#61 R.P.I. Boston College  @ #76 R.P.I. Virginia Tech: 

Virginia Tech men’s hoops now return home to a string to warm back up New River Valley after a most welcome and most needy splitting twosies’ @Aways.

The Hokies are now back in our “Winter has Come” hometown in defense of their very own homecourt Cassell vs. a set of Chestnut Hill vassals. Boston College enters the contest at a still post-season savvy 11 up against 7 down overall. Decent enuff for 9th place or 2-5 inside the All-Championship Conference thus far in ’24. As the F’n Eagles opened 2o23 a nearly sporty 9-3. Beating who they were supposed to beat and clawing numerous talons into numerous only modest, modest lyte or less than that regional/surrounding North-East teams. That is as it should be… although, BeeCee has not been so goodly in intra-league play. Nonetheless, what you really wanna know is… who is gonna win and by how much, rights? So, read on… to find, out!

Boston College Head Coach: Earl Grant: Age=47, 166–132 (.557) overall, and 39–43 (.476) @BeeCee. Has a rep’ for: music… wait… and, well… I’m not sure? A stall-ball pace?

(His bio’s prior to the B.C. posting say: defensive rep’).
$1,500,000.oo (with: $437,500 per annum, and a $225,000 buyout)

Pianist, who rose to some ebony & ivory acclaim back in the late 1950s up through the late 1960s… The Ed Sullivan Show reg’… and… wait a damn egg-nogged minute b.street?!?

Baller Grant was/is a native of North Charleston, South Carolina, where Grant attended R.B. Stall High School. And a Christmas day swaddling bundle of joy. St.Mary & St.Joseph bless!

A former student-athlete, jock’ Grant played two years at the NCAA Division II level at Georgia College in Milledgeville, Ga. He led the school to two appearances in the NCAA Tournament and to consecutive Peach Belt Conference Championships (1999 and 2ooo). In 2ooo, the Bobcats advanced all the way to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II national tournament. He was named an All-Peach Belt First Team selection in 2ooo.

Shows he rides clutch, don’t it?

Big Whistle Grant began his coaching career as an assistant at The Citadel under Pat Dennis from 2oo2 to 2oo4. Gregg Marshall hired Grant as an assistant at Winthrop University in 2oo4, and when Marshall left to take the head coaching gig at Wichita State in 2oo7, he brought Grant along with him. Grant was hired as an assistant at Clemson in 2o1o, serving under Brad Brownell.

On September 2, 2o14, Grant was hired as the head coach of the College of Charleston, replacing Doug Wojcik. Where Coach G spotted two so-so-seasons, three near-stellar seasons, and then three mo’ so-so-seasons. Hard guy to super-peg for it, like the old high school gymnasium climbing board over on the side, way way back when. Tho’ he did make the post-season twice for Charleston too.

Championships: C.A.A. regular season (2o18) and the C.A.A. Tournament (2o18).
Awards: C.A.A. Coach of the Year (2o17).

Pretty much the neverwasbeen celtic’s attempted Prybar of their very own.
Hard to say here either way… could be a good hire?
Could be a: Bridge Too… Far?
=tell…

Official Title: The Clement and Elizabeth Izzi Family Head Men’s Basketball Coach… whatever that means?

Grant.edu earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Georgia College in 2ooo. Daddy Earl and his wife, Jacci, a 2oo1 College of Charleston graduate who received her degree in elementary education.
They have three sons: Trey (13), Eyzaiah (12), and Elonzo (9).
God (thrice) Bless!

B.C. at a glance:

• 24th fewest in Turnovers/game!!
• 42nd best in Assist:Turnover ratio O!
• 51st best in FT-percentage O!
• 62nd best in 3-point-percentage O.
• 1o2nd in Effective FG-percentage O.
• 285th in Fastbreak O. (expect a shorter/halfcourt game here).
• 314th best in 3-point-percentage D!
• NO injuries listed. “THX” Coach God.

