VIDEO: Virginia Tech has some late-game magic of their own

Virginia Tech finally got some blessings from the basketball gods on Saturday.

Two days removed from their heartbreaking loss to Florida State and Michael Snaer, the Hokies had their own dose of late-game magic in overtime against Georgia Tech.

After Mfon Udofia hit a tough jumper to put the Yellow Jackets up two, Dorenzo Hudson grabbed a loose ball in front of the Hokie's bench and launched a 3-pointer as time expired.



It's nice to see the Hokies catch a break of their own. Sure, they're not even a bubble team this season, but it seems like VaTech always get the proverbial "shaft".

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POSTERIZED: Robert Brown is comin' into your living room

Sweet mother of God.

Robert Brown, a 6-foot-5 freshman guard, isn't exactly known for his freakish athleticism. Sure, he's got some serious length, and can move in transition well.

But, I mean, I don't think any of us ever planned on seeing the Virginia Tech freshman do this:



The Florida-native didn't exactly welcome the North Florida Osprey to Blacksburg with open arms. He probably would have, but e was too busy dunking over the entire team.

(H/T @DJClayCollier)

But was it as good as these?

Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Kansas State, 12/17
Quincy Diggs, Akron vs. Florida A&M, 12/17
Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Chattanooga, 12/17
Langston Galloway/C.J. Aiken/Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Villanova, 12/17
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 12/16
Jared Cunningham, Oregon State vs. Howard, 12/15
Raheem Appleby, Louisiana Tech vs. McNeese State, 12/14
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Detroit, 12/12
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. UW-Green Bay, 12/11
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Creighton, 12/10
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. George Washington, 12/10 (DotY Candidate)
Victor Oladipo, Indiana vs. Kentucky, 12/10
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 12/10
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. Washington, 12/6
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. Marquette, 12/6
Deville Smith, Mississippi State vs. West Virginia, 12/3
Terrence Jones, Kentucky vs. North Carolina, 12/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgetown, 12/1
Anthony Marshall, UNLV vs. UNC, 11/26
Michael Kidd-Glichrist, Kentucky vs. Portland, 11/26/11 (DotY Candidate)
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/25
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. DePaul, 11/24
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Duke, 11/23
Stan Okoye, VMI vs. Ohio State, 11/23
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Southern Utah, 11/19
Ra'Shad James, Iona vs. Western Michigan, 11/18
Alandise Harris, Houston vs. Arkansas, 11/18
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Jackson State, 11/18
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Wichita State, 11/18
Eric Griffin, Campbell vs. North Carolina A&T, 11/18 (DotY Candidate)
Olek Czyz, Nevada vs. Pacific, 11/17
Chris Watson, Pikeville vs. Mountain State, 11/16
Ray Willis, North Carolina Central vs. Wagner, 11/16
Mike James, Lamar vs. Ohio, 11/15 (DotY Candidate)
Quincy Acy, Baylor vs. San Diego State, 11/15
Deniz Kilicli, West Virginia vs. Kent State, 11/15
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. West Virginia, 11/15
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Oakland, 11/14
Isaiah Brown, East Tennessee State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/12
Michael Lyons, Air Force vs. Army, 11/11
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Morgan State, 11/11
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26



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POSTERIZED: Jarell Eddie gets introduced to Isaiah Brown

Every ounce of me wants to be creative about this.

But its currently 12:37 am, @BallinIzzyHabit is going insane and I'm exhausted. The minimal amount of wit and cleverness that I was blessed with is gone at this point. So I'll give you this: East Tennessee State's Isaiah Brown yunked all over Virginia Tech's Jarell Eddie.

Yes I said yunked. You should say it too. Its a great word. And fitting here:



But was it as good as these?

Michael Lyons, Air Force vs. Army, 11/11
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Morgan State, 11/11
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26
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Saying Goodbye: Malcolm Delaney

In this world of NBA Draft early entry and one-and-done freshman, it is difficult to become attached to a college star. They simply don't hang around long enough. But when they do, that player becomes the fan favorite. There is nothing like watching a kid develop from a overwhelmed freshman into star as a senior. Those are the players that the fans connect with.

We reached out to some of the blogosphere's best, and over the next couple of weeks we will be running a series of posts saying goodbye to some of the country's best seniors.

Our seventh installment of "Saying Goodbye" provides a farewell to Malcolm Delaney, one of the best players in the past decade to play four seasons and never make the NCAA Tournament. This post comes to you courtesy of the good people at Gobbler Country, the Virginia Tech SBNation blog. You can hit them up on twitter at @GobblerCountry

If you want to know what it was like watching Malcolm Delaney play for four years, just take a look at Virginia Tech’s regular season games against North Carolina and Duke this past season.

Against the Tar Heels, Delaney was superb, but when the game was on the line took an ill-advised three that ultimately cost the Hokies the game. Against the Blue Devils, he was absolutely atrocious for 35 minutes, then made a clutch three that gave Tech an upset of the nation’s No. 1 team.

It was a season and career of highs and lows for Delaney. And no matter what you want to say about his abilities, you have to admire guy who is always willing to take the last-second shot. You had to take the good with the bad with the kid.

Unfortunately for Delaney, there is one thing he’s going to be known for beyond the clutch makes-and-misses: He never played in the NCAA Tournament. Even though he gave the program several high points it hadn’t seen in decades, there will always be that asterisk affixed to his time at Tech.

Fair or not, Delaney shoulders much of that burden, which he shares with head coach Seth Greenberg. For every last-second make-or-miss on the Hokies’ Late-February-Early-March roller coaster there was Greenberg with another letter to the school paper imploring the students to support the team or claiming a grand conspiracy against Virginia Tech’s basketball team.

Whether by design or not, Greenberg’s grandstanding took the spotlight off Delaney and onto himself. But while a lot the frustrations Hokie fans have felt since an outstanding team (emphasis on team) made the tournament in 2007 can be blamed on Greenberg, there’s at least some that can be projected onto the team’s best player.

Virginia Tech under Greenberg has never really had a discernible offensive system or game plan and that was exacerbated with Delaney as the Hokies’ only real scoring option late in his career. That led to a lot of end-game plays that involved Delaney isolated at the top of the key with the other four Hokies standing around in wide-eyed wonder as Delaney dribbled around for the final 20 or so seconds of the game before committing a game-ending turnover or chucking up a low-percentage perimeter shot.

Things would have been different if Delaney hadn’t been forced to be Superman most of the time. Instead, as a point guard, Delaney had to compensate for a team during his senior year that was depleted by injuries, transfers and suspensions.

The result was an inconsistent team led by an inconstant star that found itself in the NIT for a fourth consecutive season. And that will be Delaney’s legacy. He never made The Tournament and he never made it to New York for the NIT semifinals and what limelight it provides to those who were uninvited.

When you take stock of Delaney’s career you have to weigh what was expected of him against what has come to be expected from a program that is used to one tournament appearance per decade. The Hokies don’t have much basketball history to speak of and Delaney is certainly one of the most talented players to come through Blacksburg in the last three decades.

The flip side is that Delaney was supposed to build upon the foundation that players like Coleman Collins, Jamon Gordon and Zabian Dowdell set with their appearance in The Tournament in 2007. Delaney’s career was supposed to end with three or four trips to the Big Dance, not zero.

So, there were two sides to Delaney. At his best he was a game-changer who was able to recognize when he was having an off night and distribute the ball effectively to those who were and was able to be cold-blooded in the clutch when all seemed lost for the Hokies.

At his worst he was a flopper who didn’t come close to making his teammates better and tried to do too much in the waning moments of close games.

As always, you had to take the good with the bad with Delaney. You have to be thankful for where the program is now compared to the early 2000s and at the same time wonder why he was never able to get the Hokies into the NCAA Tournament.


More from "Saying Goodbye"

2011: Josh Harrellson, Kentucky
2011: DJ Kennedy, St. John's
2011: JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore, Purdue
2011: Matt Howard, Butler
2011: Keith Benson, Oakland
2011: Preston Knowles, Louisville


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VIDEO: Virginia Tech gets a gift

Virginia Tech needed to beat Florida State today.

A loss, and for the fourth straight season, the Hokies would have likely been on the wrong side of the bubble on Selection Sunday. Which is why the ending of Friday's ACC quarterfinal game was so gripping.

