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Road Trip to Columbus

Tuesday, March 20th, 2007

[The following post was also published at HokieHaven.com on March 20, 2007.]

Late Friday night I emailed my friend Kevin. Kevin went in with me on basketball season tickets, we went to nearly every home game. My email to Kevin read:

Crazy game … I still can’t believe we pulled it off. I’ve read that there are plenty of tickets to be had.

Want to get up at the butt-crack of dawn on Sunday and head up to Columbus?

I was half-joking, and I expected him to replay that he’d love to go but couldn’t make it. Instead, Kevin called and left me a voicemail saying, “How much are tickets, and how far is the drive?” I called him back, and we decided to make to the trip.

Saturday night I drove down to his house in Christiansburg. We got up well before dawn and left his house just after 6am Sunday morning.

We nearly got lost en route to Columbus. We took I-77 to US-33 and missed the on-ramp to stay on US-33 near Pomeroy because I was on the phone, and he was a slacking on his duties riding shotgun. We drove about 20 minutes on Ohio Route 7 along the Ohio River until we realized our mistake.

We arrived in Columbus at about 11:45am, immediately parked, and bought 2 tickets in the nosebleeds in section 205 at $50 per. If we waited 20 minutes, we would have been able to buy tickets for much less. It would have been nice to save a few more bucks, but I really can’t complain. It was essentially $25 per game.

The place was crawling with Ohio State fans, which didn’t bother me at all. Being born in Cleveland, I consider Ohio State my second team. It was nice to talk about the Buckeyes, as well as the Cleveland Browns, with some Ohio natives. There was a Wahoo fan with his 2 little boys behind me. He was pretty cool, although I did get sick of him participating during the UVA chants. (I can’t say too much, as I was yelling & screaming during our game.) He left after the Virginia game was over.

At halftime of our game, we moved down to the lower level and sat with the group of Hokies that were directly across from the Tech bench. It was great being so much closer to the action. Kevin and I were screaming our heads off, and we really got into the game down there.

After the game, we waited around with the family & friends of a few players and saw the team board the bus. We felt out of place, but it was interesting to people watch. It seemed like the younger players looked more heartbroken than the upperclassmen.

We chatted a little bit with Deron Washington’s mother. She is down to earth and pretty funny. She called the season “exhausting”, and I could sense a little bit of relief that it was over although she was still disappointed in the result. She is definitely the “team mom”. Nearly every player went over and gave her a hug. There was a bittersweet moment when Chris Tucker came out and met his parents.

We congratulated a few of them on a great season and finally left the arena around 6:30pm.

Even though the game was disappointing, I am glad that I made the trip. Nationwide Arena was a great venue. It was a very different experience than any of the regular season games. Most of the crowd was there just to watch basketball, and really didn’t favor one team or the other. Even though there wasn’t much energy from the crowd, you could still sense the tension from teams. For one team in each game, the season was going to end.

I do wish more Hokies had made the trip. It felt like we had maybe a couple of hundred. If I had to guess, I would say we had 300 fans there. I think this team deserved more support.

I don’t want to end on a negative note, so I’ll quote the end of my last blog post:

The achievements of this team – particularly the seniors – should not be lost in March Madness. From the final year in the Big East to a surprising 8-8 conference record in their first year in the ACC, and from the year of heartbreaks and heartache to this year’s 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament, those seniors have helped Seth Greenberg elevate the basketball program from the basement to top third of the premiere conference of Division 1 basketball.

Regardless of what this weekend brings, this is the best season of basketball I have witnessed since I’ve been Hokie.

The roller coaster has come to stop, and this season of Hokie basketball is in the books. I still think it was one hell of a ride.

Jamon Gordon, Zabian Dowdell, Coleman Collins, Chris Tucker, and Markus Sailes – Thank you for the last four years and best of luck.

Hokies Hoops have a come a long way

Wednesday, March 14th, 2007

[The following post was originally published at HokieHaven.com on March 12, 2007.]