Returning Starters=3*.

Boston College Strengths:

• BeeCee is just a detectable mite/bit better since we saw them last; late in ’22 technically.
• * Double-Soph’ or redux year Jaeden Zackery is a Pt.Guard. Who checks in at: 6′2″, 22o lb., and finds his way to a bronze medal: 11.9 ppg with 3.1 rpg and a much improved (+24o%) 4.3 apg as your quasi-first option on O here. None of which is all dat and a ‘snap’, less his range itself. As this kid can flat-out shoot the damn rock. His range is the gym. If he is in it? He is open. Nearly 20% better than ANYONE else is on the 3-ball. Or, at least he was, as Jaeden is now down to a very middleocore looking 3o.8% on his 3’s this year. This is after adding a little pre-season sinew upstairs. Which does not technically suck. And yet neither does being a 2o2o-21 Third Team NJCAA All-American out of Chipola College. Wherever/whatever that means… that is supposed to mean he is a decent small-school pick-me-up hand-me-down get. Supposed to be a 3-n-D One; in a very crowded One-through-One-through-Wing 3-Guard BeeCee backcourt. Tho’ the on-trend: 2.54:1 assist/turnover ratio and a 1.23 steal/turnover ratio say this is a pretty handy guy as handles go as well. As he does lead BeeCee in swipes with 1.7 spg. Does have a near lowercase fullback build from football, a pretty strong northward or penetrating guy when he wants it for all his legwork. Did southern hemisphere impress upon breaking tape here. Not a soft touch on the outside. Kinda a very light-complected less bulky Mitch Richmond Lyte. Tho’ +1 for the Jersey Shore blow-out afro’ look. That takes the triple-double pre-game mirror, time.
• * One #12, Upperclassman (with unused cv19 year) Mississippi State Bulldog transfer: Quinten Post, was OUT. A lot last year. As this poor Post sustained a key foot injury (St.Servatius bless), and he had miss four to six weeks. Also missing 4-6 weeks would be his: 7′, 25o thickly lbs. As Amstel Lyte this just, ain’t. As this is a big boy by way of: Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Q’ is said to be a versatile player with a legit inside/outside game and some credible 3-point range (43.9%), nearly +10% this year on threes). Has FIBA experience, has Berlin Youth team experience and has 1 mo’ Dutch National Championship bling than you and I do combined too. Academic Honor Roll member; props on that. Has Germanic H.S. experience as well— where his scoring got him international hoopology radar scope noticed. Does have 2-years of eligibility remaining, this after 10 points and nearly 6 boards two years ago down in Starkville. However, Post has shed nearly 2o lbs. of weight since we saw him last. Undergone a massive (facial) acne (St.Anthony bless) clean-up and found himself a real live racket(h)eer of a g/f, (see: pic). As this kid is now not less than an overseas Pro’… the calculus is… just how (or: where) professional can Post be?

  