Erick Green was 1-12 from the floor when Malcolm Delaney found him open for a jumper with 4.7 seconds, giving the Hokies a 52-51 lead. Florida State came back the other way, and Derwin Kitchen buried a fadeaway 19 footer in the corner.

Heartbreak, right?



Nope.

After the officials reviewed the call, the ball was still on Kitchen's fingertips when the buzzer sounded.

Finally, Virginia Tech caught a break. More importantly, however, the Hokies got a win they desperately needed, putting them in much better position heading into Selection Sunday. Its premature to call them a lock -- they will be if they can beat a Duke team that could very well be without Nolan Smith and Kyrie Irving -- but the Hokies couldn't afford a loss to Florida State.

How much did this win mean to Greenberg and Virginia Tech?

The Hokies head coach was in tears after the call was reversed.

Like I said, the Hokies needed to catch a break.
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2/28 - College Hoops Week in Review: The Pac-10 race just got crazy

Games of the Week: Wisconsin 53, Michigan 52

The Wolverines were so close to finally picking up a marquee win. With 30 seconds left and the score 52-50, Michigan's Darius Morris headed to the free throw line. He missed the front end of a one-and-one (one of six straight free throws Michigan missed down the stretch), but the Wolverines still had four fouls to give. So they worked the clock down to 5.4 seconds left, setting up this final play:



The loss was all the more crushing for Michigan as they continue to chase an NCAA Tournament bid. They are currently sitting right on the cut line with, at best, a shot at a .500 league record. You don't think a win over the No. 12 team in the country could help?

UNC Asheville 61, Coastal Carolina 58: At first, I felt bad for Coastal Carolina. Their season has gone up in flames. Two of their best players have been suspended. Their starting point guard is done for the season with a knee injury. What seemed like a year with the potential to win a game in the NCAA Tournament has become a disaster. But then I read this. Maybe Matt Dickey was just playing the role of karma:




Player of the Week: Nikola Vucevic, USC

Vucevic is one of the best big men in the country, but I'm willing to bet you've never seen him play. Its not necessarily your fault. The Pac-10 has a garbage TV deal that makes it extremely difficult to see any Pac-10 game, let alone ones with a team that was expected to be one of the worst high-majors in the country.

But USC has had a bit of a resurgence of late. They've now won four straight games, including a sweep of the Arizona schools this past weekend, and Vucevic has been the best player on the floor. He has six straight double-doubles, including the 25 points and 12 boards he had in the Trojan's upset of Arizona on Thursday. Making that performance all the more impressive was the eight points that Derrick Williams finished with. All told, Vucevic averaged 22.5 ppg and 11.0 rpg.


All of a sudden, USC looks like a team that could end up stealing a bid. They've got wins over Texas, Tennessee, UCLA, and Arizona. Their bad losses came early in the season, before Jio Fontan was on the roster. If they sweep Washington and Washington State on the road to close out the season, they will be tied from third in the Pac-10. That's stronger than some of the profiles currently on the bubble.

The All-they-were-good-too team:

• G: Jacob Pullen, Kansas State: Pullen averaged 25.5 ppg for the Wildcats in a 2-0 week as they all but locked up a tournament bid with a win against Missouri on Saturday. All told, in the last four games, Pullen is averaging 29.0 ppg, shooting 48.4% from the floor, 15-23 (65.2%) from three, and 41-47 from the foul line.
  
• G: Dwight Hardy, St. John's: Hardy averaged 27.5 ppg this week, including a career-high 34 point performance in the Johnnie's win at Villanova. In the past seven games, Hardy has set his career high three times.
  
• F: Reeves Nelson, UCLA: The Bruins moved into a first place tie in the Pac-10 this weekend with a 71-49 win over Arizona. Nelson outplayed Derrick Williams, a potential top ten pick, to the tune of 27 points and 16 boards. He also had 12 points and 10 boards in a win over Arizona State.
  
• F: John Henson, UNC: Henson has a long way to go before he becomes a legitimate offensive threat, but his performance on the defensive end of the floor and on the glass is a huge reason for the Tar Heel's resurgence. This week, he had 30 rebounds (nine offensive) and 13 blocks in two wins.
  
• C: JaJuan Johnson, Purdue: Johnson had 20 points and nine boards in a win at Indiana, and followed that up with an impressive 20-point, 17-rebound, 7-block performance at Michigan State.
  
• Bench: Tu Holloway, Xavier (12 points, 15 assists, nine boards vs. La Salle, 26 points, 6 boards, 5 assists at Dayton); BJ Jenkins, Murray State (21.5 ppg as Racers clinched OVC title); Marshon Brooks, Providence (52 points in loss to Notre Dame); Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame (25.0 ppg, had scored 20 just once in 2011)
  

Team of the Week: Virginia Tech Hokies

It was really difficult this week to pick a team of the week given the number of quality options there were. I had to go with the Hokies, though. With their win over Duke on Saturday night, Virginia Tech has all but clinched an NCAA Tournament bid barring a collapse down the stretch.


The Hokies had a nice record coming into the game, but they didn't have the power at the top that you need to make the NCAA Tournament. With how weak the bubble is this year, snagging a win over the No. 1 team in the country is almost enough to carry you from the wrong side of the bubble to the right side. Tech still has some work to do -- they play both Boston College and Clemson, two other ACC bubble teams, down the stretch -- but as long as they can avoid being swept, Seth Greenberg should finally be taking his team to the NCAA Tournament.

Teams deserving a shout out:

Marquette: Have the Golden Eagles finally made their patented late season run? Needing a win on Thursday to keep their tournament hopes alive, Marquette went into Hartford and knocked off the UConn Huskies in overtime. They followed it up with a win over Providence. With two games (Cincinnati, at Seton Hall) left, Marquette should feel like they are in solid position to earn a bid.

Louisville: The Cardinals also picked up two big wins this week, winning at Rutgers before taking care of Pitt at home. With the win over Pitt, Louisville moved into a third place tie with St. John's in the Big East standings. If they win out, the Cardinals will receive one of the double byes in the conference tournament.

UCLA: UCLA wiped the floor with both Arizona State and Arizona in Pauley Pavilion this weekend, the latter thanks to Reeves Nelson's 27 points and 16 boards. The Bruins have now moved into a first place tie in the Pac-10 with the Wildcats. They'll have their work cut out for them this weekend, having to travel to the Washington schools, but a sweep would give the Bruins a share of the Pac-10 title. Who saw that coming?

Kansas State: Is there a team in the country playing better basketball than the Wildcats right now? Jacob Pullen has been on fire, his supporting cast has been playing with purpose and passion, and K-State earned their fourth straight win against Missouri on Saturday, which should be enough to get the Wildcats into the NCAA Tournament so long as they avoid a late season collapse.


Colorado: All of a sudden, the Buffaloes look like they may actually be capable of earning themselves an NCAA Tournament bid after they won at Texas Tech and then came from 22 points down to knock off Texas. They'll have their work cut out for them -- winning out in league play may not be enough -- but its possible.

Syracuse: The Orange continued to prove that they are a better team away from home this season, going into Philly and Washington DC and coming away with hard-fought wins over Villanova and Georgetown. There is a silver lining, however. Villanova has struggled mightily down the stretch in Big East play, while the Hoyas were playing without Chris Wright.

USC: As we detailed earlier, the Trojans are now in a position that they can make a claim for deserving an at-large bid. They knocked off Arizona and Arizona State this week, they have four quality wins, and their bad losses all came before Jio Fontan was eligible to play. If they win out at the Washington schools this week, USC will be an interesting case on Selection Sunday.

Gonzaga: The Zags knocked off St. Mary's on the road in overtime on Thursday, meaning that their win over San Diego on Saturday night gave them a share of the WCC regular season title. They also managed to get themselves back into the thick of the bubble conversation, although they've lost enough games that anything short of an automatic bid will leave them sweating when the brackets are announced.

