and they took their first lead midway through the 2nd period. The Hokies never gave in to the pressures of Camerson Indoor Stadium, and they continued to battle through the end of regulation and into overtime. While Nelson hit a 3 to force overtime, there would be no miracle for Duke at the end of the extra period. Deron Washington made sure of that with a block of Greg Paulus’ 3-point attempt, and Paulus’ blocked shot flew out of bounds as time ran out.

When the horn blew, and Cameron went dead silent, I stood in my family room, hands on my head, wondering if the game was actually over. After the clock fiasco prior to the end of regulation, it wouldn’t have surprised me if the referees were going to give Duke another chance by adding a half-second or so to the clock. However, the refs signaled that the game was over, and they jogged off the court. They did it. The Hokies beat Duke in Cameron.

Chris Coleman, of TechSideline.com, notes in his recap, “The win marks Tech’s first win over a top five team since they beat #2 Memphis State 76-72 in Blacksburg in 1986. The last time the Hokies beat a top five team on the road came against Kentucky 80-77 in 1962. In other words, this one is one to remember.” Besides being one of the most memorable wins in Virginia Tech basketball history, this win washed away the blues that Hokie Nation was feeling after New Year’s. The football team’s loss to Georgia combined with the men’s basketball team’s loss to Marshall that same day put Virginia Tech fans into a funk of despair and hopelessness. Not only did we feel like we gave away the Chick-fil-A Bowl, but we felt like our hopes at a NCAA bid were flushed down the toilet when let one slip away at Marshall. Beating Duke on the road certainly raised the spirits of Hokies everywhere. Maybe this team can make it to the big dance.

Not only does this win serve as vindication for last year’s heart breaker, but I hope it will be the magic potion that will cure the ailments that have plagued the men’s basketball team since last season’s loss to Duke. We all remember last year for the tough losses and off-court issues the team had to deal with. Even with the hardships of last year, there were high expectations for basketball this year. The team features one of the most experienced backcourts in the country, and there was the thought that last year’s tumultuous season would only make the team tougher. Unfortunately, the Hokies lost some games they should have won, and they lost them close. It seemed as though they were picking up where they left off from last season.

This win should be a turning point for Virginia Tech hoops. They finally got a big win, on the road no less, by winning a close game. They made some clutch free throws, and Coleman Collins began to look like the talented player we know him to be. This win will give them confidence they haven’t felt since the 2004-5 season. And, for the time being, they sit at the top of the ACC standings, tied for 1st place.

I’ve been debating what to write about Tech’s loss to Georgia in Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Bowl. Did I want to talk about Virginia Tech’s ineffective offense, only gaining 189 total yards? Or did I want to discuss how the Hokies got out-Beamerball’d in the second half with Georgia’s perfectly executed onside kick and Tech’s poorly executed onside kick? Perhaps I could talk about how Sean Glennon turned the ball over on 4 straight possessions. Or maybe Brandon Ore getting a measly 42 yards on 20 carries.

I could keep going, but I know you saw the game. You know that the Hokies’ second half meltdown felt like a kick in the groin. The last time I felt like that after a game was Miami 2005. To make matters worse, the men’s basketball team lost at Marshall earlier that day. Marshall is not a good team that Tech should have easily beaten. I have heard people say this loss will likely keep us out of the tournament. (Per RealTimeRPI.com, Tech’s is ranked 61 at the time of this writing.) Needless to say, the men’s basketball team needs to do some soul searching before they enter ACC play.

Instead of talking more about the game, as it is still fresh on everyone’s mind, I will conclude with something positive. The Chick-fil-A Bowl is a great event. Atlanta is a fun city (I went out all three nights I was down there), and the Georgia Dome is a great venue. I had just as much fun going to the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta as I did 2 years ago when I went to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. I would go back to Atlanta in heartbeat. Also, the Georgia fans I ran into during the course of the weekend were awesome – very knowledgeable, loud & rowdy, and quite classy. I hope we get a chance to play Georgia again.

