#77 R.P.I. Pittsburgh vs. #95 R.P.I. Virginia Tech: 

Virginia Tech men’s hoops …your 2o23-2o24 Commonwealth Cup Revenue Sports, champs!

The Hokies are in merit of: felicitations for rising way way up to truly punk a may or may not have been oo7 “bitten by da bug” fluy Hooy hoops team. Even if that is a legit influenza tall tale, it will not show up on the Q1 winner rap sheet. And it still is the largest azz kicking taken by hooVa from the Wild Turkeys in the warming up New River Valley since (2oo7); or, since (see: below). So, again; CONGRATs. Now on to a pretty fair-to-middling 17 up against 9 down; and, 8-7 (.533) or 5th place All Championship Conference sweepstakes Pitt Panther crew. This one is not a deft or lilting touch men. As these cats ain’t sissy-cats or prissy-cats in their style of play. Nonetheless, what you wanna know is… who is gonna win and by how much, rights? So, reads on… to finds… out!

Pittsburgh Head Coach: Felton Jeffrey Capel III: age=49, 266–199 (.572)* overall, 91–89 (.5o6) at Pitt. (known as a defensive coach with a penetrating O and with some recruiting)
$950,000 (base), (with: $525,785 in OK and Duke residuals +bonus/kickers)

Baby Capel is from a basketball family. His father is basketball coach Jeff Capel II, former assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats and former head coach at Old Dominion University, and his younger brother Jason played basketball at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was the head basketball coach at Appalachian State University. As a senior at South View High School in Hope Mills, North Carolina, baller Capel led his team to the 1993 state championship defeating Charlotte powerhouse South Mecklenburg 53–52 with a last-second cardiac clutch make. He also set school career records in points (2,066), rebounds (669), and assists (663).

Baller Capel ran hoops at Duke University (1993–1997), where he earned a starting position as a freshman and was a starting guard on the basketball team for four years. On February 2, 1995, in the regular-season game played at home against UNC, with Duke trailing 95–92 at the end of the first overtime, Capel hit a running 40-foot shot at the buzzer which sent the game into double overtime. Although Duke lost the game 102–100, Capel’s shot was hailed as one of the most memorable plays in Duke basketball history, and it was nominated for an ESPY Award for College Basketball Play of the Year. Capel’s college career was marked with success. During his years as a Blue Devil, he racked up 1,601 points, 433 assists, and 220 three-point field goals. He finished his career among Duke’s all-time Top 10 in minutes played, three-point field goal percentages, three-point field goals, and assists. Also earned his Duke.edu degree.

Pro’ Capel played professional basketball for two years, playing in France and the CBA. Capel was also drafted in 1997 by the Raleigh Cougars of the USBL.

(nepotistic) Coach Capel began his coaching career serving as an assistant coach under his father, Jeff Capel II, at Old Dominion University for the 2000–2001 season. In 2001, he joined the coaching staff of Virginia Commonwealth University as an assistant. He was promoted to head coach of the Rams for the 2002–2003 season—making him, at the time, the youngest head coach in Division I men’s college basketball (27 years old). In his four years as head coach at VCU, Capel guided the Rams to a record number of wins (79) and the highest winning percentage (.658) of any Division I program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Following the 2003–04 season, Capel was named both the Richmond Times-Dispatch and VaSID State Coach of the Year after leading the Rams to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996.

On April 11, 2006, Capel was named the head coach of the Oklahoma men’s basketball team, succeeding Kelvin Sampson. As the big whistle for the Boomer Sooners, Coach Capel had one really sharp Blake Griffin-fueled season (Elite-8), made the round of-32 one other time, and was spring broke and Merrill Lynch (see: below) scandalized in the meantime. As Coach Capel’s teams seem to be either: very very good, C+ good or not good at all. (i.e., not a middle ground or WWI type of coach).

On May 8, 2011, it was announced that Jeff Capel would be joining the staff of Mike Krzyzewski at his alma mater, Duke University, as an assistant coach. Coach Capel coached one game for the back surgery (may St.Wolfgang help) riddled/pretzeled coach-K. Then he moved on to a thus far pretty .5oo adhesive run while attempting to rebuild the once pretty dang sharp hooping Panther’s program.