MATCHUPS OF THE WEEK

• 2/28 - 7:00 pm: Villanova @ Notre Dame
• 2/28 - 9:00 pm: Kansas State @ Texas
• 3/1 - 7:00 pm: Illinois @ Purdue
• 3/1 - 7:00 pm: Alabama @ Florida
• 3/1 - 9:00 pm: Vanderbilt @ Kentucky
• 3/1 - 9:00 pm: Boston College @ Virginia Tech
• 3/2 - 8:00 pm: Cincinnati @ Marquette
• 3/2 - 9:00 pm: UCLA @ Washington
• 3/2 - 9:00 pm: Texas A&M @ Kansas State
• 3/4 - 12:00 pm: Kansas @ Missouri
• 3/4 - 2:00 pm: Notre Dame @ UConn
  
• 3/4 - 4:00 pm: Villanova @ Pitt
• 3/4 - 6:00 pm: Florida @ Vanderbilt
  
• 3/4 - 8:00 pm: Duke @ UNC
  
• 3/4 - 9:00 pm: Texas @ Baylor
• 3/5 - 12:00 pm: Wisconsin @ Ohio State
• 3/5 - 4:00 pm: Kentucky @ Tennessee
  

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Conference Play Primer: The ACC

Favorite: Duke Blue Devils

I'm not expecting too much of an argument on that one. Not only is Duke the No. 1 team in the country right now -- even without Kyrie Irving -- but the rest of the ACC has been just pitiful. People are legitimately discussing whether or not Duke has a chance to go undefeated this season, and I guarantee that there are more people that think Duke won't lose a game than think the Blue Devils won't win the ACC.


Player of the Year: Reggie Jackson, Boston College

There are a number of legitimate Player of the Year options in the ACC at this point in the season, but I'm going with Jackson. He's second in the conference in both scoring (19.2) and assists (5.0) while grabbing 4.4 rpg and shooting an obscene 50.9% from three. He's also been the catalyst in BC's resurgence under Steve Donahue, carrying the team to a 10-2 mark here early in the season, which includes a win on the road against Maryland in their ACC opener. As crazy as it may sound, BC might just be the second best team in the ACC. And Reggie Jackson is the reason why.

All-Conference Team:

• G: Nolan Smith, Duke: 17.1 ppg, 5.4 apg, 4.6 rpg
  
• F: Kyle Singler, Duke: 17.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg
  
• F: Chris Singleton, FSU: 14.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.1 spg, 2.4 bpg
  
• F: Mike Scott, UVa: 15.9 ppg, 10.2 rpg (takes Kyrie Irving's spot)
  
• C: Jordan Williams, Maryland: 18.2 ppg, 11.9 rpg
  

Biggest Surprise: Virginia Tech Hokies

Boston College has probably been the only team in the conference that has been a surprise in a positive way. Since I don't want to talk about the Eagles, I'll go the other direction. This was supposed to be Virginia Tech's year to breakthrough. With senior Malcolm Delaney leading this way, the Hokie's were going to have the supporting cast around the ACC Player of the Year as they gave Duke a run for their money atop the conference. That was the plan, anyway. Then Allan Chaney had a heart condition discovered, JT Thompson tore his acl, and Virginia Tech struggled through the non-conference portion of their schedule before finding out that Dorenzo Hudson, last year's leading scorer, would miss the rest of the season due to injury. Without a quality win, and with very few quality wins available in the ACC this year, it looks as if the Hokies will once again miss the NCAA Tournament.

Biggest Disappointment: Harrison Barnes

Since I'm not going to simply answer "the conference as a whole" (because that would be too correct accurate easy), I'll go with Barnes. Barnes has been far from bad this season. He is the Tar Heel's second leading scorer at 12.3 ppg, which, as an incoming freshman, is commendable. The problem is that with the hype bestowed upon this young man this season, "commendable" is not good enough. Barnes was named CBSSports.com preseason national Player of the Year and became the first freshman to ever be named an AP Preseason All-American. Its not his fault that he had this much hype coming in, but he certainly hasn't lived up to those expectations. Its not an issue of talent, it seems more to be an issue of confidence. Barnes is not playing as aggressive as many expected him to, and he certainly isn't shooting the ball all that well. There is still time for him to turn things around. Personally, I'm hoping he will; Barnes seems like a genuinely good kid.


Teams to keep an eye on:

• NC State: Don't write off the Wolfpack just yet. If you remember, last year's leading scorer and rebounder, big man Tracy Smith, is still out of the lineup with a knee injury he suffered early on in the season. With as much young talent as Sidney Lowe has on that roster, missing your best and most experienced player was expected to yield some growing pains.
• Florida State: Chris Singleton is probably the best individual defensive player in the country. With the Seminole's size, they are one of the best half court defensive teams in the country as well. Offense is their problem, as they don't seem to run anything at that end of the floor, but Singleton looked improved on that end at the Diamond Head Classic.
• Maryland: The Terps have talent on their roster, especially in the front court where Jordan Williams anchors an athletic front line. Their issue is in the back court. Two freshmen and Adrian Bowie have been sharing point guard duties, and it hasn't gone all that well. Maryland has four losses, but all four were winnable games that the Terps cost themselves with poor decision making down the stretch.
• North Carolina: There is just too much talent on this team to ignore. Will they put it all together? I don't know. But December is too early to write off a team with seven Burger Boys on the roster.
• Miami FL: Two great guards, a hoss in the middle, and a couple of athletes on the wing? What more does a team need in this conference?
  

Teams to forget about:

• Virginia Tech: Injuries and illnesses have just decimated this team's depth and talent level. Malcolm Delaney is a player, but there just isn't enough on this roster.
• Georgia Tech: The loss to Kennesaw State was bad, as that team as not won a game since then. But then three days before Christmas the Yellow Jackets went to Siena and lost to a Saints team that was without Clarence Jackson and that had a banged up Ryan Rossiter in the second half. Paul Hewitt is lucky he got the contract he did after that Final Four season.
  

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Its tough to find positives in Purdue's win over Virginia Tech

Neither Purdue or Virginia Tech was a winner in their ugly, 58-55 overtime debacle.

Sure, the Boilermakers came out victorious. (Ironically, it was also the game that decided the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, which the Big Ten won 6-5.)

But Purdue looked more like a team that will struggle to stay afloat in the loaded Big Ten than one that will compete for the Big Ten title.

Simply put, the Boilermakers cannot score. Of the 58 points that Purdue had tonight, 29 came from center JaJuan Johnson. It took 24 shots for Johnson to get those 29 points, which is far too inefficient for a center that is the focal point of an offense, especially when it happens against a front line as depleted as Virginia Tech's.


Johnson can score on the block, there's no question about that. He has a nice finesse game in the post, and his jump hook has become a serious weapon.

But when he is on the floor with only one other legitimate scoring threat -- E'Twaun Moore -- it allows opposing defenses to swarm him. What happens when he's going up against Jared Sullinger or the trio of Ralph Sampson, Trevor Mbakwe, and Colton Iverson, not Victor Davila?

And let's face it -- Virginia Tech is not a very good team right now. They are not deep, Jeff Allen cannot stay out of foul trouble, and their two best scorers -- Malcolm Delaney and Dorenzo Hudson -- are playing far from their best basketball.

I'm not sure it is humanly possible to struggle more than Malcolm Delaney did tonight. He finished the with just nine points on 2-18 shooting. He also added four turnovers. Generally speaking, having your primary ball handler commit four turnovers is not a good thing, but it actually was an improvement for Delaney; he came in averaging nearly six per game.

Much of Delaney's struggles tonight can be attributed to Purdue's defense, and I get that Purdue's game plan was to take Delaney out of the game, forcing the other four Hokies on the floor to try and win the game. But when you do this good of a job slowing down a guy like Delaney -- who is one of the top five or ten most important players to his team in the country -- you should not be going to overtime with that team, even if the game is on the road.

For the Hokies, this may have been a loss that they couldn't afford.

Seth Greenberg ramped up Tech's schedule this season after ending up on the wrong side of the bubble too many times. The move may have backfired, however, as his team has lost all three of their marquee matchups -- at Kansas State, to UNLV in Anaheim, and to Purdue at home.

There really isn't that much else on the Hokie's schedule to bolster their profile. They will get a chance to play Mississippi State after Renardo Sidney returns, but the Bulldogs just lost at home to Florida Atlantic. Is Sidney -- a kid that hasn't played in a game since the spring of 2009 -- really going to turn them into a tournament team and a potential marquee win for Tech?

There isn't much on their ACC docket, either. After Duke, the ACC does not appear to be that strong this season. How much weight will a win at Florida State hold come Selection Sunday? Or a sweep of NC State? Or wins over North Carolina and Maryland?