Ten years ago I graduated from a small private high school that didn’t even have a football team. Basketball was the sport at my high school, and homecoming was always in January because of it. I went to nearly every home basketball game when I was in high school, and I considered myself to be primarily a basketball fan. Three months after graduation, I started my first semester at Virginia Tech as a freshman in the College of Engineering, and I quickly became a college football fan. During my years as a student, I saw the rise of Virginia Tech football, and, quite frankly, I did not see Virginia Tech basketball at all. Those years had something special at Lane with Hokie football, but mediocre (at best) basketball teams in Cassell. I, like virtually every Hokie, was a die-hard football fan who barely recognized that Tech had a basketball squad. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed watching basketball.

That changed for me in 2003. It was Seth Greenberg’s first year as head coach, and it was our final season in the Big East. Because of the buzz created about the move to the ACC, I became interested in our basketball program. I started going to games, and I saw a few decent wins, as well as some tough losses. It was an up and down season, and the Hokies finished at 15-14. Unsurprisingly, there was no postseason bid. However, after winning 6 of their last 9 regular season games, qualifying for the Big East tournament for the first time, and winning their 1st round Big East tournament game against Rutgers, I had some hope for Virginia Tech basketball.

Fast forward to 2007, and I am amazed at what the basketball program has accomplished in just 3 years as a member of the ACC: 2 first round byes in the ACC Tournament (2005, 2007), a NIT berth (2005), and a NCAA berth (2007). Not to mention that this year featured some of the best regular season wins in Virginia Tech basketball history.

I know many fans are disappointed in how the regular season and ACC tournament ended. The loss to Clemson hurt prevented us from grabbing a share of the regular season title and the number 1 seed in the ACC tournament, and we all wanted revenge against N.C. State in the ACC semis. Yet we should not lose sight that Virginia Tech men’s basketball has come a long way in a relatively short period of time. I remember the 96-60 shellacking #6 Uconn gave us on January 28, 2004. Cassell was maybe 35% full, and the folks that were there were barely interested in the game. Contrast that to January 13, 2007 – the day the Hokies beat #1 North Carolina.

The achievements of this team – particularly the seniors – should not be lost in March Madness. From the final year in the Big East to a surprising 8-8 conference record in their first year in the ACC, and from the year of heartbreaks and heartache to this year’s 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament, those seniors have helped Seth Greenberg elevate the basketball program from the basement to top third of the premiere conference of Division 1 basketball.

Regardless of what this weekend brings, this is the best season of basketball I have witnessed since I’ve been Hokie.

Random Thoughts

  • You know when Seth Greenberg does his I-can’t-bare-to-watch head-in-face thing? I found myself doing that exact same thing a few times during Saturday’s game. The first half looked like tape from N.C. State’s first win over the Hokies on January 31, and I was happy we were down by only 6 at the half.
  • Give N.C. State credit. They nearly pulled off the most amazing 4-day run of any conference tournament. I couldn’t help but pull for them on Thursday. They didn’t quit after North Carolina took a double-digit lead in the second half, and they clawed their way back to make it a game.
  • The Wolfpack will play their 5th game in 6 days on Tuesday in the first round of the NIT. They play Drexel, a team who is probably angry they did not receive a NCAA Tournament invite.
  • I’ve seen lots of Hokie fans compare Illinois to N.C. State. While I agree that Illinois runs a slower paced offense that relies heavily on their big men, I don’t necessarily means they are just as bad a match-up as State was. N.C. State is a great passing team who make their shots and their free throws. Illinois is averaging only 65 points a game, and they make only 63% of their free throws.
  • Much has been made of the proverbial 12-seed-over-5-seed upset. Personally, I think Old Dominion and Arkansas both have better shots of upsetting Butler and USC, respectively, than does Illinois have a shot of upsetting us. That said, Friday’s game in Columbus will be tough.
  • In my bracket, I have the Hokies sweeping the teams from Illinois on their way to the Sweet 16. Maybe that’s my orange and maroon glasses blurring my vision.

Hokies control their own destiny

Wednesday, February 28th, 2007

[The following post was originally published at HokieHaven.com on February 26, 2007.]

Thanks to Maryland’s upset over North Carolina, our Virginia Tech Hokies (10-6) find themselves in a 3-way tie for first place of the ACC. If the men’s basketball team can beat the University of Virginia on Thursday and Clemson on Sunday, they will earn the #1 seed for the 2007 ACC Tournament. Because they swept UNC, Tech will hold the tiebreaker over the Tarheels should they win out as well. Simply put – the Hokies control their own destiny for the first place seed in the ACC Tournament.