• 6′7″, 23o lb., r-Soph. year, Devin McGlockton F… only leads the way at 58.8% from the floor and a serviceable looking 33% from deep. This paired with his: 9.9 ppg with 6.4 rpg, a steal, and a team-leading 1.2 bpg gathered to all of that. As this Glock’ gathered some cross-sport honors to boot as an All-Metro ATL award winner on the hardwood and on the gridiron alike. Check it… Mr. McGlockton was only a 2o2o First Team All-State selection in football, starring as a Te1 for the South Forsyth H.S. War Eagles. So, there are some who might be wondering if this was/was not his alpha sport? And he did go out and pound out a near +2o lb. gainer on the Toledo’s this off-season. And yet he has improved nearly everywhere Eye look box score straight across. Lindy’s however is saying that Devin is good enough to: “help inside right away”. As this is a curious prospect; maybe even in mo’ than one, sport.
• Claudell Harris Jr., is your Off-G1 A: 6′3″, 19o lb., Jr. year, (and still ‘undeclared’ Major; lol). Tho’ he is also declaring his scoring as 2nd-best at: 14.3 pointing, with 3.o rebounding and 1.8 assisting. 1.1 stealing and nearly ~39.6% netting from way downtown, ‘bang’ is filling a box score in more than respectfully enuff left-to-right. Claud’ is ex-of-Charleston Southern through still hailing from: Hahnville, La. homespun itself. Harris Jr. is a two-hand finished, amphibious and ambidextrous alike. Really a textbook-kept/well-schooled shooter upon breaking tape. Clinical in a word. 247Sports 346th baller overall. Did enjoy something of a flamethrower or quarterly outburst scoring rep’ down in Bayou play. His father Claudell Harris Sr. was a basketball student-athlete at Southeastern Louisiana University from 1991-93. So, there is at least some roundball D.n.a. in play here. Has been a pretty heaty baller of late; seems to be living his best-scoring life of late. As their ‘dell is big poppin’ from 3-point-land, tallying a near +9% boost in his 3-point netting this year alone. Tho’ last year he got your nearly 18/game for C.So.U. So, C.H.Jr. can score in a variety of ways. Lindy’s says he: ‘can score inside and out’ and he tallied several 30+ outburst games for the Charlies last season. 75% free throws for his career is reasonable enuff as this Off-G is P5, D-1 good enuff. The only calculus is headroom… how much does remain? (’cause with just a smidgeon mo’ he might be exporting good).
• Top-ballers are legit here folks… good versatility/complimentary looks as well… it is behind this that these Eagles are not quite so lofty.

Boston College Weaknesses:

• Several of my wraps bemoaned the want of ‘outside shooting’ from BeeCee.

  

• One other one cranked on their lack of: ‘consistency’ under Grant.
• However, 4 of their Top-5 all net better than 34% on their 3’s. Tho’ the bench is not very lengthy as the ≥22 feet, 1¾ inches range goes. So, I kinda agry with this to a point. Tho’ scoring near ~8o ppg is doing something right on O.
• (Also… found it most curious that Lindy’s went so far as to tab BeeCee: “a dark horse A.c.c. contender”).
• This with Nadda, none, nil all-A.c.c. pre-season (1st, 2nd or 3rd) stringers. Zilch, zero, zip.
• So, go fig’ and not everyone can be simultaneously right with that much lack of agrying, here.

Eagles nest: (depth=5 or 6, tho’ some only play routine spot-minutes F.Y.I.; recently narrowed to 2, however.) 231st most in bench ppg.

ex-starter or S/G1… and also truly hurting would be: Donald Hand. As Mr. Hand Jr. will miss the rest of the 2o22-23 season with a torn A.c.l. Yikes and St.Culbreth bless. Also missing the season would be his: Virginia Beach, Va., escapee 6′5″, 195 lbs. worth of S/G or Two. As Don’ was merely named the 2o22 Virginia Class 6 Player of the Year after a high-scoring (26 ppg) senior scholastic season. His old man: (Donald Sr.) was only a three-year captain at virginia from 1997 to 1999 and only averaged nearly 13 points per game for his career. So, the basketball Genome Project projects swell enough here. Top-5 consensus in-state Commonwealth baller. 247’s 141st baller overall and something of an out-of-state recruiting coup for BeeCee. Said to be a combo-G who can score at all three levels (inside, midrange, outside) alike. Good handles, textbook shooting form; (was averaging over 5 ppg early this year)— as this too is hurtful subtraction for depleted BeeCee to 2o23 add-up.