Credit must be given to Greenberg for putting together a more rigorous non-conference schedule this season. But losing all of the marquee games may actually be worse than not playing them. Last season there was a legitimate argument for Virginia Tech being a top 25 team.

Right now?

There isn't.

Could we once again be looking at a season where the Hokies are on the outside of the NCAA Tournament looking in?

If Matt Painter can't figure out how to get his team to score more, Purdue may be joining them.

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No. 24 Virginia Tech Hokies

To browse through the rest of our Top 50 Countdown, click here.

Last Season: 25-9, 10-6 (t-3rd ACC), lost to Rhode Island in the Elite 8 of the NIT

Head Coach: Seth Greenburg

Key Losses: JT Thompson, Allan Chaney*

Newcomers: Erik Sorensen, Tyrone Garland, Jarell Eddie, Allan Chaney*

Projected Lineup:

• G: Malcolm Delaney, Sr.
  
• G: Dorenzo Hudson, Sr.
  
• F: Terrell Bell, Sr.
  
• F: Jeff Allen, Sr.
  
• F: Victor Davila, Jr.
  
• Bench: Erick Green, So.; Tyrone Garland, Fr.; Manny Adkins, So.; Jarell Eddie, Fr.
  

*(Ed. Note: Both Thompson and Chaney are still with the program, but Thompson will miss this season with a knee injury, and it seems unlikely Chaney will suit up as he continues to deal with a viral inflammation of his heart.)


Outlook: Virginia Tech, once again, was snubbed by the NCAA Tournament committee last season. Despite winning 23 games in the regular season, 10 games in ACC play, and finishing tied for third in the conference, a lack of impressive victories combined with a non-conference schedule littered with cupcakes forced the committee to look elsewhere for an at-large bid. This season, Greenberg has, at least, rectified the non-conference problem, as the Hokies will play Purdue, Kansas State, Mississippi State, and take part in the 76 Classic.

That said, with the talent that Greenberg has returning this season, the non-conference schedule shouldn't be the Hokie's NCAA Tournament determining factor. Depth will. The good news is that Tech will bring back their entire starting five.

It starts in the back court. Even with all the talent on Tobacco Road this season, there is a legitimate argument to be made that Malcolm Delaney is the best player in the conference. Delaney is a big-time scorer at the point, averaging over 20 ppg last season. He isn't the most explosive athlete, but he's able to get by his man and crafty when finishing in the paint and around the rim. He's adept at drawing fouls and getting to the line -- he averaged more than 8 FTA's and hit 84% from the stripe -- but he is also unselfish enough that he will give the ball up to the open man. Delaney is talented enough that he will carry Tech to a number of wins this season.

Delaney isn't alone, however. Dorenzo Hudson, Delaney's back court mate, is a big time scorer himself. He averaged 15.2 ppg playing off the ball last season, and while he is not the same kind of creator as Delaney, Hudson is capable of taking a game over -- he had 41 points in Tech's win over Seton Hall last season without Delaney in the lineup. Both Delaney and Hudson are going to need to improve their shooting from the perimeter (both hit right around 30% from beyond the arc last season). Terrell Bell is the other perimeter starter, a 6'7" junior that does all the little things -- defend, rebound, etc. Sophomore Erick Green and freshman Tyrone Garland, both natural point guards, will be Greenberg's bench in the back court.


Up front, Jeff Allen and Victor Davila are both back. Allen is a supremely talented young man, but he is still learning how to harness that talent even as a senior. A 6'8" power forward, Allen has some solid moves in and around the rim, but he has a tendency to float around the perimeter too much. He's also a questionable decision maker with the ball, committing too many turnovers, forcing a number of bad shots, and spending too much time in foul trouble. Allen is a good defender, however, leading the team in steals and blocks. Davila is your typical, ACC starting big man -- he works hard on the defensive end and can block a couple shots, but he's not much offensively and needs to really improve his work on the glass.

The problem for Tech is that injuries has obliterated their front court depth. JT Thompson is done for the season after tearing his acl. Allan Chaney, who might have been the best low-post scorer on the roster, will very likely miss the season as he deals with his heart issues. Chaney collapsed twice during workouts over the offseason. Cadarian Raines is still working his way back from a foot injury he suffered in March. Sophomore Manny Adkins and freshman Jarell Eddie, 6'7" forwards that are generally better on the perimeter, will likely be forced to see minutes inside.

Therein lies the biggest issue for Greenberg -- depth. Delaney and Hudson are no strangers to playing big minutes (both averaged over 35 mpg last season), but Allen and Davila aren't. Can those two get into shape? Can they stay out of foul trouble? More likely, Greenberg will play a smaller, almost-four guard when Eddie and Adkins are in. Regardless, the presence of Delaney and Hudson will give the Hokies a shot to win every time they take the court.

Continue reading...

Virginia Tech's JT Thompson out for the year with a torn acl

Virginia Tech got a bit of bad news yesterday as it was announced that sixth man JT Thompson tore his acl in a pickup game on Monday and will miss the 2010-2011 season.

Thompson, who is a senior this season, averaged 7.3 ppg and 4.6 rpg last year for Seth Greenberg's team. Thompson isn't a great offensive player, but he provided the Hokies with defensive toughness and athleticism at the forward spot.

His loss will surely take a toll on Tech's depth for the upcoming year.

Its another bad break for a program that never seems to catch one. It seems like every year, Greenberg's club is on the wrong side of the bubble for one reason or another. With Malcolm Delaney and Dorenzo Hudson both returning, Thompson's loss shouldn't hurt their chances of making the tournament, but it puts a dent in the already slim chances the Hokies -- who many believe are the second or third best team in the ACC -- have of winning the conference's regular season title.

Here is the press release the school put out:

Virginia Tech forward JT Thompson has suffered a grade-3 tear in the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee and will undergo season-ending surgery Tuesday morning. The surgery will be performed by Virginia Tech team orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Marc Siegel at Montgomery Regional Hospital. Thompson suffered the injury on Monday afternoon playing in a pick-up game.

"I am extremely disappointed for JT, suffering an ACL injury that will result in a season-ending surgery," head coach Seth Greenberg said. "JT is a huge part of what we have been able to accomplish over the last three years. His work ethic, energy, toughness and skill level will most definitely be missed. At this time, we need to be there for JT. I am sure that players already in the program will step up when given the opportunity. We expect JT to have a full recovery and know that he will still find a way to contribute this season and be a leader next year."

Thompson, a senior from Monroe, N.C., appeared in all 34 games for the Hokies last season, starting three times. One of the top "sixth men" in the ACC, he was fourth on the team in scoring, at 7.3 points per game and third on the team in rebounding, at 4.6 rebounds per game. He recorded double figures in scoring nine times as a junior, including a season-high 17 points in the overtime win at Virginia.

Continue reading...

Thursday Morning Shootaround: Does Anyone Want To Play In the NCAA Tournament?

Monday, it was Notre Dame. Tuesday, it was Georgetown, Cincinnati, Maryland, and Kansas State. On Wednesday, we added quite a bit to the list of teams with their bubbles bursting.

North Carolina 86, Virginia Tech 78: Tyler Hansbrough looked like Tyler Hansbrough tonight, going for 22 points and 15 rebounds as UNC pulled away from Virginia Tech late. The Heels had a bit of a cushion for most of the game, but Va Tech went on a little surge in the second half, tying the game twice and cutting the lead to 63-62 with 5:16 left. But the Heels responded by going on a 10-0 run to put the game away. Ty Lawson had 22 points and 5 assists, while AD Vassallo scored 25 for the Hokies. Tech still has a shot at getting an invite to the dance, mainly because there are not many other teams that are making a push. But the Hokies really are struggling. They have lost five of six and seven of ten, and have fallen to 7-8 in the league. Their biggest issue is an inability to win close games. Tonight was their ninth loss by eight points or less. The good news is that the Hokies get Florida State on the road to close out the regular season, which means that they have a really good opportunity to add to their resume. At this point, however, it still may not be enough.

