#294 R.P.I. Coppin State @ #89 R.P.I. Virginia Tech:
Virginia Tech men’s 2o23-2o24 basketball opens play on Monday. ~8 PM on ESPN+ and on the A.c.c.Net’ thingy if you are keeping kick-off score @home.
The Hokies face a very inexperienced and depleted Coppin State Eagle squadron on Monday nite over in the slightly warmy New River Valley. This mid-fall contest is not exactly an Autumnal classic waiting to happen. It is a Name That Tune… I can beat Coppin State’s azz in X-number of points. As there is in flux… and then there is fluxed-up and then there is Coppin State itself. As they lean mo’ parts the latter and less parts the former. Reclamation, not rebuilding even. Nevertheless, you want to know who will win (hint: Vee to the Tee) and by how much, right? So, read on… to finds, out!
Coppin State at a glance: (outta 362 D-1’s fo’ ’24, mind yah!) wow…
- 45th most 3-point attempts!
- 47th in FT percentage.
- 3o8th in FG percentage D allowed!
- 337th in fouling!!
- 351st in Scoring D allowed!!!
- 352nd in Rebounding Margin!!!
- Or, 3o8th or worse in nearly 40% of the 32 D-1 menz hoops team categories Eye track. wowow! And only so-so to okay in a handful give/take.
- NO injuries reported. “thx” @Coach God!
Bonus: they did press/trap and get pretty handsy last year— don’t know if that is new Coach Stew’s pet swagg or not?
Though I do (harshly know this):
At 4:30 AM on January 8, 1994, Stewart was shot and stabbed during a break-in at his Baltimore County home. He was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment. Neither injury was fatal nor permanently damaging. Police said the suspects broke in by shattering a sliding door in the back of the house. They pulled Stewart from his bed, bound his hands and feet, and shot him. Goodness! Although Stewart could not describe his assailants; he asserted four men were involved.
His younger brother, Stephen, is an assistant basketball coach, while his other younger brother Lynard played professional basketball overseas.
geez/ouch… God Bless Coach Stew’!
Returning Starters=zlich. Zero. Zip! o’fer.
Strengths:
- Sam Sessoms G1, and his 2o+ ppg are… well, they are gonzo!
And that literally left nobody left who tallied ≥8-n-change not named:
Nendah Tarke G. - Nendah Tarke G1a is now your G1 via subtraction. Close to 13 ppg as you newly crowned beta gone alpha of lowercase sorts. And then? Well, I’ma not sure… though I am sure he is no longer on the Eagles roster; having copped out to: Towson State, if you will.
- Koby Thomas (S/F, Robert Morris) and Luka Tekavcic (PF, Oral Roberts) are about all they gots that I can see here. Tho’ at least it does afford them some match-up size if nothing else.
- Coach Stew was: the first undrafted player in NBA history to be named to the All-Rookie Team in 1991-92. So, expect efforting/working to bully the moment.
- F1, Justin Winston (6′8″, 222 lbs. r-Senior) and his thump-game are at least back. He keeps a very streety game and looks alike. The double mick-mouse sideways twist-top surely stands out. His near 8 ppg and 3 rpg and a decent 37% long is all there is back here.
- “Luuuuuka” 6′11″, 210 lbs., Jr., by the way of: Grosuplje, Slovenia needs to grow up and fill-in in a hurry. A part-time starter with very modest single-digit ppg and rpg numbers had better be on the upward bound move. A.S.A.P. for Cop.St.
- S/F, grad’-year, Toto Fagbenle -grate name- transferred in from: jolly ole London England! How or what that means I do not know. Although I do know that is one terrier of a name. May St.Dorothy bless!
- Guards: Malik Battle, Greg Spurlock, and Isaiah Gross are something of a backcourt via committee. Tho’ they will miss Sam I Was mo’ than a little lead-G bit.
Weaknesses:
- Well, what little they had; well, it left, see?
- Not much left to see after that.
- As 6 of their Top-7 scorers just kicked rocks; and made like a baby and headed, out.
- Last season, Coppin State (9-23, 4-1o MEAC) ranked second-to-last in the conference in points allowed per game (83.2) and scoring margin per game (minus-11.2).
