#1o3 R.P.I. Virginia Tech @ #148 R.P.I. Clemson:
TV coverage: ESPN3, Acc.net
Vegas line: VT+6.5
o/u=119
$-line: Clemson is a 2.9:1 betting favorite, VT is the 1:2.45 underdog
Helluva a Virginia Tech upset win down in Durham North Carolina on Saturday. Well, it almost was a helluva a VT upset win down in Durham North Carolina as our beloved Hokies had not one, t-w-o full shots at the regulation buzzer that could have sealed the deal.
If you know me you know I’m not want for “moral victories”.
That to me is like getting a little bit preggers.
Such is a just too binary for me.
You do – or you don’t.
Virginia Tech almost won that one and nearly took the cheese vs. what is quite possibly a Final-4 team as a 17 point underdog on Saturday. There is nothing, and I do damn well mean nothing to be ashamed of in doing your very best and leaving it all out on the court. That is about as impressed as I have ever been by a Hokie hoops L as that was one game, gritty and gutty effort down on Tobacco Road last weekend @ #3 ranked Duke. Virginia Tech cheddar, Virginia Tech was all of that and Virginia Tech was everything less one thing –the winner…
…and yet the future is now!
Clemson at a glance:
- 23rd in scoring defense allowed (59.9 ppg)
- 43rd best in turnover margin (+2.5)
- 95th in blocked shots (4.0)|
- 235th in 3-point percentage (33.1%)
- 255th in scoring offense (64.6 ppg)
- 262nd in offensive rebounding
Clemson Frontcourt:
- N.B.A. pros=1 possible overseas pro —Devin Booker
- Injuries=0
Depth is the name of the game for a Tiger frontcourt that although it lacks individual star power it does enjoy some measure of strength in numbers mix-n-match interchangeable parts kinda game. Leading the G.N.C. N.F.L. combine testing charge upfront is junior year forward/center Devin Booker (see: left). Devin goes 6`8“ and a brutish 245 lbs. and that makes Devin a man-child of a physical load down on the low blocks. Devin gives you a team leading and improved 7.0 boards and 10.7 steady points on a sporting 45.8% from the floor and a team leading 94 FTA’s (70.2% on such) from the at the FT-line. Is Devin a great player? No, he is however a downright reliable low-post player right now with a sneaking shot at being a good one come next year. Booker is an explosive athlete and hoops runs in his blood as his brother (Trevor) balls for the Washington Bullets. Helping out upfront with Devin is Milton Jennings. Milt’ is another junior year forward who stands in at 6`9“ and tips the Toledo’s at 227 lbs. Milt’s is the highest ranked Clemson basketball recruit since 1998 and he has done some smart strength and condition re-sculpting work since his arrival 3 years ago. Milt’ scraps his way to 9.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and a second best .9 blocks per game. Milt’s also tends to play better vs. bigger names, so it remains to be seen how much 4-10 A.c.c. Vah.Tech will do for his ego.