Daddy Capel is married to Duke alumna Kanika Réale Blue. They were married in 2003. The two had their first child on April 26, 2007, Cameron Isabella Capel. Two years later, the two had a daughter, Sydney Gabrielle Capel, and three years after that, they had a son, Elijah Blue Capel.

*Oklahoma vacated 13 regular-season wins (and 4 conference wins)
due to the use of an ineligible player during the 2oo9–1o season.

Pitt at a glance:

• 12th fewest in Turnovers/game O!!! (Our antonym to be sure).
• 19th most 3-pointers (shot)/per game!! (A trifecta, triune, trinary team 1o3).
• 34th best in 3-point-percentage D!!
• 42nd most in Swats!
• 44th best in Assist:Turnover margin!
• 58th best in Scoring D allowed.
• 5oth best in Rebounding Margin! (pOtent on that side of the ‘glass).
• 141st in 3-ball-percentage itself, however.
• So, this is a solid team statistically; there is nothing super bad to report; tho’ not a whole whole lot to super-great beyond being a sweaty team on D. What you sees is what you gets from these kitty-cats.
• 2 real hurts. Coach God twice bless— as Pitt’s depth is now a TV-TO pitstop.

Returning Starters=2*. (one now benched).

Pittsburgh Strengths:

• Hard-azz road team -tho’ hosting Eye knows here- in the Top-1o in road wins and you do not do that as a No Bitches Allowed pegged cuck. Not at all. PROPers here.
• * One #2, and the now alpha-Cat’, one #2, 6′7″, 23o lb., Blake Hinson is (now) the alpha cat for the Panthers on O here. 18.8 ppg with 5.o rpg and .8 apg is pretty solid overall production if you can get it. Senior Blake comes at you after sitting 2-seasons with o-games logged out at Iowa State. (One of which was a self-election r-season). Then he transferred down to Olé Miss. Where he put up decent enuff digits: (~10 ppg with ~5 rpg). So, the betterment @Pitt is a bit unexpected and prolly fully welcomed at that. As this was only a 4o% career shooter overall prior to @Pitt. Where Blake now cracks for an improved 45.4% from the floor and an easy career-high of 42.2% long. Now mix in 67% on his team-leading 112th most FTA’s and you suddenly have a getter -if not a pure netter- on your hands. As this Hinson kid just gets to the right spot (on the floor) to get his. Seems heavier than listed to me upon breaking tape. Tho’ their roster guide says he hs cut –7 lbs. Has been warming to the task of late, what with a handful+ of games ≥19 to 41 ppg. Ditto his 3-pointing which has been nearly firey in recent terms. (~33 to 69%). This is from the 1o2nd ranked baller in all the land; ****, or quad-stars from Kansas where he dropped you 3o ppg in H.S. terms. Wr1 in football ever since the 8th grade for his high school to boot. Big bro’ (Evan) balled hoopz and pigskin for the Sc.Gamecocks a few years back, so maybe he is their Jeff King in reverse? As b.Hinson technically has another year (r-double-Jr.) under him and he could crossover (pardon the mixing of metaphor) into gridiron terms here. Albeit with no Roy (of hoops fame) relation. If not, Blake is playing himself right onto the overseas Pro’ fence. NTTAWWT. Good on him.
  (UPDATE: has been northing the 4o-point+ barrier of late, ‘hot hot hot’ Buster Poindexter playar!)
  (UPDATE2: said to be something of a Referent Power {sic: B.Randall} player. Everyone puts #respect(s) on his damn name. Helluva a teammate and you do NOT get this vibe much no mo’).
• (sometimes a Reserve): Ishmael Leggett: lead-G: 6′3″, tho a stingy 185 lbs. Prince George, Maryland native. 16.4 ppg Rhode Island Ram for three years prior to ’24. 12.2 ppg with 5.3 rpg on 2.2 apg and 1.2 spg is pretty nice stat-stuffing left-to-right. As the rebounding and the stealing are both 1st-rate. Top-shelf for the I.C. Lyte hometown.  41.7% overall is so-so, tho’ the 83.3% free-throws and the 37.o% from three are sprite enuff. Does have a history of Tournament and post-season surging(s) and that’s a handsome limelight sign. Lowercase *** or three-star kid; peaked at 24oth on the 247Sports matrix, and nobody was anywhere near that high on Leggett. Not even Ahab or Queequeg. With no word yet from Moby Dick who was actually a ‘sperm whale’. Tho’ I non-P.C. Am.Lit’ in Williams Hall tangent… anywho… this kid was high on Lindy’s transferring list. They say he has a knack for getting calls/drawing fouls. 4o8 career FTAs in 3.8 seasons would seem to agry. Oddly, does have a history of foul trouble and DQs in his own right. Go’ fig’ there… creative baller, for himself as he can kinda go Benard King and just invent ways to put the biscuit in the basket. A fun fringe export quality kid when he gets his O to flow… and it has been less viscous of late. And oh yes, he likes to (biceps) flex, including when being floored and knocked on his azz. Not an easy one to cow.
  (UPDATE: warming up of late, in particular from behind the arc).