This year does not forecast much better; certainly not early on… as in… - Coach Stew’ will have a tough job, with no starters back from a 9-23 team. Stewart will blend six freshmen with five returners and five transfers, including two from Baltimore rival Morgan State.
Bench: (depth=???)
Not much.
Maybe… 3’ish deep best I can preview see?
Though it offers you not much as well. Really really thin here.
That said, and oddly enuff? They do deploy at least a little lowercase Mid-Major size. They are not quite sawed-off shorties or entirely light in the pants. What with four, that’s (4) legit Power-Forwards and then with: Darryon Prescott, #22. A r-Fresh., true-C who at least does go: 7′. 22o lbs. And not all little guys can field legit BIG-men just like dat. Who is said to be an above-the-rim ‘court-runner’ who also has a (Philly) Pa. Single-A title bling. Keystone State good on him for dat.
Loading ...Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:
Number of Eagles who could nest @Tech=was one, now... (n)one.
the takeaway:
The takeaway here is that we take this team out.
We prolly take them out to the woodshed out at that. Check it…
’cause as you can see… they actually worsened last year with better players!
They also worsened last year with the Learning and Experience Curve effects IN effect. Now they are starting over at the origin or: (o, o, o; o) in Cartesian coordinate terms. wow.
Though even that caliber of beating ‘pends upon just how much Mike tinkers and putters and how much line-up testing/juggling and evaluation he merits necessary here.
As here is surely the prime A+++ V.P.I. time to do it.
Andy and David could suit up and show out and it would matter nil.
***
Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame is calling for a December ask back once we enter roundball round-robin formatting itself.
The annualized year-to-date vitals say that… we have nothing (yet) to say in ’23 in shooting percentage margin, in 3-point percentage margin, and in rebounding margin.
The most recent 5-game metrics say that… in shooting percentage margin, in 3-point percentage margin and in rebounding margin… well, they say… why not ask game no.6 b.street? “Duh!”
Armchair Pt.Guard’s:
Nobody is up % at the charity stripe for the year.
Nobody is a . host; whereas is . as a guest.
Nobody is + in R&R.
The Call...
No.328 Net Ranking Coppin State @ no.75 Net Ranking Vah.Tech:
(Nubile) or nugget-year coach Larry Stewart takes over here and the musically inclined among you will enjoy the quip of ‘Restless Heart’. Or, maybe heartburn itself?
If you are an Eagle fan or a fan of betting the ‘over’ as points could prove to be at a Coppin State premium here— or, so we all hope.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Big Coach. 6′9″, 25o or so lbs.
ex-of N.b.a. fame: (Supersonics, and numerous tour-stops globally abroad). Something of their Dale Solomon if you will. And that may help recruit, at some point… via well, via: Association.
Hahaha! Though any port in a storm if you are Coppin State.
Patience it their buzzword, here.
So, there is that…
In the meantime, Coach Stew’ needs a LOT of help.
And frankly, he ain’t got much leftover to work with.
No microwave. No Alice the maid.
Neary even any tin-foil crumbs.
–oOo–
The VerdicT:
Virginia Tech wins this one and same as the last football one… Eye here by gar-ron-damn-tee VicTory here. And this just in… rain is still rumored to be… wet.
Nonetheless, your only calculus is… by how much?
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/8210d3fc-f8cb-4883-91ef-4231eaf4b3a0
My calc’ says this is a race to double-nickels; (foreshadowing intended). As I doubt it takes much mo’ than fiddy or so to clip the wings on these Eagles here. What I do wanna see is the U.n.c. local transfer kid. (Tyler Nickel) is your hurrying Hokies ’23-’24 wildcard here. As we predict this team might be due to take a bit of a drop; unless Nickel offensively kicks in, antes up, and bucks the ppg trend.
As the frontcourt looks unsettled; unless some big steps up.
Backcourt is a sporting 1-2 punch all set… still yet, just how on-point punchy are we after that?
Or, perhaps rather… just how much messin’ around and retooling does this ’24 club, need?
🦃 >>>🏀 >>> 🦅
(99% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=86, Coppin State=52
“LETS GO!”
“Hokies!”
bourbonstreet**