That’s the easy scenario, but what will happen if they don’t win out? Things start to get complicated. Let’s take a quick peek at how the ACC breaks ties. (Note: these rules were published prior to the 2001 tournament. I am assuming they haven’t changed since then.)

  1. When two teams are tied in the standings, regular season head-to-head results are used as the tie-breaker.
  2. If the two teams split their regular season games, the tie is broken by comparing each team’s records against the team occupying the highest position in the standings, and then continuing down until one team gains an advantage.
  3. If three or more teams are tied, the combined record of each team against the other teams involved is used to break the tie. After this procedure, if two teams remain tied procedure 2 is followed.
  4. If procedures 2 and/or 3 fail to establish an advantage, a coin-flip to break the tie will be conducted by the Commissioner.
  5. If there is more than one tie in the standings, and when utilizing the tie breaking procedures you come to a pair of teams tied, a team’s record against combined tied teams is used, rather than performance against the individual tied teams.

Now that we are armed with knowledge, let’s take a look at the top of the current ACC standings:

Virginia Tech 10-4
North Carolina 10-4
Virginia 10-4
Boston College 10-5
Maryland 8-6
Duke 8-6

For each team, starting at the bottom and working my way up, I’m going to tell you the best seed for the ACC tournament they can earn, no matter how crazy the scenario. (Note: The ACC does not recognize a regular season champion. Their tie breakers are used specifically for seeding in the tournament.)

Duke (8-6) Remaining games: vs Maryland, @ UNC. Best possible finish: 10-6 Best possible seed: #3
Duke can head to the ACC Tournament as the 3-seed if they win their remaining games and BC, UNC, and either VT or UVA lose their remaining games. Virginia Tech or UVA would be in 1st place, and BC and Maryland would finish outside the top 4. Duke can also achieve a first-round bye if BC loses to Georgia Tech, and the Blue Devils win out.

Maryland (8-6) Remaining games: @ Duke, vs NC State. Best possible finish: 10-6 Best possible seed: #4
In order for Maryland to earn a first-round bye in the ACC tourney, they will need to win out, have UNC lose their remaining games, BC beat Georgia Tech, and have VT and UVA finish at 11-5 or better. This would cause 2-way tie for 4th place between the Terps and the Tarheels, and Maryland holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over UNC because of their win on Sunday.

Boston College (10-5) Remaining game: vs Georgia Tech. Best possible finish: 11-5 Best possible seed: #1
It’s pretty simple (albeit virtually impossible) for Boston College to finish at the top of the ACC standings – beat Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Virginia Tech lose their remaining games, and Virginia loses to Wake Forest after beating the Hokies. This would cause BC and UVA to both finish at 11-5, and BC holds the tiebreaker over UVA due to their win over the Hoos back in January. Boston College is more likely headed for the #3 or #4 seed. In order to earn a 1st round bye they need to either beat Georgia Tech or have Duke lose at least one more game.

Virginia (10-4) Remaining games: vs Virginia Tech, @ Wake Forest. Best possible finish: 12-4 Best possible seed: #1
Due to the fact that UNC beat UVA earlier this year, Virginia will need North Carolina to lose at least once if the they beat both Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. The worst the Cavs can do is the 4-seed.

North Carolina (10-4) Remaining games: @ Georgia Tech, vs Duke. Best possible finish: 12-4 Best possible seed: #1
Like Virginia, this is simple for the Tarheels. They need to win out. If they finish 12-4, then they will finish with the 1-seed if Virginia Tech loses at least once, and they will finish with the 2-seed if Virginia Tech wins out. If UNC splits their last two, then they will be the 4-seed if UVA wins out, and BC and VT both win their final games. This will cause those 3 teams to be tied for 2nd at 11-5, and the Tarheels would come out at the bottom of that threesome. It is possible for North Carolina to finish outside of the top 4, but that’s only in the super-crazy Maryland scenario.

Virginia Tech (10-4) Remaining games: @ Georgia Tech, vs Duke. Best possible finish: 12-4 Best possible seed: #1
As has been already noted, the Virginia Tech Hokies now control their own destiny. If they beat Virginia and Clemson, they will be the #1 seed in the ACC Tournament. Things get interesting if that doesn’t happen.

