#27o R.P.I. Virginia Militiary Institute @
#264 R.P.I. Virginia Tech
This pre-Christmas post-Fall semester weekend the high scoring made for TV V.M.I. Keydets invade our Cassell in a intra-Virginia D-1 men’s hoops clash on a sleepy looking student-free Monday night.
The hyper-tempo Keydets were picked somewhere in the middle to upper-middle of every Southern Conference preview that I read. Although one preview mag’ did tab V.M.I. as third best in the Southern Conference and that would seem to amount to a potential post-season bid of some measure or another –if proven true.
Thus far the Keydets are 5 up and 6 down or a slightly to somewhat disappointing one game under .5oo at the moment. Tenth year head coach Duggar Baucom’s offensive philosophy is the joy of Vegas over bettors, to be sure, as it typically takes 80+ to enlist these Keydets and sometimes that 80 is code for 90 or more.
The only question is … can big, bad, Atlantic Coast Virginia Tech score enough to win?
Because you know V.M.I. is gonna net theirs.
V.M.I. at a glance:
- 2nd in scoring offense! (88.9 ppg)
- 32nd in blocks (5.4 swats per game)
- 44th in steals (8.5 swipes per game)
- 326th in FG percentage allowed (47.6%)
- 327th in defensive rebounding
- last in scoring defense! (80.5 ppg allowed)
- no injuries reported
Virginia Military Institute Backcourt: (returning starters=2 of 3)
QJ Peterson: 6′ second-year 17o lb. Hedgesville, Wv. native that you’d have to bet wvu and Marshall both wish they had back. As this is an outburst prolific scorer who is also a pretty quality defender. 21.4 points per game (ppg), 4.7 rebounds per game (rpg), 4.4 assists per game (apg) and 1.5 steals per game (spg). All team leading vitals less 2/10th of a rebound! Can you say hands-down team M.v.p., and all-conference? You should, and you should also say 82% FT shooter on a team leading (by far) 60 FTA’s this year. Not bad work from a cat-quick yet somewhat undersized Combo-Guard after a year of prep school to help get his grades up. ’bout the only nag I could find was shot-selection, as Mr. Peterson never meet a shot that he did not like, or would not take. 39% from the floor and 34% from beyond the arc would seem to agree. 3.7 turnovers per game is a lot, and still yet, this kid is the best offensive player on the court this Monday night, make no mistake about that.
Tim Marshall: 6’3” Jr. 195 lb. shooting-G from Virginia Beach who is second in scoring a 11.7 ppg and second in 3-point shooting at 39%. This from a kid with a one-man-shooting-clinic pure outside stroke; as Marshall reputation as a surefire marksman from distance goes all the way back to Jr.high. Marshall also contributes 2.3 rpg and 1.3 dimes, although he is surprisingly a nearly Shaq-like 59% shooter from the charity-stripe. Go fig’ on that?
Brian Brown: a 5-10” 18o lb. mighty-mite of a Pt.G in his final season. Team leader who has a rep’ for hot-streaks which seem to kick this team up a notch on offense when Mr. Brown’s temperature rises. More of a combo-G in the past who has slide over to become the full-time One outta depth-chart necessity. Currently giving you a solid looking 10.2 ppg with 1.7 rpg and 2.1 assists on a semi-adequate 38% form the floor and below adequate 29% from 3-point land. Pure scorer coming outta high school down in North Carolina who never quite developed offensively as once thought.
V.M.I. Frontcourt: (starters back=1 of 2)
Jordan Weethee: 6 & a 1/2 foot 210 lb. r-junior season Swing who is a P/F in the V.M.I. max-tempo line-up. Jordan lead the Keydets in 3-point shooting way back in 2011; however -and Coach God Bless- that was one good A.c.l. ago as he sat out 2013 trying to recover from knee surgery. Primiarly a Wing shooter now, although he was known for his highlight reel dunks prior to said knee cutting. Was also a pretty fair rebounder once upon a time; who is now a 8.5 ppg scorer with 4.9 boards on 34 and 34% from the floor and from range alike.
Jarid Watson: 6’8” 220 lb. final-year Center outta Maryland. Typical coach Baucom big who is lean enough and agile enough to run the floor and finish or clean-up as needed as the designated trailer. Athletic and explosive post-player who has all the testing metrics in tow. Said metrics currently translate into a mere 3.3 ppg and 3.4 rpg; although it should be noted that Watson was only recently inserted into the starting line-up. Primarily a defender and rebounder in scholastic terms where he did pocket 2 Maryland double-A state title rings. 62% from the field and a pitiful 30% from the FT-line tells you who you should foul, late.
Keydet Bench: (depth=3)
- Julian Eleby: 6’3” 190 lb. sophomore year Fork Union shooting-G kid who is said to play bigger than his size, even if he is primarily thought of as a 3-point threat. 9.3 ppg with a mixture of 3.5 boards and 2.8 assists is pretty fair to middling substitute backcourt efforting. This backed up by a team leading 83% FT mark.
- Trey Chapman: 6’6” 2o5 lb. second-year S/F. The book on Trey reads that he is a high-energy player who sparks his team just on hardcore trying alone. A human floor-burn just waiting for a place to happen as the Tin Man should see this kid if he is still in quest of heart. 6.5 ppg and nearly 4 rebounds in relief from a kid who will run all night and then run a little longer.
- Phillip Anglade: Phil is a interesting 6’5” 195 lb. shopomoric Long Island Ny. Swing. Said to be yet another gazelle type pet athlete for the coach Baucom signature fast-forward style of play. Right now Phil nets you 5 ppg and hauls in a team leading 6.5 rpg off the bench. Don’t see that metric pop up too often and the 66% shooting is not hurting anything either.
(READERs note: alleged freshman sensation G, John Elmore, and his package deal brother Ot -of Gay Elmore legacy fame- have both left V.M.I.)
Loading ...Illation, conclusion (s) and OPT digits:
Virginia Tech is a 12 point home fave vs. the offensively keyed-up V.M.I. Keydets.
Stop right there folks, and riddle me this, …what is there regarding the O&M hooping offense that makes you wanna say we should be a 12 point fave -even at home- vs. anyone not named Blacksburg Middle?
Me neither.
As Virginia Tech has not broken 66 points in three weeks! All of which appeared to be pre-season over-matches and penciled in wins in Virginia Tech’s favor. Over which we have managed to go .5oo and that .5oo is one three pointer removed from being .25o.
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That being said, there is one caveat however, these high flying pinball scoreboard type Keydets, have been mired in a 38% team-wide shooting slump for their most recent five contests; in spite of averaging a sky-rocketing 81 ppg over the course of the same. This with a likewise underwhelming 31% from distance for the Lexington crew. Or in other words … what if these Keydets catch a pre-Holiday fever and blister the Blacksburg nets on Monday night?
Then we come to the fact that V.M.I. has a staggering +8 rest advantage (with final-exams) whereas the typically ploddy Hokie squad must hoop it up on about a 52 hour turnaround. See what I mean? Playing a hardcourt track-n-field squad at a break neck pace is a bad idea on short-rest. As it’s not that methinks V.M.I. is all that in a snap, it is that V.M.I. has the scheduling advantage of us here. And “timing is everything.”
p.s. I expect Smitty to thrive in this kinda game, ditto Bibbs…
(54% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=74, V.M.I.=78
“LETS GO!”
“Hokies!”
bourbonstreet**