Georgia 90, Kentucky 85: This was a game that the Wildcats had to have. Playing the worst team in the SEC at home with your tournament chances on the line is as must-win as you can get, and the Cats still somehow managed to blow it (I wonder who Billy Gillispie blames for this one?). Terrence Woodbury had 30 to lead four scorers in double figures, and the Bulldogs managed to hit 11-16 from long range in the win. This loss was more than likely the fatal blow to Kentucky. Their RPI is 67 (which is going to drop big time after losing the Georgia, who isn't in the top 200 - at least VMI isn't their worst loss anymore) and they have just one significant non-conference win.

Mississippi State 80, Florida 71: The Bulldogs ended the first half on a 7-0 run to go into the break up 42-33, and they never looked back, getting up by as much as 16 in the second half. Florida is in a bit better shape than Kentucky is. Their RPI is higher and they have a better record, but their only win of any significance is Washington (early in the season, before U-Dub figured it out) and they have just two wins on the road. Bottom line - Florida plays Kentucky on Saturday, which means that the loser, barring a fantastic run through the SEC tournament, will be headed to the NIT.

NC State 74, Boston College 69: On senior night, Ben McCauley scored 20 points as the Wolfpack were able to hold off the Eagles down the stretch. Up 66-58 with just under three minutes left, Rakim Sanders hit three consecutive three's to cut the lead to two. With five seconds left and BC down three, Sanders stepped to the line but missed a front end. McCauley grabbed the board and sealed the victory with foul shots. BC may already be in the tournament on the strength of their impressive collection of wins (UNC, Duke, Florida State), but they also have a pretty impressive set of losses (St. Louis, Harvard, Miami twice, NC State). If they can beat Georgia Tech on Saturday, they should be ok.

Georgia Tech 78, Miami FL 68: The U was a longshot at best to get a bid, but with the way that other bubble teams had been losing, if they had gotten to .500 in the ACC, they would at least have had an argument. That possibility is gone, as the Canes let Lewis Clinch go for a career high 30 (on 9-16 from deep) and fell behind by as much as 19 at 52-33.

The rest of the nights hoops action:

• Pitt 90, Marquette 75: The Golden Eagles fought valiantly for a while, using a 21-6 run at the start of the second half to take a nine point lead. But the Panthers took over in the last 15:43 of the game. They outscored Marquette 42-18 while dominating the glass and shooting 16-20 from the field, which included a 21-2 run immediately after Marquette took the nine point lead. DeJuan Blair had 21 points, 9 boards, and 4 blocks for the Panthers, who also got 17 and 10 dimes from Levance Fields. Jerel McNeal had 23 points, but was just 8-24 from the floor. Lazar Hayward added 22 and 10 boards. Insert obligatory Dom James is hurt reference here. Of note, Levance Fields took a hard fall and bruised his, umm, keister during the second half.
• Missouri 73, Oklahoma 64: The Tigers moved into a tie in second place with Oklahoma in the Big XII standings as they thoroughly dominated the Sooners. OU's guards simply could not handle the Mizzou press. To me, this game wasn't as much about the Tigers as it was about Oklahoma. The Sooners are a team in turmoil. They have lost three of four. Juan Patillo was suspended for the Texas Tech game for violating team rules. Willie Warren lost his starting job because of an attitude problem before the Texas Tech game. Does this sound like a team that is coming together in March? DeMarre Carroll led Mizzou with 15 and 10, while Griffin had 16 points and 21 boards.
• Minnesota 51, Wisconsin 46: In what many were calling the most important game of the night, Lawrence Westbrook scored all fifteen of his points in the second half, which included the Gopher's last 10, as he almost single-handedly carried the Gophers to a huge win in their pursuit of an NCAA tournament bid. When it comes down to it, however, both of these teams are going to get in the dance. Both have RPI's in the 30's, Wisconsin has the less impressive record and resume, but they also have the fifth toughest schedule in the country. Minnesota has a win over Louisville in non-conference play. The bigger issue here is that with one game left, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ohio State are all tied at 9-8 for the fifth spot in the Big Ten standings (top five get a bye in the tourney) just a half game behind Penn State and a game up on Michigan and Northwestern.
  
• Northwestern 64, Purdue 61: While the Wildcats may not be deserving of an NCAA bid yet (beat Ohio State Saturday and it is a different story), they must be put into the conversation now. Their list of quality wins is pretty impressive - Florida State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and now Purdue. What is killing them right now is that they have been borderline abysmal on the road - yes, they beat MSU in East Lansing, but a loss at Iowa and 30 point losses at Wisconsin and Minnesota look really bad. That said, pick up a win at Ohio State, and things may change.
• Louisville 95, Seton Hall 78: Typical Louisville performance - Earl Clark with 27 and 14, while T-will adds 14, 12 boards, 8 dimes, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. Louisville now needs a win and a Pitt win/UConn loss in their matchup Saturday afternoon and they win the Big East.
• West Virginia 82, DePaul 63: Alex Ruoff led five Mountaineers in double figures and Devin Ebanks added 14 and 14 as WVU rolled.
• Vanderbilt 75, LSU 67: Just when everyone was hopping on the LSU bandwagon, the Tigers go and lose to Vanderbilt. At home. On the senior night. What the ..? AJ Ogilvy had 33 and 10 boards for Vandy.
  
• Memphis 69, Houston 60: Memphis needs to move out of C-USA. Tyreke Evans scored 23 points as the Tigers moved within a game of their third straight undefeated conference season. They have beaten 57 straight conference foes.
  
• Texas Tech 84, Kansas 65: Alan Voskuil went for 35 points on 9-14 shooting on the Red Raiders senior night as they jumped all over the Jayhawks early. Kansas was down by as much as 17 in the first half, but got the lead all the way down to two in the second half before Tech pulled away. Oh note, Tyshawn Taylor limped off the floor with less than a minute to go in the half after tripping over a defenders foot. No word yet on what the injury is.
  
• Texas A&M 72, Colorado 66: The Aggies kept their NCAA tourney hopes alive by coming back from eight down at the half to beat the Buffaloes. Josh Carter had 18 for A&M.
• BYU 78, Wyoming 68: The Cougars managed to rally in the second half to knock off the Cowboys and move into a tie for first in the MWC. Lee Cummard, Jimmer Fredette, and Jonathon Tavernari combined for 58 points.
  

Continue reading...

The Curious Case of Virginia Tech

On Selection Sunday, when the NCAA Tournament committee gets together, their goal is to select the 34 best teams in the country that did not win their conference tournament.

How does one go about choosing the best 34 teams? Win-loss record, RPI, conference standings, record on the road, the list goes on and on and on. Suffice to say, being one of the people tasked with whittling every bubble team to the select 34 that get to go dancing is not an easy job.

But I will say this - Virginia Tech is and will be one of the 34 best at-large teams come March 15th. But odds are, they will not be in the tournament.

Why?

Because they won't have one of the 34 best at-large resumes.

As of today, the Hokies are 17-11 overall and 7-7 in the ACC. Their computer numbers are also average at best (RPI of 59, SOS of 36). Their best wins (Clemson, Wake Forest, BC) are overshadowed by equally bad losses (Seton Hall, Georgia, UVA). More than likely, they will need to sweep their last two games (UNC, @ Florida State) to have a serious case at getting into the field of 65.

So how can I so assuredly state that Va Tech will be one of the 34 best at-large teams?

While it plays no role in the committee's selection process, there is something to be said for close losses. And there is no team in the country that has suffered more heart-breaking losses than the Hokies have. Seven of their eleven losses have come by four points or less. But they have also won seven games by five points or less, so the luck swings both ways, right?

Maybe. Take a look at some of these losses:

• Toney Douglas hits a runner with 6.2 seconds left to lift Florida State over the Hokies 67-65.
• Rakim Sanders tipped in a Tyrese Rice miss with 0.4 seconds left as BC knocked off Tech 67-66.
• Trevon Hughes hit this buzzer beater to beat the Hokies in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge:
  
  
  
  
• And who can forget Dante Jackson's halfcourt game winner:
  
  
  
  

Now, just to throw salt in the wound, with Va Tech down three to Duke with under a minute left, Jon Scheyer is allowed to 1-2 step for about five seconds before Duke is credited with a timeout. The Hokies would go on to lose a game they desperately needed for their NCAA tournament hopes.

To be fair, Tech would not have necessarily come back to beat the Devils. And assuming that those four buzzer beaters were all missed, two of those games would have gone into overtime.