To someone who doesn’t follow college football closely, this game screams of a mismatch. Georgia, 8-4 and unranked, with losses to Vanderbilt and Kentucky, takes on Virginia Tech, 10-2 and ranked 14th. However, just as Hokie fans will ask you to look past Virginia Tech’s losses to Georgia Tech and Boston College, Dawg fans will ask you look past Georgia’s losses to Vandy and Kentucky. The fact of the matter is Georgia finished the season with wins over then #5 Auburn and then #16 Georgia Tech. They have a good defense and a young quarterback. When you start looking a little deeper, Georgia and Tech look much more similar than their overall records would seem to indicate.

Offensive stats:

• Yards per game: UGA 329.9, VT: 320.1
• Passing yards per game: UGA 197.8, VT 200.8
• Rushing yards per game: UGA 132.1, VT 119.3
• Points per game: UGA 24.5, VT 25.7

Defensive stats:

• Yards per game: UGA 264.0, VT: 221.1
• Passing yards per game: UGA 150.3, VT 128.2
• Rushing yards per game: UGA 113.8, VT 92.9
• Points per game: UGA 17.1, VT 9.3

The similarities end when you start to look at each team’s bowl preparation. According to this Lynchburg News & Advance article, by Nathan Warters, Coach Mark Richt will have his team practice 15 times prior to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, while Coach Frank Beamer will have the Hokies practice 9 times. The NCAA does not allow more than 15 practices prior to a team’s bowl game. Richt is utilizing the maximum number of practices because of last season’s Sugar Bowl loss to West Virginia. Beamer is using the same bowl practice schedule he has used for the last 5 years. It’s easy to second-guess Beamer’s practice schedule, but given that Coach Beamer has taken Tech to 14 straight bowls, I trust he knows what works and what doesn’t work.

So, what’s going to happen on Saturday? I could tell you that it’s going to be a defensive struggle, and that the team that turns the ball over less will win the game. But you already knew that. As every Hokie fan knows, Virginia Tech’s success will depend on the offensive line. They don’t need to be spectacular, they just need to be adequate. They need to create some holes for Brandon Ore, and they need to keep Sean Glennon off his back. Also obvious to every Hokie fan is the effect Brandon Ore will have on the game. If Ore has a big game, then a Tech victory is all but assured. If he doesn’t, then more pressure will be on Glennon and the offensive line.

This game is not going to be easy for the Hokies, and I expect them to be down by a score early in the game. I think the second half will be dominated by the Hokies defense, with the offense doing nothing special, other than not turning the ball over. Here is how I see the game being played out:

• Georgia comes out fast & inspired and scores first with a touchdown off of a special teams play. This will be their only touchdown of the game.
• Virginia Tech gets on the board with a field goal off of a long drive that stalls out in the red zone.
• Virginia Tech will score a touchdown off of a turnover.
• Virginia Tech will score a touchdown on a short field caused by a good punt or kickoff return or a short punt.
• Georgia will get in 2 field goals during the course of the game, making the final score VT 17, UGA 13.

That is, of course, just my opinion. I have been wrong before, and I will be wrong again. Personally, I’m hope I’m wrong in that Georgia never has a chance on Saturday, but I don’t see it working out that way. Regardless of the outcome, I am looking forward to this trip to Atlanta. I will be driving down to Atlanta Friday night and will be there the entire weekend, including New Year’s. It should be a great time hanging out with one of my college buddies, as well as partying with all of the Hokies and Dawgs that make it down for the game.

The Virginia Tech men’s basketball team started the season with a very shaky record of 4-3. Two of those losses came in the Old Spice Classic, where Tech finished a disappointing 6th place. After beating Iowa 69-65 as apart of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the Hokies had a tough 1-point loss to George Washington in the BB&T Classic. With a 62-61 lead and less than 20 ticks of the clock left in the game, Coleman Collins missed a slam dunk that would have put the Hokies in a great position for the win. Hampered by a preseason injury and the loss of his father earlier in the year, Collins’ senior season has been a disappointment thus far.

Since the GW loss, the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team has rattled off 4 straight wins: beating ODU by 17, Appalachian State by 32, Wake Forest by 3, and Seton Hall by 19.