First off, the worst case scenario: VT loses out and finishes at 10-6. If Boston College beats Georgia Tech, then the Hokies would be the 4-seed regardless of what Duke and Maryland do, because they didn’t lose to either. If Tech does finish at 10-6, there are many scenarios that can play out. It would still be possible for VT to finish with the 2-seed if North Carolina lost its remaining games, Boston College lost, and Maryland won its final 2 games. However, it’s not really worth the time and effort to go into the detail of every scenario if the Hokies finish 10-6.

If Virginia Tech loses to Virginia and beats Clemson, they will finish at 11-5 and will need some help. If Virginia and North Carolina win out, then UNC will grab the 1-seed and UVA will grab the 2-seed. VT would take the 3-seed regardless of BC’s game at GT. If UVA wins out, but UNC loses at least once, then Tech will grab the 2-seed behind UVA. However, if UVA loses to Wake Forest and UNC loses a game, then there will be a 3-way or 4-way tie for first place depending on BC. Virginia Tech would come out on top of that group to grab the 1-seed.

Finally, if Virginia Tech beats Virginia on Thursday, but loses to Clemson, they would grab the 1-seed if North Carolina loses a game and the 2-seed if North Carolina wins out.

After running through these scenarios, I’ve noticed a common thread for teams other than Virginia Tech and North Carolina – they all need the Tarheels to lose. UNC certainly doesn’t have an easy week, but I will be surprised if they don’t win out. Also, even though it’s possible for Duke or Maryland to earn a first-round bye, I just don’t see it happening. VT and UVA have already locked up byes, and BC and UNC don’t need much to happen to finish in the top 4.

Deron Washington – the human highlight reel

Monday, February 26th, 2007

[The following post was originally published at HokieHaven.com on February 23, 2007.]

Less than 7 weeks after earning his Masters, Deron Washington presented his dissertation to Boston College & the Hokie Nation and received his Ph.D. in Dunkology. Moments after that dunk, a dunk that I consider to be the best dunk I’ve ever seen in person, my buddy Kevin turned to me and said, “If I were a NBA team, I’d want him on my team just for that, even if he only averages 1 point a game.” In today’s NBA, where the league focuses on one-on-one match-ups and entertaining fans, you have to think that Deron has a chance of taking his game to the next level. He’ll probably have to bulk up a little more, and he definitely needs more consistency from his jump shots, but there isn’t a doubt in my mind that he has the athletic ability needed to make it as a professional basketball player.

What I really like about Deron Washington is the fact that after his dunks he doesn’t show off to crowd or come off as arrogant. Usually he follows his dunks with a smile and then hustles back down the court to play defense. I believe he has matured significantly since last year, and that the team will be in good hands with him as a senior next season.

Speaking of seniors, this season is really shaping up to be very special for Coleman Collins, Zabian Dowdell, Jamon Gordon, Chris Tucker, and Markus Sailes. With wins over UNC and Duke, and blowout wins over Virginia and Boston College at the Cassell, this season has already given them memories they will cherish their entire lives. With 3 regular season games left, 2 of which are at home, I hope the support for this team continues to grow. On Saturday versus Miami and on March 4th versus Clemson, I want to see Cassell Coliseum rocking like it was for North Carolina, UVA, and Boston College. These seniors deserve a standing ovation whenever the step on or off the court.

With a first-round bye in the ACC tournament and a NCAA tournament bid virtually locked up, so much more than a memorable regular season is attainable. When this team plays at its highest level, they can beat anyone. Here’s hoping for a nice little run in the big dance, because I can’t think of a better way to end their college careers than a trip to the Sweet 16. You may think that I am asking for too much, but I know this team has the ability to play at the level necessary for a few wins in the NCAA tournament.

However, regardless of the postseason, this basketball season will go down as my favorite since I’ve been a Hokie (1997). It’s been a helluva ride so far.

A bad loss, but we’re still in good shape.