Mason Madsen, is a true pasty red-bearded 6′4″, 19o lb., Jr. year, lead-G who never met a shot he did not like— or would not, take. Although mo’ parts taker than maker (3o% overall married to 24% long), Mason Madsen is one other thing. He is a downright explosive leaper with a team-best 44-inch vertical leap! He was also a three-star rated recruit out of Mayo Senior H.S.; starred alongside his 13 ppg Utah Ute twin brother Gabe ‘ Samson’ Madsen while scoring better than 2,000 points for his father Luke’s squad. So, he is a coach’s son and that is typically code for a pretty high in-ring I.Q. This Madsen bro’ is ambidextrous, does ‘yell’ a lot, can shoot with either hand, and did Eye mention the “volume”, yet? K’. M2 is a Cincy transfer, where he did average 36% from trifecta-land on the reg’. Said to be a shooter who can jump and his (now) coach likes him as a hardwood Qb1 head-game-wise. So, time=tell here, as there are some lofty adjectives -in addition to leaping itself- that this Mason needs to un-jar at some point in time. As this is a very streaky kid; like mid-teens pops clean or pops for goose eggs (zeros) in ppg terms.

* true-Soph., 6′7″, 225 lb., Prince Aligbe G from: Minneapolis, Minn, and the fabled Minnehaha Academy is coming attcha with the self-glass of: “Prince Buckets.” LOL… clearly, he is not unsure or inscorescure; at least not in hooping terms. Did like the ‘out’ Ben Wallace ‘fro look. As this is one ‘loud’ or loquacious kid in the film room. 6.2 ppg and 4.5 rpg in relief is not bad; the bricky or masonic-looking nine, that’s (~9%) deep is, 2o24; sad. It is also odd, as this kid comes with a sweaty/gym rat or worker bee tag. Lindy’s calls him: ‘strong inside and on the boards, must learn to finish and to shoot better’. Runner-up for Mr. Basketball l out in Minny. **** or a quad-star kid with a ESPN tag of 86th best in all the land; (#3 in-state). Might be steading just a pitch of late after an up-n-down 2o23 start. Interesting outburst scorer in ‘Sota H.S. terms. So, we shall see on the rest… needs to put it all together; though his scholastic résumé is suggestive of raking some foreign coin(s).

Armani Mighty: is a legit Fiver or true-C. At: 6′1o″, 242 lbs., from the Great White North up in: Toronto, Ontario, at their: United Scholastic Academy, ‘eh’. Ranked 116th on On3.com’s 2o22 recruiting rankings; was 1st-string in the N.A.F.T.A. version of their McDonald’s All-Canadian team. Stands in at 6-10 and yet deploys a pterodactyl ‘esque a 7-3 wingspan! An athletic, skilled, big man who has only played organized basketball since 2o17. Ergo, therefore, to wit, one would seem to want to bet the Over on (developmental) headroom here. Has won himself a Finance Schollie (in addition to the Athletics free-ride) up @BeeCee. +49th parallel points there. 1.0 ppg with 1.1 rpg and nearly ~1 bpg on 41.7% overall tells the still ‘developing’ the verb tale. Projects as a project C right now… tho’ try as you might, you kan’t coach… height. The Mighty Armani (as he calls himself) has that in spades (♠’s). Does he have anything north of that remains to be, seen… time=tell here.

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Eagles who could fly-guy @Tech=4 maybe 5'ish.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is…

…not to be too taken with much of anything regular season just yet.
At least not yet for Mister Popcorn and Co.

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I know this as Eye bothered to look this (back) up… check it…

• the ‘2o team suffered a 6 outta 7 the ‘rong way mid-season slip.
• the ’21 team suffered a 4 outta 7 the ‘rong way mid-season dip.
• the ’22 All Championship Crowing team suffered a 3 outta 1o the ‘rong way mid-season flop.
• the ’23 team suffered a 2-8 negative donate.
• the ’24 team is in a 2-4 negative rebate.

Do you see(s) what Eye mean(s)?

What Eye mean is… Mike Young teams grow mid-season old overnite on the reg’.

Then they shake a leg and try to peak at just the right time for a post-season peg.

In other words,  give it a minute or ’24 three… and see where we Valentine’s Day, be…

…or would that jus’ make too much, sense?