While those wins weren’t necessarily against premier opponents, they were each good, solid victories in their own right. ODU managed to close within 7 a few times in the second half, but the Hokie late-in-the-game meltdown that plagued the team so much last season never materialized. App State was held to 37 points, which was the second fewest point total by an opponent in Cassell Coliseum. Somehow the Hokies made enough free throws to beat Wake Forest. Wake lead at the half 31-27, but Tech had a pivotal 13-2 run in the second half that gave them control of the game. Tech also survived a 3-point attempt at the buzzer by Wake Forest that would have sent the game into overtime. This game marked the first time the Hokies won their conference opener since the 1996-97 season. Against Seton Hall, a solid team from a great basketball conference, the Hokies played their best basketball of the season during a 20-0 run in the 2nd half.

According to the Washington Post recap of the Seton Hall game, written by Adam Kilgore, Hokies head coach Seth Greenburg analyzed the tape from the team’s first 5 games after Thanksgiving weekend to figure out why Tech was 3-2. Coach Greenburg’s conclusion was that the defense he installed in the preseason wasn’t working, so he implemented a new defense that came into its own against Seton Hall. Tech held Seton Hall (who were averaging 81 points coming into the game) to 61 points, forced 21 turnovers, and had 16 steals & 12 blocks. The Pirates shot just 27.7% from the floor and were held scoreless for nearly 8 minutes in the 2nd half.

The Hokie defense really shined against Seton Hall, and this is a good time to hit their stride, too. After taking on Campbell (Dec 23) and Marshall (Dec 30) during the Holiday Season, the Hokies play Richmond at home (Jan 3), at Duke (Jan 6), at UNC-Greensboro (Jan 10), and North Carolina at home (Jan 13). From Richmond to UNC, that’s 5 games in 15 days. I don’t care who you’re playing, that’s a tough stretch.

Another positive note from the win over Seton Hall was Coleman Collins’ game. While he only finished with 5 points, he played 19 minutes off the bench and had 6 rebounds. He played with energy and hustled on defense. I think he’ll use this game as a springboard to get his season turned around.

Doubters will look at the last four games and say that while the Hokies have rolled, they really haven’t played anyone. However, the three out of conference wins are going to be solid RPI boosters (according to RealTimeRPI.com VT is 34th at the time of this writing), and any conference win is a good win in the ACC. They’re on a roll, and if they can maintain this momentum, Virginia Tech should be 11-3 going into the meat & potatoes of their schedule and playing with the kind of confidence with which tournament-quality teams play.

It is unbelievable how fast this summer flew by. It feel likes it was only yesterday that I started my new job. That was 2 months ago. While the end of summer is upon us, and that is bad news to some, the good news is that there are only 4 weeks until the Hokies take the field at North Carolina State.

Four weeks!!! I can hardly wait. I can practically smell the peanut oil for the turkey fryer, taste the goodness of a stiff Jim Beam & coke, and hear Lane Stadium rocking.

So, what happened over summer vacation?

• Boston College officially joined the ACC in July.
• The ACC added two bowl tie-ins for 2006. (The Emerald Bowl in San Fransisco and the Music City Bowl in Nashville will host ACC teams starting in 2006.)
• The ACC media picked Virginia Tech and Florida State to win their respective divisions.
• Virginia Tech is ranked #7 in the first USA Today Coaches Poll of the year, ahead of our ACC brethren (#8 Miami, #12 FSU, #22 BC, #23 UVA).

There is definitely a sense that this season could be something special. But along with this hope there is a dose of reality – everyone remembers 2002 and 2003. Talent plus Hype does not necessarily equal BCS. What will make the 2005 Hokies any different? They have arguably one of the most talented teams in Tech football history. However, this talented team will hopefully remember what it took to win an ACC championship. Team United is what they were called last year. If Team United shows up on September 4th, this season will be more memorable than 2004 and possibly more memorable than 1999.