Monday, February 19th, 2007

Going into the weekend I was hoping the subject of this post would be about the domination of North Carolina teams by our Virginia Tech men’s basketball team. Before Sunday, our Hokies were 4-1 against teams from the state just to our south. Wake Forest came to Cassell back in December and lost to the Hokies, 63-60. Then came that magical week in January where Virginia Tech beat Duke in Cameron and then-#1 UNC a week later in Blacksburg. Two and a half weeks later the reeling Wolfpack of North Carolina State visited the Hokies in Blacksburg and ruined our perfection versus North Carolina teams.

All was not lost, however, because the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team started this week with what I consider their finest road win in the history of the program. By beating North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the Hokies became only the 5th team to beat both Duke and UNC on their home floors since 1980. Yesterday was supposed to be our continued domination over North Carolina teams. We were supposed to be 5-1 against Wake Forest, Duke, North Carolina, and North Carolina State. We were supposed to be tied for the lead in the ACC following the game. We were supposed to be on our way to a 4-seed or higher in the NCAA Tournament.

Well, we were supposed to be according to the hype. I said it to myself after the road loss to Florida State. I said it to myself after the first loss to NC State. And I said it to myself after yesterday’s buttkicking in Raleigh:

Welcome to the ACC.

It’s our third year in the conference, but like it or not, we are still the new kids on the block. We’re still learning how to be consistently successful in this basketball conference. We’re still learning that the parity in this league is similar to the NFL – anyone can win during any given week.

Instead of going into why the ACC is best basketball conference in college basketball, as I’m going to dedicate a large post to that in the next few days, I’m going to leave you with a little reset.

We are presently all alone in 4th place with a 8-4 record in conference. We’re one game behind Virginia (9-3) and UNC (9-3) and a half game behind Boston College (9-4). We are 2 games ahead of both Duke (7-6) and Maryland (6-6) in the loss column. As has been mentioned before, the key to success in this league is to win your home games and split your road games. The Hokies are still executing that rule with a 4-1 record at home and a 4-3 record on the road. If we split our last 4 games – 3 of which are at home – we will finish the regular season at 10-6 and in no less than 4th place. If we finish in 4th place or better, we’ll earn a 1st round bye in the ACC tournament and will be a lock for the NCAA tournament.

Yesterday’s loss hurt our NCAA seeding, our chances at the 1st place seed in the ACC Tourney, and our ego. That said, I still like our chances for the postseason. It’s been a fun season so far, and I expect the roller coaster ride will continue.

Are we for real yet?

Tuesday, February 13th, 2007

The Virginia Tech men’s basketball team, in their 3rd season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, has visited two teams who were undefeated at home (Georgia Tech and North Carolina) and gave them their first losses on their home courts. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard the phrase, “Win your home games and split your road games,” describing how to be successful in the ACC. With a 4-2 road record and a 4-1 record at home against conference opponents, the Hokies are doing better.

After sweeping Duke and UNC, the premier hoops teams of the ACC, can anyone question that the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team isn’t legit?

Has that set in yet? I’ll say that again. The Virginia Tech Hokies have beat the Duke Blue Devils in Cameron, they’ve beat North Carolina in Cassell, and they beat the Tarheels again in Tech’s first trip to the fabled “Dean Dome” where UNC was previously unbeaten this season. Two of those wins mark the first ever win for Virginia Tech over Duke in Durham and the first win over UNC in Chapel Hill since 1966. If I was a true stats junky I’d find out the last team to sweep Duke and North Carolina in the regular season, but I’ll just wait for ESPN to tell me that.

What a turnaround we’ve had since the loss at Boston College. There were many Hokie fans who doubted the team after the beatdown that BC gave us. They thought the Hokies had already peaked. Instead of giving in to the pressures of the ACC, the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team has played with renewed inspiration. First they obliterated the Virginia Cavaliers by 27 points. That win marked the largest margin of victory over a conference opponent since joining the ACC. And tonight they marched down to Chapel Hill and won their toughest road game of the year. Folks, we didn’t peak when we took down North Carolina in Cassell. Tonight’s win was bigger.

Are the Hokies for real?

You better believe it.

Pumped for the big game

Friday, February 9th, 2007

Just a quick post before tomorrow’s game, which is one of the biggest games of the year. UVA is presently tied with BC at the top of the ACC, winners of 7 straight, and we’re in desperate need of a win. I am just as excited for tomorrow’s game as I have been for Virginia Tech football. I fully expect an awesome game.