  

• B’more, Maryland native: 6′5″, 19o lb., rookie or nugget-year-voter: Carlton Carrington: Off-G1, Rivals (No.87) and a near consensus Top-1oo recruit. Their 2nd-leading netter: 12.9 ppg with a nice 5.2 rpg and 4.3 apg as well. Useful -if not good- digits straight across. The shooting however is not… 38.7% floored and 27.8% threed is just not ’24 backcourt happy era enuff. Do like the elongated twist-top ‘fro when he vends it loose. Nice-sized scholastic scorer (27 ppg) @St. Frances Academy near the b’More Metro area. Played in and earned a lotta regional tourneys/awards and seemed to up his ante on the blind on the bigger stage. Pops: (‘bud’) is/was a hoops coach; second cousin of Rudy Gay, most recently with the Utah Jazz. So, there is some homegrown pick-up hardwood to gather here. Goes by: “Lil’ Bub”. Had a lotta regional offers mid-sized to lowercase offers… so, the D-1, P5, Pitt get was a stretch to some. Lindy’s calls Carlton a: “big-time Wing scorer ¦ with the potential to fill it up.” So, this kid is here for the possession-production side not necessarily as a stopper or closer on D. Does seem the scoring part on tape; poses a bit; did like the neon yellow scoots though. You needs some game to field them. High riser, is well-schooled; like the low to the floor dribbling on penetration(s) to boot. This kid can at least medium-O things in A.c.c. terms; what can he do ’26 or ’27 beyond that?
• Jaland Lowe G 6′3″, 17o lb. Pretty handsome-sized Missouri born tho’ H’town (Tx.) recruit who showed them which way to go. As an easy **** or (four-star) recruit who pinnacled as the 66th kid in the class of 2o23 per: ESPN.com. 26.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.1 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game as a H.S. Prom king makes him alluring. Now gettin’ yah: 8.6ppg with 2.5 rpg and 2.8 apg for his debutant Steelers season. The shooting will have to develop…  37.7% l’ensemble and 34.8% trois are not enuff. Several secondary-school academic all-district honors do not suck and could be a hoops I.Q. clue. Was said to be an ‘inside’ player exclusively vs. lowercase or undersized not everything was bigger on Texan teams. So, the adjustment to playing deeper and the shooter misfiring from outside for it could be expected here. Playing him/remaking him as a Point or a One is an interesting call… maybe that speaks to the H.S.edu hits? Tho’ he is a savvy baller; seems to just ‘get it’ upon breaking tape. Godfather, John Lucas II, was the No. 1 pick in the 1976 NBA Draft, with no word yet from any Lakers in ‘Vada or from Talia Shire. 82.2% free-throwing tells you he prolly has the technique(s) to do mo’ better later. Time=tell on the rest… this is a semi-good prospect, can he ’26 or ’27, contend?