Even if you assume that Tech would have lost to Wisconsin and Florida State in OT, if Tech had those wins over Xavier and BC right now, they would almost undoubtedly be in the tournament right now. They surely would be in a position where they only needed to win one of their last two games, as opposed to the situation they are in now (needing to win both).

So should Va Tech be given a pass because they've suffered so many tough losses?

Absolutely not. That is the beauty of sports. You just never know what can happen. Besides, more than the number of buzzer beaters that have beaten Tech, the reason they are headed for another NIT is the losses they have to Seton Hall, Georgia, and Virginia. 20-8 and 8-6 is much different than 17-11 and 7-7.

Just keep this in mind. If Virginia Tech loses to UNC at home, but beats Florida State on the road, they will finish up the regular season at 18-12 and 8-8 in the ACC, and more than likely needing to win two games in the ACC tournament if they want to make the NCAA's.

But if that Dante Jackson heave doesn't go in, the Hokies would have four wins against teams in the top 20 in the RPI. That is a large number of quality wins to send to the NIT, especially for a team that ended up .500 in toughest (arguably) league in america. Continue reading...

College Basketball Week In Review: Life on the Bubble

With just a week left in the regular season for most teams, let's take a look at who can help themselves the most over these next seven days:

• Virginia Tech 17-11, 7-7, 59 (RPI), 36 (SOS): The Hokies have been the most snakebitten team in the country this season (more on this later today), but still have a chance to reach the dance because they play UNC (home) and Florida State (away) to close out the season. They may need to win both if they want to lock up a bid.
• Maryland 18-10, 7-7, 58, 22: The Terps have a couple really nice wins (@ UNC, Michigan State), but a terrible loss (Morgan State) and a 2-5 road record. While a win at UVA helps bolster the road record, they may need to beat Wake Forest at home if they want a chance to dance.

• Providence 17-11, 10-7, 71, 38: The Friars have one game left on their schedule - at Villanova. At this point, they probably need to win that game for a shot at making the dance. If they lose, the committee can easily turn down a 12 loss team, but can they reject a team that went 11-7 in the Big East this year, with a win over Pitt and a win at Villanova?
• The Middle of the Big Ten: Illinois, Purdue, and Michigan State are dancing, but there are five teams within a game and a half of each other in the Big Ten standings that still can end up in the field of 65:
  
  - Wisconsin (18-10, 9-7, 32, 5): @ Minnesota, Indiana
  - Penn State (20-9, 9-7, 64, 92): Illinois, @ Iowa
  - Minnesota (20-8, 8-8, 37, 47): Wisconsin, Michigan
  - Ohio State (18-9, 8-8, 41, 24): @ Iowa, Northwestern
  - Michigan (17-12, 8-9, 47, 10): @ Minnesota
  
  Penn State and Ohio State probably need to win out to reach the dance (Penn State needs the wins, Ohio State can't afford the losses). Depending on how the games play out, two of Michigan/Minnesota/Wisconsin should be dancing as well.
• Oklahoma State 19-9, 8-6, 31, 13: See below.
• Florida 21-8, 8-6, 42, 93; Kentucky 18-10, 8-6, 66, 64: The Gators go to Mississippi State on Wednesday and the Wildcats get Georgia at home. Assuming both teams win those games (far from a sure thing, especially for Florida, who is 2-6 in true road games), on Saturday Kentucky heads to Gainesville in what will most likely be a play-in game. Does a 9-7 SEC team go dancing?
• Dayton 24-5, 10-4, 27, 105: Dayton has a great record and a great RPI, but probably needs to sweep this week (@ Xavier, Duquense) if they want to ensure an at-large bid. The wins against Marquette and Xavier are nice, but an SOS in the 100's and losses to St. Louis (113), UMass (162), and Charlotte (183) are not good.
  

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Sherron Collins, Kansas Jayhawks
Much has been written about how young the Jayhawks are this year and how much they lost to graduation/NBA paychecks after winning the national title. But come March of 2009, the Baby Jayhawks are now all alone in first place in the Big XII, needing only to win at Texas Tech and to beat Texas at home to lock up a fifth straight conference title. This past week was huge, as KU knocked off both Oklahoma and Missouri. And as has been the case all season long, Sherron Collins was the best player on the floor for KU. Against Oklahoma, Collins shook off a bit of a slow start as he knocked down three huge three's late in the game, which helped to hold off a 20 point rally by the Blake Griffin-less Sooners. On Sunday, Collins scored 25 points and had 6 assists as Kansas jumped all over Mizzou early, winning the battle for first place 90-65. All told, Collins averaged 25.5 ppg, 4.5 apg, and 3.5 rpg, while shooting 50% from the field, 14-18 from the line, and 9-14 from deep.

Sherron Collins was on fire in two games last week.
(photo credit: Orlin Wagner/AP)

TEAMS OF THE WEEK:
Oklahoma State and LSU
OK State was not expected to be much of anything this year, especially not after their only legitimate post threat, Ibrahima Thomas, was kicked off of the team early in the season. Things looked bleak as the Cowboys lost six of eight early in the conference season, but they have responded admirably by winning five in a row, including two games this week - at Colorado and at home against Texas. The win against Texas was the most important win of the season, as it finally gave OK State a marquee win. The Cowboys are far from a lock at this point despite their very strong computer profile (31 RPI, 13 SOS), mainly because they haven't had all that much success against a very tough schedule (3-8 vs. top 50, 7-9 vs. top 100). But they still have games against Kansas State and Oklahoma. Winning one of those should get the Cowboys in, while winning both would guarantee a trip to the dance. For the week, the vastly underrated James Anderson led the Cowboys with 23 ppg, including a 30 and 10 board performance against Colorado. Marshall Moses averaged 11.5 ppg and 12.5 rpg this week.

LSU is leading the SEC with an impressive 25-4 record, 13-1 in the league. But they are far from getting the credit that record would deserve for two reasons: the general consensus is that the SEC is down quite a bit this year; but more so it is the fact that LSU has not been all that impressive on the road. They lost their first three games away from Baton Rouge (Texas A&M on a neutral court, at Utah by 30, and at Alabama). They have been much better on the road of late, winning, amongst others, at Tennessee, at Mississippi State, and at Arkansas (who, if you remember, beat Texas and Oklahoma in Fayetteville). If that still wasn't enough to convince you that LSU is for real this year, then maybe this week did. Not only did they beat Florida, but they won in Rupp, coming back from a ten point deficit to beat the Wildcats on a Tasmin Mitchell three pointer with less than 10 seconds left. The bottom-line, for me anyway, is that LSU passes the smell test - watching them play (I saw most of the two games this week, the first two I have seen the Tigers play this year, thank you very much Raycom Sports), they look like a team deserving of a top four seed.

Marcus Thornton hit five three's in a row in the first half against Florida
en route to 32 points in the Tiger's win.
(photo credit: Bill Feig/AP)

Marcus Thornton, when he is a hot, can put up points with the best of them (he averaged 27.5 ppg on the week). Garrett Temple ranks up there with Chris Kramer, Jerel McNeal, and Travis Walton as the best perimeter defenders in the nation. Tasmin Mitchell is a load on the block. Chris Johnson is an excellent shot blocker that will be a lottery pick once he can put on some muscle. Bo Spencer has turned into a good point guard that can protect the ball, make plays on both ends, and knock down a jump shot for you. The biggest problem? That is it for the Tigers. They might as well go just five deep, because there is not too much on their bench. They end with Vanderbilt and Auburn. If they win both, they will be 15-1 in the SEC. The league may be down this year, but 15-1 in any conference is impressive.

MATCH-UPS OF THE WEEK:
3/3 - Florida State @ Duke: Duke tends to struggle against bigger, more athletic teams. What is FSU? Bigger, and more athletic than just about every team in the country.

3/4 - Marquette @ Pitt: Marquette was at a serious disadvantage size wise before they had to replace 5'11" Dominic James with 5'7" Mo Acker.

3/4 - Oklahoma @ Missouri: ESPN really blew this one. Two clashes of top ten teams on a Wednesday night, and neither lands on the worldwide leader (Pitt-Marquette is ESPN 2, while Oklahoma-Mizzou is not even on the family of networks).

3/5 - Dayton @ Xavier: Xavier looks to get revenge after Dayton smacked X in Dayton back in January.

3/6 - The WCC and CAA tournaments start on Friday.