If you still need your fill of previews for the game, be sure to check out HokiesFullCourt.com and TechHoops.com. They both have articles written by Wahoos, as well as their normal game previews. And I’m sure Techsideline.com will have their preview up soon. TechHoop’s why I hate UVA is fairly amusing, as well.

At any rate, I want Cassell to be loud. I want it to be louder than it was for UNC, and louder than it was for Maryland. I know that’s a lot to ask for, especially because Maryland was really a once-in-a-lifetime all-student type crowd and UNC was #1 when they came to Cassell. But this is the weekend that Virginia comes to town, and this game means more than just bragging rights. In addition to that, check out this quote from an AP article I saw on PilotOnline.com:

“I love to hear the silence of the crowd,” [J.R.] Reynolds said. “That’s why I like to play on the road so much.”

Students, alumni, and every Hokie in Cassell: start yelling before tip-off and don’t stop until the final buzzer. No matter if we’re up by 20 or down by 20, don’t ever be quiet. I want Reynolds to have his ears ring for 3 days after tomorrow’s game!

Go Hokies!

Thoughts on the VT/UVA rivalry on a snowy Tuesday in Hoo’ville

Wednesday, February 7th, 2007

In case you don’t know, I do indeed live in Charlottesville. I’m often asked by my fellow Hokies, “How can you live there?” Well, Zima’ville, as I like to refer to it thanks to Colin Cowherd’s rant, is actually a pretty cool city. It’s medium-sized with a small town feel, but it’s got some culture. Yes, there is the wine & cheese aspect of the city that I like to laugh at, but it’s got a good mix of people with a sizable group of 20-something and 30-something professionals. Luckily for me, UVA is mostly restricted to the western half of the city, so I don’t have Wahoos in my face 24/7.

Speaking of Wahoos, thanks to last night’s victory over Maryland their men’s basketball team sits atop of the ACC with an 8-2 conference record. After starting 1-2 in conference, Virginia has won 7 in a row – they are on an absolute roll. Looking at their remaining ACC schedule – @VT, FSU, @Miami, GT, VT, @Wake – it pains me to say that they have a shot of winning the regular season title. That is assuming they continue to play at the level they have been for the last few weeks.

On the other end of the emotional spectrum, our beloved Hokies have lost 2 straight and dropped to 4th place in the ACC with a 6-3 conference record. On the surface, that doesn’t look so bad. Fourth place in the ACC is a great position to be going into the final 3 weeks of the regular season. The three losses don’t look that bad on paper. First we lost to Florida State on their home floor after the biggest week in Virginia Tech basketball history. Don’t look now, but the Seminoles are one game behind the Hokies tied for 5th place. One week ago we lost to N.C. State in Cassell. We were due to drop a game at home, and the Wolfpack went on to upset North Carolina over the weekend. On Saturday the Hokies traveled north to visit Boston College. The Eagles, now 7-2 (16-6 overall), completely dismantled Tech. However, there is no shame in losing to BC. They are a good team and sit alone in second place in the ACC.

So, why is everyone nervous? Because everyone who watched the last two games saw how the Virginia Tech Hokies played. Gone was the team that beat Duke in Cameron and that upset UNC when they were #1 in the nation. Instead we saw the team that lost to Marshall. To grab a quote from TechSideline.com‘s Hokie Hotline notes: Seth Greenberg … The energy level wasn’t there in the losses to NC State and Boston College. Greenberg is hoping that’s because the team was a little tired. Every game right now is so power-packed that it’s exhausting. That is the nature of the ACC. Week-in and week-out, you have to be ready to play – you must bring your A game. Also noted on the Hokie Hotline was that this is a good time for a full week off. I couldn’t agree more. It was the end of the December when the team last had a week off. Unfortunately, it was the week before the Marshall game, but let’s not dwell on that.

Hopefully this week will give the team a chance to catch their proverbial breath and get ready for UVA. Saturday’s game is one I already had circled on my calendar, but it now takes on added importance. The Virginia Tech Hokies need to upend the 1st place Wahoos. A win on Saturday will be a shot in the arm for their confidence. A win will cut the magic number down to 3 – we’ll need only 3 wins after we beat UVA to virtually lock us into the NCAA tournament. Last, but not least, a win on Saturday is a win over the Virginia Cavaliers. To me, that is motivation enough.