But, I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. The season has yet to begin, so I’m going to try and keep Rose Bowl talk to a minimum. I wouldn’t want to get too excited only to show up in Blacksburg for a game and see the cHokies take the field.

EDIT: I wanted to leave you with links to two articles – an excellent read at TailGateFever.com and Terry Bowden’s ACC Preview at Yahoo! Sports.

I came across this post on the mighty mjd sports blog from about one year ago, just after the USC game.

The mighty mjd referred to this column by Matt Hayes that Virginia Tech hit the ceiling in 1999 and was in decline. While mjd’s reasons were rediculous, I love this prediction: I can’t envision Tech winning a conference championship or playing in a big-time bowl anytime soon. With that, recruiting takes a hit. With that, everything goes down hill. But other than that, I’m sure the ACC will be a lot of fun for them.

It gives me warm fuzzies to read these opinions knowing that we are now the defending champions of the ACC.

David Teel, of the Hampton Roads Daily Press, talks about the amazing year Virginia Tech athletics has enjoyed in his latest column. Yes, we all remember the Hokies winning the ACC football championship outright. We also remember the men’s basketball team overachieving. But David reminds us of the success the other sports have enjoyed. (eg: The softball team getting a NCAA tournament bid.) Hokies everywhere have much to be proud of, including, but certainly not limited to, our football team.

According to ESPN, the Big East and ACC have settled their differences out of court. After Virginia Tech and Miami’s defections to the ACC, members of the Big East conference sued Miami and Boston College, accusing them of conspiring with the ACC to destroy the Big East. Tech was never involved in this lawsuit because we were essentially an afterthought when ACC expansion began. It appears that they have settled out of court for the tune of $5 million.

So, BC should join up with the ACC in July without much fanfare, and life will go on. As a parting shot, I’ll leave you with this article, titled Beamer says ACC is the place for Hokies.

TechSideLine.com has posted a number of historical photos of Lane Stadium. With the expansion of the West stands expected to be completed at the beginning the upcoming football season, now is a good a time as any to remember the days of Lane Stadium when there were less seats and less people filling those seats.

The 1999 and 2000 photos really bring back memories. Well, who could forget the ’99 season? But the Thunder Bowl is one I’d rather forget. Most people remember it as the night Lee Corso’s rental car got struck by lightening. I remember being in the stands when skies opened up and thinking, “It’s only a thunderstorm. It’ll pass, and the game will get started.” The rain never stopped, and the game was never played. I had to walk back from Lane Stadium to my apartment at Pack Place (Prices Fork Road, across from Turner Street). Instead of walking, I jogged back, because I was quite uncomfortable due to being completely soaked through.

However, of all the old photos, this one from 1972 has got to be my favorite. Check out the gobbler head on top of the scoreboard. That is one pissed off turkey!

Yup, it’s that time of year – pollen is flying through the air and there’s very little going on in the world of sports. Ok, so maybe I don’t really have “the blues”, but my sinuses are fully congested and football news has sharply dropped off in the wake of the draft. I’m sorry, I’m just not much of a fan of MLB. After the strike, my interest waned, and the
controversy surrounding the steroids issues has completely pushed me away. The NFL really is America’s number one pro sport. They have the right idea with revenue sharing, and they have the strongest drug policy of the Big 3. I know
the NFL isn’t perfect, but it is the most well-run professional sporting league of in the US. But I digress …

Getting back to the topic of Virginia Tech athletics, as reported earlier this week, Marquie Cooke was dismissed from the men’s basketball team. While I am sad to see such a talented recruit leave the team, I am happy to see that Coach Greenburg has that team first attitude that brought so much success to the football and basketball teams. While the men’s basketball team didn’t have a super year by ACC standards, they had one hell of a year by VT standards. A number of the games they won were earned by not giving up late, and that helped to galvanize them as a team. According to TechSideLine.com, as well as this Daily Press article, Cooke wasn’t exactly the ideal team player. His dismismal was the culmination of a poor attitude during the entire season. For Greenburg to dismiss him under that pretext tells me much about the kind of program Greenburg is building. What was that catch phrase of the 2004 football team? Team United.