The last weekend of the regular season ends with an absolutely fantastic line-up of games, headlined by UConn heading to Pitt to play for the Big East crown, while UNC hosts Duke for the ACC title. More on this weekend's games on Friday. Continue reading...

Friday Morning Shootaround

What a game out in Blacksburg last night. Virginia Tech controlled the first half. Clemson's press was completely ineffective last night. The Hokies used quick, long passes up the sideline to avoid being trapped, which created situations where Tech had numbers offensively. As a result, Tech got a ton of open looks and open lay-ups in the first half.

Malcolm Delaney was one of the guys that feasted on those open looks. He scored 22 of his 37 points in the first half (including a 60 foot heave at the first half buzzer).

In the second half, Clemson again came out in their press, and again it was ineffective. The Tigers had gotten the lead down to six before the half, but an 11-2 run (started by Delaney's 60 footer) pushed the lead back out to 15, 61-46, at the 17:14 mark. That is when Clemson would come out of their press, and go to a trapping man-to-man defense in the half court.

The Tiger's half court defense held Tech to just 21 points the rest of the way, and they used a 26-5 run over the next 10 minutes to take their biggest lead of the game, 72-66. KC Rivers scored 13 of his 29 points in the run, and capped it with his seventh three of the game.

But Tech would respond. Malcolm Delaney scored seven of the next 13 Hokie points, including a three with 3:25 left to put Tech up 79-76. But with the game tied at 80 and 1:25 left, David Potter hit a three from the top of the key, and Clemson would hang on, forcing a three way tie in third place in the ACC.

Potter finished with 7 points, 7 assists and 5 boards while Trevor Booker had 21 and 13. Jeff Allen added 13 and 9 boards for Tech, who only got 10 points from leading scorer AD Vassallo.

Before this game, I really had my doubts about Clemson - I couldn't decide if they were just another Tiger team that had a hot start. But they really impressed me with their come back for two reasons. First, they were down 15 on the road (Cassell Coliseum is a tough place to play) to a Tech team playing just about its best basketball. Second, they were able to come back without pressing, which is their MO defensively. They were able to grind out stops in the half court, which just proves that this team is much more versatile than people give them credit for. I don't want to say that they are up with Duke, Wake, and UNC, but they are probably the fourth best team in the ACC right now.

The rest of the night's games:

• Gonzaga 69, St. Mary's 62: A match-up of arguably the two best teams on the West Coast fizzled early as Patty Mills had to leave the game with three minutes left in the first half due to a right wrist injury (they are calling it a sprain). The Gael's offense really struggled without the Aussie in the second half as they shot just 33% and scored only 23 points (Mills alone had 18 in the first 17 minutes of the game).
  
  Gonzaga used a 28-11 run at the start of the second half to build up a 61-50 lead. St. Mary's would keep fighting and scrapping, but without Mills they couldn't get into their offense and couldn't score. Diamon Simpson led the Gaels with 17 and 12, going 7-7 from the floor, but without Mills to provide spacing, he was limited in the number of post touches he got.
  
  The guy on Gonzaga who has been making the most noise of late has been Matt Bouldin. He had 17 last night, which was right on his average over the previous six games. He is such a smart, fundamentally sound player. He does it all on the floor - shoot, pass, defend - and is becoming the go-to guy for the 'Zags and the guy they run their offense through.
• Minnesota 59, Illinois 36: Talk about an ugly game to watch. The halftime score was 22-16, as the two teams combined to shoot 28% from the field. The Gophers figured it out a bit in the second half on the strength of 10 points from Lawrence Westbrook, who capped a 19-7 run with a three that pushed the lead to 45-27. Illinois shot 29.7% from the field on the game, hitting just 2-16 from deep, and did not put a player into double figures. It was a huge win for Minnesota. They whiffed against Purdue and Michigan State, and not only did this win put them all alone in third place in the Big Ten, but it ended a 20 game losing streak against the Illini.
• UCLA 81, Cal 66: The story of this game was steals. UCLA tallied 16 steals (forcing 21 total Cal turnovers) which led to numerous wide open transition lay-ups. UCLA used a 19-2 run early in the second half to blow open a three point game. Theo Robertson scored all 19 of his points in the second half, but it wasn't enough as Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher combined for just 17 points, less than half their season average. Darren Collison led the Bruins with 18 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals, while freshman Jrue Holiday added 13 points. With the win, the Bruins moved into a tie in first place in the league because...
• Arizona 106, Washington 97: The Wildcats used a 13-0 run midway through the second half to build a 69-53 lead. But Washington would keep chipping away. Using a a trapping, pressure defense, the Huskies were able to widdle the lead down to 91-88 before Zane Johnson hit a three that just about iced it. The Huskies would get no closer than five the rest of the way. Arizona made some huge free throws down the stretch as the Huskies resorted to fouling fairly early (one of the reasons the second half score was 69-59 - compare that to the score of the Minnesota-Illinois game). UA hit 34-40 from the line in the second half. Nic Wise led the Wildcats with 29 points (including 14-14 from the line) and 8 assists while Chase Budinger added 25 and 8 boards. Jon Brockman led U-dub with 27 and 16. The loss knocked the Huskies from the perch all alone atop the Pac-10.
  
• Washington State 65, Arizona State 55: Freshman Klay Thompson single-handedly busted the Sun Devil zone, going for 28 points (including 8-10 from three) as Wazzu bounced back after being swept at home last weekend. Aron Baynes had 22 and 9 boards for the Cougars, who held ASU to just 8-29 shooting in the second half (in which they outscored the Sun Devils 38-25). James Harden had 26, but he was just 8-20 from the floor and 8-13 from the line.
• USC 70, Stanford 69: Lawrence Hill had 19 points, but he needed 21 as he missed a baseline jumper at the buzzer. Taj Gibson had 20 and Leonard Washington and Daniel Hackett both added 12. Landry Fields had 18 for the Cardinal.
• Michigan State 71, Iowa 56: Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers both stayed hot as they scored 24 and 21 points, respectively.
• Evansville 65, Drake 62: This happened -
  
  
  
  
• Siena 91, Canisius 73
• Utah Valley 123, Chicago State 121 4OT: Ryan Toolson led UVSU to the 4OT win by scoring 63 points, the second time we've had someone hit 60 this season (remember Ben Woodside from North Dakota State?). Toolson also had 12 boards and 6 assists. He wasn't the only guy to go off in this one - Chicago State got 41 from David Holston and 40 from John Cantrell.
• Dayton 47, St. Louis 46
• North Dakota State 81, Oakland 71
• Seton Hall 70, Rutgers 67
• Arkansas 89, Alabama 80
• Utah State 72, Nevada 61: If Utah State wants to ensure themselves an at-large bid if they happen to lose in the WAC tourney, they need to win out. Their SOS? 218th in the country. Puts their 19-1 record in perspective a bit, doesn't it?
• Portland 69, San Diego 55

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Thursday Morning Shootaround

I'm back!! I hope everyone enjoyed their time with Mr. Machir, but now that Barack is all settled in the oval office, it is time for you basketball messiah to return to his post.

First things first: Inauguration. If you weren't in DC this weekend, then you probably don't understand the insanity that was bestowed upon the city, especially for those of us that had to work those days. It was borderline impossible to get into DC from Virginia or Maryland as just about every road and bridge was closed to everything but pedestrian traffic. The metro was PACKED, to the point that the crowds were so massive, one woman was pushed onto the tracks of an oncoming train as the mob moved closer to the arriving train (she survived, DC built an overhanging ledge with a crawl space on every platform specifically for an incident like this).

Personally, I had a unique perspective. I work as a bartender at a restaurant in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. The restaurant just happens to be all of five blocks from the White House and about 10 blocks from the National Mall, which means that we were in the high security zone. No cars, no bikes, no bags, and national guardsmen on every corner. We also just happened to be on one of the three exit routes people were allowed to take as they cleared out from the Mall after the Inauguration ceremony.

What does all of the mean? We were packed for just about the entire day on Tuesday. And when I say packed, I mean standing room only, two hour wait for a table (in a three floor restaurant). The most incredible part about it was the vibe of the people. Everyone was so happy, so jubilant. I'll never forget some of the things I saw that day. When the TV's showed Bush getting on the plane and taking off, the entire bar erupted in a chorus of "Na, Na, Na, Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye". During Obama's acceptance speech, just about half of the people in the bar started tearing up. Black or White, Asian or Hispanic, it didn't matter. Everyone had a smile on their face.