Standing a towering true-Center (see: right) sized 7`3“ in height and 255 lbs. down in the pivot would be one #10, Catalin Baciu. Last year the Romanian born Catalin averaged 1.1 and 1.1 again (points and rebounds); and the joke around the A.c.c. was that he looked good in the Airport and nowhere else. This campaign Catalin is the leading frontcourt reserve for Coach Brad Brownell. Catalin (whose nickname is “bobo” which is Romanian for rookie or freshman) is now getting you 4 and 2, while blocking a shot, and leading the team with nothing much beyond dunks, put-backs and bunnies at 58.8% from the field; although he does prefer a face-up-game and is said to possess a soft-touch in and around the rim. That said, even if the quad-lingual Catalin is and always will be limited as production goes on the offensive end in his final year of ball, he is a force to be reckoned with on the defensive end and a very large and in change match-up problem for the undersized and undermanned Vah.Tech frontline that is currently barely going three deep. Also contributing a few minutes per half are 6`6“ 190 lb. K.J. McDaniels and 6`7“ 225 lb. Brad Sullivan. K.J. is an exceptionally athletic freshman year wing who Lindy’s magazine compared favorable to our very own Deron Washington. K.J will dunk and he will dunk straight nasty on you if you let him to take it to the rack. Right now he is at least a year away from being a major contributor, although 3.7 points and a couple of boards in only 9.9 minutes of p.t. (playing time) tells you just how freaky this 6`10“ wingspan of a guy can be. Sullivan like McDaniels is a rookie year combo-forward who turned down a buncha other big-name offers to attend Clemson. Sullivan’s defense is ahead of his improving offense (37.2%) right now, and he is only netting 1.5 and cleaning the glass for 1.2 rebounds despite his springy 35.5“ vertical leap. That’s just too low for a kid with fundamentally sound drop-steps, jump-hooks and left-handed range out to 18` who can simply jump right outta the gym. Such said, these two have the look and feel of a handsome forward combo come 2015. Wanna be Rap-artist Bryan Narcisse (unexpectedly) broke into the starting line-up 8 games ago and moved Bernard Sullivan to the bench in a non health related measure. The 6`6“ 223 lb. high-light reel dunker had been getting you 2.6 and 2.3 off the Clemson pine, though if his asthma (and God Bless on that) has improved look out, this kid is a major vertical player who finishes well above the rim via his whopping 7` wingspan which is basically unheard of small-forward length.
Clemson Backcourt:
- Association pros= 1 minor-league candidate–‘dre Young
- Hurts=0
"You kan't coach height."
Leading the way in scoring despite his Middle Earth 5`8“ Baggins D.N.A. inspired statue is one #11, Andre Young (no, not Dr. Dre either). On a points per foot basis I’d have to say that Mr. Young’s 13.3 ppg (points per game) and a team leading 87.7% from the FT-stripe is what you’d have to call rising to the occasion as pint-sized diminutive point-guards go. ‘dre’s range is pretty much the gym, as he will jack one up from anywhere inside thereof. Clearly this kid does not want for confidence or self-trust. Quantifiably speaking ‘dre goes 41.2% from the floor and 35.1% from 3-point land, so his shot selection does occasionally leave something to be desired; that said, he is a gunner and he could always get a job as a co-op at Remington this summer as he never met a shot that he did not like or that he was afraid to take. On the other hand, ‘dre’s 2.6:1 assist to turnovers ratio is nothing short (pardon the pun) of exceptional as that’s packing some tight ass handles indeed. Be clear, this is ‘dre’s team and this is his rock when he has the ball in his hands. ‘dre has worked and worked and worked some more, I’d say his 302% increase in scoring since his debut year attests to how much this big-time fan-favorite has worked himself up. Good for ‘dre, he sure is an entertaining sparkplug baller to watch and he sure gave Tech a fit upfront on long range pull-up J’s and off-the-dribble the last time we saw him just short of a full month ago.
Tanner Smith is a 6`5“ 210 lb. senior 2-guard who is a reliable shooter who just like ‘dre Young has improved his game each and every year. Tanner is second team wide in scoring with 11.2 ppg, 5.4 boards, and a team pacing 4 assists per game. That’s what I call a quality all-‘round steady baller who does nothing to hurt you every bit as much as doing all the little things well in an attempt to help you. And that’s just ON-court folks. How ‘bout his charity he founded at 12, yes, at twelve years of age! Tanner’s Totes a charitable organization which gifts tote-bags filled with things to help teens cope with long-term hospital stays around the country. All-A.c.c. academic team member as well. Can you say Citizenship or Civics award-winner? WOW! Just wow! God bless this kid — the world can not have too many Tanner Smith’s.