 ***

Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame is calling for a a surprising +21-point VicTory Dance in this one here. n=3, as we only need a couple mo’ for reliability handful+. However, this one was a scatter diagram gone ralph. As in barf as in it hurled all over the place. No congruencies to report, very disparate/high-variance or scattered scatter-diagram itself. So, we shall see if it is due to ‘bounce’ in horse-racing terms here or, not.

The annualized year-to-date vitals say that… VeeTee is up a very nominal looking +1% in shooting percentage margin (from: both being nearly tied on O and the O&M jus’ barely a scosche stiffer on D); with VeeTee up a decent looking ~+4% in 3-point percentage margin (about: 3⁄4’ers of which was due to better 3-D and just a mite better on 3-O itself), and VeeTee completes the rarefied triune sweep by posting a +3 caroms collected advantage in rebounding margin. (Per: more so being better in running down opposing ‘clangs’ on the D-backboard; and just a pinch better on the O-backboard to boot).

The most recent 5-game metrics say that… the F’n Gobblers are now up a near nifty looking +6% in shooting percentage margin (all less 1% was from VT being a bit mo’ efficient and BeeCee basically Nor-Easter chillin’ out on O, the D’s were only about 1% separate); the Hokies are also up a near ~+11% in 3-point percentage margin (same as above: tho’ amplified on each side, mo’ better on 3-O tho’ a bit better on 3-D too), and then we see that the Techmen trifecta sweeping 6×6… as they are now up a so shocking I ran the maths; twice, ~+14 Windex Wipes in rebounding margin in the last fortnight of work. (Thanks to VeeTee quietly nearly trying to get at least a little good on the ‘glass and yet the Eagles rebounding is being carried out on a backboard itself. They have been really suspected here of late. In a near –5 REB hole on both ends of the court recently. wowow! And you gotta wonder if that speaks to `–efforting the verb or –chemistrying the reagent went allergic, Rx??? As that much of a sweat/willpower-based dip is south of dippy itself.)

Armchair Pt.Guard’s:

The Hokies just (Stately) won despite committing 2o turnovers. Sloppy ball-handling has been an issue for the Hokies as they have averaged more than 15 turnovers per game over their past six contests. i.e., how long can that go’on unit that is, undone?

• BeeCee vs. no-names? +1o3 points (8-1).
• BeeCee vs. Surnames? –43 points (2-6).
• You do the… maths!

VeeTee is a .889 host; whereas BeeCee is .6 as a guest.
V.P.I. is up +3% at the charity stripe for the year.
BeeCee is +2 in R&R.

The Call…

No.88 Net Ranking Boston College @ no.52 Net Ranking Vah.Tech:

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The VerdicT:

So, seeing all three of the following, all three aligning for just one team is too big to ignore.

1. a Fourm Guide? +21 checks.
2. a Season Margin? +8 checks.
3. a Recency Effect? +an absurd 3-freakin-1 checks!

The Digits:

wowowowow… I’ve been undeservedly Blessed to still doing this sports thang (now) seven, that’s (7) decades worth and Eye’ve never ever seen that one b4.

As that’s a phenomenal sexy-sixty or (6o) checks!

–oOo–

And yes, I know Poker play-by-play (in-game) broadcasters… “you get your checks at the bank.”

Fair-play.
Granted, even.

 

Nevertheless, it is just umpossible to pick against VeeTee off of that calibration and objectification here. Coach Spock and I are tricorder “fascinating” over this trinary star-system outlier…

…so, let us hope that when we midnite ‘check’ back,
the Hokiebird does not lay an Eagle, egg.

I say that in spite of the aforementioned 6×6 (six-by-six checks) … as Boston College has been a perplexing foe for Virginia Tech, what with the Eagles winning the past five meetings despite entering each game with the worse record

Eye type that… ’cause when I botherd to run the Home:Away splits…
BeeCee is mo’ focused/efficient when visiting; (in particular on O: +6% floor and +5% 3’s)❗️

🏀

 

🏀

(65% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=76, Boston College=72

please support the VT F.C.A.!

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**