One of the more poignant moments for me was when a fire fighter from NYC stood up and made a toast to everyone in the room. He said that change was here, and that we should all take this opportunity to better ourselves and try to change our world. He said that all it takes is every person just doing something nice for a stranger once a week. As cheesy as it sounds, it was a moment I'll probably never forget.

Not only were we very close to the mall, but the end of the parade was only a few blocks away. Event organizers used the street right outside our restaurant for parking for the buses of all the bands and groups that had marched. This meant that the parade essentially ended right outside our window. I even had a chance to talk with some of the band members (one guy was in a drumline from the Florida A&M band and said that after this, they were all hopping on a bus and headed to a competition in Atlanta. I asked him if it was like the Nick Cannon movie. He was none to pleased about that).

Anyway, enough about politics. This is a college basketblog. I'll leave you with this. If Obama is one-tenth as good of a president as he is a speaker, then our country will be just fine. On to last night's games:

I watched two games, but neither of them involved Wake Forest losing to Virginia Tech 78-71. Normally one of the best defensive teams in the country, Wake allowed Va. Tech to shoot 50% from the field (opponents were shooting 36% before this game, and no one had shot better than 47% all year) as the Hokies were able to penetrate at will. The Demon Deacons also struggled offensively, as they turned the ball over 16 times (leading to 25 points) and, outside of Jeff Teague's 10-16 performance, shot just 37% from the floor.

Virginia Tech blew this one open with a 13 minute stretch where they outscored Wake 25-6. All of those six points were scored by Teague, as the rest of the Wake Forest team shot 0-9. As a matter of fact, no one on the Deacs other than Teague and LD Williams scored until there was just three minutes left in the first half.

Wake was never really able to recover from that huge deficit. The closest they got it was 71-69 after a Teague three-pointer with under two minutes left. But Malcolm Delaney would hit two free throws, and Wake would never mount another threat. Delaney finished with 21 and 8 boards, while AD Vassallo and Jeff Allen both added 16. Jeff Teague led Wake with 23.

All in all, this is not an end-of-the-world type loss for Wake. Yes, they lost at home as the #1 team in the country to a team that was an ACC afterthought at the start of the season (sound familiar UNC?). But Va. Tech might be better than some people think. They are 13-5, but four of those losses came by a grand total of eight points, with three of them being away from home. So should the Demon Deacons be losing to this team at home? No, but when it is all said and done, this loss doesn't change my perception of Wake Forest, especially if they can knock off Duke next week. If anything, it should just tell them that they need to come out focused for every game.

Wake and Va. Teach are now both sitting at 3-1 in the league, one game behind 4-0 Duke.

The rest of the night's games:

• UNC 94, Clemson 70: Is UNC back on track again? It looks like it after they dismantled the Tigers in the second half (not really a surprise - Clemson is now 0-54 all time in Chapel Hill). During the first half, it was the same old UNC - push the ball up the floor, put up big time scoring numbers, but play no defense at the other end. The Heels allowed Clemson to score 40 first half points, mainly because they allowed penetration by the guards. Clemson was able to get into the paint and kick the ball out to open shooters. Of course, the Tiger's also shot incredibly well from deep (which changed in the second half), but a large part of that was all the open looks they were getting.
  
  It also helped that UNC stopped turning the ball over. Early in the first half, the Clemson press was wreaking havoc on the UNC guards. Not only were they turning the ball over, but the Tigers were able to get them playing a bit out of control and forcing tough shots. But that changed as Ellington and Lawson started to heat up and handle the press. Ellington had a fantastic game, going for 25, 7 dimes, and 6 boards.
  
  Lawson had 16 and 7 dimes while Hansbrough added 20 and 10. Terrence Oglesby led the Tigers with 22, but KC Rivers (9 points) and Trevor Booker (7 points) never got it going.
• UConn 89, Villanova 83: The Huskies were able to hold on at home against a scrappy Villanova team despite Hasheem Thabeet playing limited minutes (foul trouble). It was a bit of a worrisome win, if that is possible. Villanova is not a big team by any stretch of the imagination, especially when they play without Dante Cunningham (he only played 14 minutes before fouling out), while UConn is one of the biggest teams in the country. Villanova tied UConn in the rebounding battle, and also grabbed 12 offensive rebounds.
  
  UConn and Villanova are two of the better defensive teams in the Big East, and their battles are usually low-scoring, grind-it-out affairs. But in this one, both teams scored 48 in the first half, and finished the game giving up more than points over their season average.
  
  This game was decided by UConn's guard play, specifically Jerome Dyson and AJ Price. Price carried UConn in the first half, going for 20 points and hitting big shot after big shot, but Dyson was the guy in the second half. UConn's big run was a 10-0 spurt that turned a 59-56 deficit into a 66-59 lead. The last six were scored by Dyson, who made a steal and got a fast break dunk out of it (and was intentionally fouled, hitting both ends), then took the ball to the basket for an acrobatic lay-up which put the Huskies up seven. Dyson finished with 19 points and 3 steals, while Price had a career-high 29 points to go along with 5 boards and 5 assists.
• Northwestern 70, Michigan State 63: Northwestern got 31 points from Kevin Coble and 20 from Michael Thompson as they beat Michigan State on the road to improve to 10-6 on the year, 2-4 in conference. I know what you're thinking - big time upset, right? Maybe not. All of the Wildcat's six losses have come to quality opponents (@ Butler, @ Stanford, @ Penn State, @ Wisconsin, Michigan State, Purdue) and only one of those losses was a blow out. They've played a ridiculous early schedule in the Big Ten, but now boast wins over Minnesota and MSU, and should also have a win over Purdue. Granted, they still have a lot of work to do, but don't count out this Northwestern team.
• Oklahoma 72, Nebraska 61: The Sooners got 27 and 18 from Blake Griffin (who has set a Big XII record with eight games of 20 and 15, passing Michael Beasley and Kevin Durant), but needed a defensive stand down the stretch to pull out the win - Nebraska didn't score for a four minute stretch late in the second half.
  
• Louisville 78, Rutgers 59: The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead, and never looked back as they cruised to their sixth straight win and into a first place tie in the Big East. Terrence Williams had another double-double, going for 23 and 11 boards.
• Xavier 84, St. Bonaventure 64: The Musketeers ended the first half on an 18-2 run and got 15 points from CJ Anderson as X cruised to the win.
• Arizona State 53, Arizona 47: The Sun Devils got 21 points from James Harden, 17 of which came in the second half, and Derek Glasser hit two big three's late in the game - the second of which came with about two mintues left and gave ASU a lead they would never give up. Neither team shot well in this one as they struggled to figure out each other's zone defense - both were below 30% from the field. It was a huge road win for ASU, as they now are tied (one game behind in the loss column) with Cal, Washington, and UCLA atop the Pac 10.
• Baylor 83, Kansas State 65: LaceDarius Dunn scored 33 points and hit nine three's as Baylor rolled to a win at K-State.
• Memphis 80, Rice 52: Doneal Mack scored 14 and Robert Dozier had 13 and 9 as Memphis rolled to another C-USA win.
• Northeastern 58, George Mason 57: Manny Adako made a lay-up with 25 seconds left as NEU tied Mason atop the CAA standings at 7-1.
• Davidson 83, Furman 43: Steph had 30 and 5 dimes.
• VCU 65, Georgia State 50: VCU is 7-1 in the CAA as well.
• South Carolina 70, Florida 69: Watch this ending:
  
  
  
  
• St. Joe's 99, Duquense 98 OT: Idris Hilliard had 20 points, including a tip-in at the buzzer as St. Joe's stayed undefeated in the A-10. Ahmad Nivins added 34 and 16 for St. Joe's.
• Miami FL 75, Florida State 69: Jack McClinton had 28 and 6 dimes in the win.
• LSU 81, Mississippi State 57
• Alabama 76, Mississippi 73
• TCU 79, Wyoming 78 OT
• Northern Iowa 66, Bradley 61
• Iowa 73, Wisconsin 69 OT
• Missouri 97, Oklahoma State 95
  
• Kentucky 73, Auburn 64
• UNLV 76, BYU 70

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