Yet I get the feeling our rivalry with UVA has cooled off some since we joined the ACC. We probably wouldn’t have received the invitation to join the ACC without the help of UVA. We have completely dominated the Wahoos on the football field by beating them 7 of the last 8 meetings. UVA is 7-2 against us in the last 6 seasons of men’s basketball (since we’ve re-started playing them on each other’s home courts), and they beat us 3 times last year. There just hasn’t been much competition in football and men’s basketball, and those are the only sports that really matter for the majority of each school’s fans. We’ve kicked their butts in football, and they said, “Wait ’til basketball season!” They’ve kicked our butts in basketball, and we said, “Wait ’til football season!”

Don’t get me wrong, I consider Virginia our #1 rival. I just think this rivalry has lost some luster. If you asked this year’s freshmen and sophomores at Virginia Tech who our biggest sports rival was, I bet most would say Miami. Based on football, they wouldn’t necessarily be wrong – we’ve split the last 6 meetings with the Hurricanes. Take away football, and Miami is just another ACC school. The University of Miami and Virginia Tech are 900 miles apart and are just as dissimilar as their locations.

Charlottesville is 2 hours away from Blacksburg. There are a ton of Hokies and Hoos in Tidewater and in Northern Virginia, and they often work with each other at their jobs talking trash about the other’s school. Students of each often know high school classmates who go to the other university. The dislike goes way back to the days when farmers’ sons went to the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, and the sons of lawyers and doctors went to the University of Virginia. These days the cultural differences between the two student populations aren’t quite as big, but they are still somewhat evident. You still see more jeans and flannel in downtown Blacksburg than you do around The Corner in Charlottesville.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that while I want to see Virginia Tech beat UVA at everything in which we compete, I do understand that competition is what fuels a good rivalry. I like joking around with the Virginia fans, and I love driving my maroon truck with a Virginia Tech sticker and Virginia Tech plates around their town. I want the students of both universities to fully embrace this rivalry, too. Pranks that don’t involve property damage, assault, and/or kidnapping should be encouraged. (eg: The painting of the T at the midfield V at Scott Stadium in 2004.) Have pride that you are a student or alum of the best damn university in the Commonwealth of Virginia!

Go Hokies! Beat the ‘Hoos!

Hokies need to learn how to be basketball fans

Thursday, February 1st, 2007

A few minutes after the buzzer sounded at the end of last night’s loss to North Carolina State, Kevin and I were walking down the steps on the east side of Cassell. Kevin remarked, “I’m not pissed that we lost. I’m pissed at our fans.” I had a very similar feeling after that game. The team did not play good basketball, and they got completely outplayed by N.C. State. These things happen in the ACC. Yet our fans don’t seem to understand this. Here are the events that angered us:

  • Someone behind us, with zero basketball knowledge, was making rediculous comments about the referees, the game, and the team. His best one was, “now we’ll probably lose the rest of our games.”
  • The constant boos and catcalls the crowd directed to the refs.
  • During a timeout with 1:07 left to play and the Hokies down by 7, hordes of people got up from their seats to leave the game.
  • Inside the final minute, some jackass about 15 rows behind the Tech bench threw his Coke at the refs. Instead of hitting the referees, he sprayed cola on the fans in front of him, as well as players and coaches.
  • During our walk out of the coliseum, we overheard a number of people complaining about the referees.

Personally, I thought the refs did a fairly good job calling the game. Yes, they missed a few calls, but it had absolutely zero impact on the game. In my opinion, all of the complaining about the referees from our fans sounded like sour grapes. It sounded like an excuse. We didn’t lose that game because of the refs. We lost because we were out-rebounded 42-29, we shot 35% from the floor, and our defense could not stop Ben McCauley. We were extremely lucky to be only down by 2 at the half and have the game within reach towards the end. But give the Wolfpack credit. They did what they needed to win the game, and we deserved to the lose. To quote Seth Greenberg from the AP recap on ESPN.com:

“We were out-coached, we were out-played, we were out-competed, we were out-focused, we were out-toughed,” Hokies coach Seth Greenberg said. “I can’t really say one thing that I thought we did a good job with. … I’m really embarrassed by the manner in which we played and the manner in which we conducted our business.”