(Formerly) rounding out the starting backcourt trifecta of guards would be T.J. Sapp who is intent on initializing a combo-guard well rounded four year starting career at Clemson. T.J. is a right-sized guard who can make shots and has nice enough handles alike. Right now the rookie Fort Lauderdale native is getting you 4 points and 2 rebounds; although he appears to have hit the rookie wall as he has zero points in 6 of his last 11 games. Not bad for a kid who leads the team in bench-press and is known for his fun-loving infectious personality or lockeroom tonic. Every team needs a chemistry based straw that stirs the drink, applied sports psych 1o1. That’s what a kid like T.J. is all about.
Receiving spot minutes off the bench (pun intended) is 6`2“ 215 lb. freshman season Rod Hall. Rod is a strong all-state caliber wide receiver who gave up football to pursue a surprising career in hoops. Rod is already up to 4.1 ppg and conjures up an assist and a rebound alike as his minutes continue to grow. Ditto his whopping 36.5“ vertical leap and his reputation for hardnosed in your face physical brand of man-to-man defense.
Conclusion(s), illation, OPT digits:
The Future Is Now as the old-school (coach) George Allen once faithfully opined.
As every game is a play-off game from here on out as Seth Greenberg and company stand in at one single solitary game above .5oo at 15 up and 14 down with at least 3 more A.c.c. games left to play when you count the opening round of the A.c.c. tournament in ~10 days time. That brings a low-water mark and a Spring Break traveling squad worth of 15-17 into play every bit as much as it does a “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish” high-water mark of 18-15 and the N.I.T. never felt so good into play as well as a 1-2 or maybe even a 2-1 mixed metaphor of a finish. As Virginia Tech Athletic Director Jim Weaver has already said that Virginia Tech would turndown any pending C.I.T. (CollegeInsider.com Tournament) or C.B.I. (College Basketball Invitational) bids that could yet be forthcoming in a fiscally bottom-line savvy move that is parsimonious at best and retretist at worst.
Loading ...Or in other words, Virginia Tech’s 2012 National Invitation Tournament begins in earnest this Thursday night @ Clemson at 9pm. Win to get in, get put out and forfeit any and all score-keeping wanna Alpha-male clout. Don’t believe me? Last year there were only $7,874,833.00[1]worth of reasons as to why Virginia Tech can afford to host one or maybe even a few C.B.I. or C.I.T. post-season games. This would look so much better than a bogus showcasing of bottom-line hubris which would truly open a can of faux superiority complex worms. Those of you who have played competitive sports, think long and hard before you answer this one below … exactly what kind of precedent would that be setting if we truly are that competitive inside the Jamerson Athletic Center?
Not to mention the pragmatic aspects of 2012-2015 forward-facing facts, as this is one tactically juvenile basketball team that could stand to benefit from taking the strategic approach right now and mixing in a week or perhaps even weeks plural worth of orange and maroon extra credit long-view work.
Oh wait … “win and get in” and let the Bristol Connecticut suits (read: the ESPN) backed National Invitation Tournament foot the bill? You bettcha!
Virginia Tech is not a good traveling team men. At least not when the Hokies have possession of the ball. Here’s how … scoring offense drops by nearly 7 ppg (points per game) and shooting drops straight across the board –2-3% if you are keeping score at home from the floor, from the arc, and at the FT-stripe. However, when I studied the Home/Away splits, I was really surprised to see that the Clemson Tigers do not catch the typical “home is where the heart is” hostess with the mostest friendly-floor boost. These Tigers are not any tougher to tame at home vs. away. That my friends are rare indeed inside the homecourt advantage equals a win at least 70% of the time historically speaking Atlantic Coast Conference. In fact a man could do rather well to simply bet every single A.c.c. hosting team blind and Count de Monet when it is all said and done. The Clemson Tigers are 10-5 at home and they have done well beating up on the lesser or bottom-3 A.c.c. teams when running ball out on their homecourt. That’s all fine and dandy, although what is not so fine and dandy is the recent Virginia Tech defensive play.