But to listen to the fans on the way out, it sounded like we had one stolen away. It sounded like our season was going to take a dive. It became very clear to me last night that we just don’t have knowledgeable basketball fans. We have great football fans who bring those football expectations to the basketball games. One or two losses in football take you out of the national title hunt. Losses in basketball are a fact of life.

It’s better to lose now than late in the regular season or early in the ACC tournament. This loss might be good for the team. They were making an incredible run, and last night’s game brought them back down to earth. I still believe this team will do special things in the postseason. They can play with anyone in the country, and with a nice showing the ACC tourney, a good seeding in the NCAA tournament is very possible. We still have the ability to finish 22-8, 12-4 in the ACC. To update my predictions from my last post, here’s how they look:

Date Opponent Vince’s
Prediction
1 PM Sat, 3 Feb at Boston College win
4 PM Sat, 10 Feb Virginia win
8 PM Tue, 13 Feb at North Carolina loss
4 PM Sun, 18 Feb at N.C. State win
7 PM Wed, 21 Feb Boston College win
Noon Sat, 24 Feb Miami win
7 PM Thu, 1 Mar at Virginia loss
1 PM Sun, 4 Mar Clemson win

It’s probably more likely that we split with Boston College and end up 5-3 instead of 6-2. Either way, it will be a solid finish to our season, and we will be well positioned for the post season.

2007 pigskin and roundball predictions

Monday, January 29th, 2007

I’m not gonna lie. I’m not a big fan of predictions of events that more than a week or two away. It’s pretty much impossible to figure out how a team is going to play more than a few weeks down the road. I always find it funny how folks will tout their correct predictions as if they were Nostradamus, but they don’t mention that they’re wrong more often than they are right.

That said, I will attempt to predict the remainder of the basketball regular season for Virginia Tech, as well as next year’s football regular season. I fully admit that I am not a so-called expert, and these are just my gut feelings.

First off the remaining basketball games:

Date Opponent Vince’s
Prediction
9 PM Wed, 31 Jan N.C. State win
1 PM Sat, 3 Feb at Boston College loss
4 PM Sat, 10 Feb Virginia win
8 PM Tue, 13 Feb at North Carolina loss
4 PM Sun, 18 Feb at N.C. State win
7 PM Wed, 21 Feb Boston College win
Noon Sat, 24 Feb Miami loss
7 PM Thu, 1 Mar at Virginia win
1 PM Sun, 4 Mar Clemson win

I know what you’re thinking: This guy is nuts! We’re going to lose to Miami at home and beat UVA on the road on their senior night?!?! I admit, that is a crazy prediction, but I have a method to my madness. I think Hokies are going to drop one at home that they should win, and they’re going to win one on the road that they should lose. I also think they have a shot at winning at BC on Saturday, but I just think we’ll be due to come back down to earth.

Now, the 2007 football season:

Date Opponent Vince’s
Prediction
Sat, 1 Sep East Carolina win
Sat, 8 Sep at LSU win
Sat, 15 Sep Ohio win
Sat, 22 Sep William & Mary win
Sat, 29 Sep North Carolina win
Sat, 6 Oct at Clemson loss
Sat, 13 Oct at Duke win
Thu, 25 Oct Boston College win
Thu, 1 Nov at Georgia Tech loss
Sat, 10 Nov Florida State win
Sat, 17 Nov Miami win
Sat, 24 Nov at Virginia loss

Again, you’re probably thinking that I’m smoking something. Yes, I’m predicting a win over LSU and a loss to UVA. I think we have a good chance at winning at LSU because most people are going expect us to lose that game. Anyone remember our trips to Clemson in 1998 and Texas A&M in 2002? Those were supposed to be road losses for us.

Also, I’ve got the feeling that two trends end next year: Our losing streak to FSU and our winning streak over UVA. No matter how good or bad our team is next year, Saturday, 10 November 2007, will be one of those days where the Hokie Nation wills the football team to victory. I cannot wait for the day the Seminoles come to Lane. And after we beat Florida State and Miami in consecutive weeks, the Hoos will bring us back down to earth. I hope I’m wrong on that one.

That said, who knows what’s going to happen in the next 7 months. These predictions are meaningless.