The Hokies FG percentage defense allowed has softened by a highly insalubrious 8.4% in Virginia Tech’s last 5 basketball games. That’s not good folks; as allowing 49.8% of your opponents shots to tickle the twine is about as user-friendly as that one girl we all knew way back in High School who was a one-woman version of the Salvation Navy and could not possibly give it away fast enough.
Likewise, Seth and companies 3-point FG percentage defense allowed has risen the ‘rong way by nearly a backbreaking 10% to the bad. If that is all you give me inside the sporting vacuum and you ask me to audit that teams play late in the year my two-word response is: “tired legs”. So I’m picking Clemson to win –right? ‘rong!
What I am picking is a 2 for 1 kinda deal. There will be no .5oo split to end the regular season. As I told Will –freakin- Stew’ a day ago: Virginia Tech either wins out, or gets swept (o-3 including the A.c.c. tourney) out. Take thy pick; the middle-ground need not apply. I’m calling for a 2-1 finish with a outside fleeing look at going 3-1 with a favorable first round A.c.c. tourney match-up.
I am getting good practice feedback this week; as it seems Seth and company have indeed benefited from the so-called “moral victory” down at Duke last time out. That’s a bogus take to this incognito Alpah-prime’s scorekeeping mind. Nevertheless, as Dr. Greg Mankiw’s first law of Economics presciently states: “Perception is Reality” and if our beloved Hokies feel they are playing better, their odds to objectively play better just went way way up. I know this is an upset pick, I realize this may be something of a prognosticative stretch, and yet again I am going out on the techsideline.com limb with my trusty OPT hacksaw firmly in hand miles above the OPT thin ice. Virginia Tech finds a way to win; somehow, someway…and lives to fight another National Invitational day.
Virginia Tech=59, Clemson=55
“LETS GO!”
“HOKIES!”
bourbonstreet**
[1] Kristi Dosh, ACC Football Not Cash Cow Like SEC And Big Ten, 24th February 2011. A.D., http://www.forbes.com/sites/sportsmoney/2011/02/24/acc-football-not-cash-cow-like-sec-and-big-ten/ 27th February 2012 A.D.
No near-.500 team deserves post-season ever, in any sport, IMHO.
MD:
I kinda feel what you are saying. Carry the banner — plant the flag? Yah; though oddly enough, the C.B.I. and C.I.T. have taken sub .5oo teams before. That is really lowering the bar or in my metaphor, the standard.
b’street
I am glad Weaver has said VT won’t participate in either the CBI or CIT
@VAHokieSC:
why so Sir?
I’d enjoy hearing an organized rebuttal.
TIA-
b’street
Several reasons IMO…
1) Cost: Gotta pay to play. Homey (Weaver) don’t play that and I have to agree with him.
2)Competition level will be poor. Not that VT is great-shakes or anything like that, but there is not much to be gained at the end of a long, depressing season by playing down to that level of competition. Will be like a series of 150 – 250 RPI OOC games.
3) Guys need to compress now post ACC season, get their minds back in the right place, and start focusing on next year. There is nothing to be gained in March for this VT team playing CIT/CBI games.
@133743:
1) You win. That’s just simple objective science-fact.
2) Prolly. At least most years.
3) On this one I am not so sure. I am getting better (a.k.a. catching a second wind”) kinda practice reports. To me the (extra) practice time is what is to be gained, as much as, and maybe even more so than the C.I.T. C.B.I. game(s) in and of themselve(s). A veteran junior heavy team would not have as much benefit here; though we are quite young and the younglings need all the work they can get in my book.
b’street
I just think at this time of year they are beyond the point of improvement until they take a break. And the reality of the CBI/CIT is there isn’t much practice time. I think there is a game about every 3 days so with prep for the opponent there isn’t much time to work on fundamentals, coaching, etc. It isn’t like the 30 days of bowl season in football. And while the do need work, thsi isn’t going to be produvtive work.