Pittsburgh Weaknesses:

• John Hugley; left… their best/brightest recruit in a spell. (OK-sooner who said CU later; 15 ppg gonzo).
• This is kinda a spindly, leany, beanpole-looking team. Not a whole lot in the pants; like to see us physical them up down low with Kidd and the emerging/thudding-thumpin’: Poteat.
• Likewise, this is NOT a pure set of shooters— I’d sag them and dare them to beat me from ≥22′.
• Papa Amadou Kante: (grate name): is was 6′10″, 235 lbs., by way of: Dakar, Senegal. Now he is listed as: ‘sitting out’ 2o24 with: “a knee injury”. Got hurt in preseason camping; has been surgically repaired since: (St.Nikon help). No.91 (247 Sports) and nearly a consensus Top-1oo recruit last year. Has a 7-4 wingspan, which clearly makes him a rim-protector; only played hoops since 2o19. So, Papa is clearly a junior+++ to the sport itself. Did garner a AAA Connecticut hoops bling in his one season here after moving here across the Atlantic itself. Said to be surprisingly ‘athletic’ and an ex-Michigan commit. Also fields a history of toe injuries… St.Sebastian bless. As this is a curious potential kid. Woker, willing, swamp-donkey, sweaty kid. Hope he gets himself, 5×5, one-hundy, right.

Panther Den: (depth=) BIG ole bench, not a backcourt bench hardly at all, observe! 199th in pine ppg.

* (grate name): Federiko Federiko is a: 6′11″, 22o lb., true-C or Five by way of: Helsinki, Finland. And he looks like he could stand to take a plate or three away from rotund John -hugely- Hugley up above, As this is one lean-looking 220-whatever-pounder. Like he could stand some weight room or ferrous work. Anywho… the book here reads that Federiko is a solid interior force at both ends by way of the JuCo circuit (or: Northern Oklahoma). Where (Federiko)^2 did merit NJCAA Honorable Mention All-America love. With ~12 ppg and ~9 rpg out-west. (Twice) Federiko has international experience, per his: FIBA U18 European Championship run for Finland. His mum’s name reads: Ando Juice. And he snubbed w.V.u. as a decommit at the last sec’. All three of his she-siblings play basketball so roundballs must blossom in this rather interesting Scrabble Point name-game family (Okku, Manuella, and Jenifer) tree here. Now up on the Point in I.C. Lyte IronCity ‘ville and Federiko*2 gets you: 4.8 ppg with a near team-leading 5.2 rpg and an outright team-leading 1.5 bpg all on the gold-medal 61.7% from the floor. Not the worst substitute BIG look, is it? (UPDATE: ‘whispers’ say this one is a real live post-Stopper down-low on D).

r-Jr., 6′7″, 21o lb., Zack Austin S/F or Swing2. High Point transfer 3 who is trying to be the high point the ball D-1, P5, one. The ‘vibes’ say Austin is an “excellent interior defender” and to be a: “fine shooter” behind all of that. That should work; 3-D guys are in need nowadays to be sure. 6.6 points with 3.9 rebounds on 1.o assists and 1.o swipes for Pitt. After: ~15 ppg, with 6 rpg, and 2 spg from Hight Point makes you wonder if he had (already) hit his level?  41% from the floor and a dip down to: 26.3% from downtown makes you wonder even mo’? As Zee was the only player in the nation (last year) to hit 60 threes and swat 6o-shots! So, this is something of a ’24 bearish Panther thus far.  Austin was at least batting eyes at being an overseas pro’ this time last year.

(mo’ grate names, plural!): then there are the Graham’s… Jorge Diaz Graham P/F and Guillermo Diaz Graham P/F. Who are related! Tho’, Jorge (somehow) chases his twinning bro’ by one-inch in height at 6′11″ whereas Jorge tops out at: 6′12″ and yet 1o lbs. less in weight (19o lbs.). Go fig’ on dat? Canary Islands, Spain natives here. Jorge was 81st in the On3 2o22 (overseas) recruit poll. Both are FIBA and Spanish National Team schooled. Both are said to be ‘skillful’ bigs. Kinda Euro-F’s or flexible-Fours (if not outright: ‘stretch’). Jorge was a 44% 3-pointer in Euro play. Guillermo was the 94th ranked On3 2o22 baller. 55.5% shooter from the Euro floor and had a number more awards and mentions and so forth than his bro’ did. Seems to be the apex bro’ in résumé terms. Said to be the mo’ defensive bro’ too. As of right now, they combine to o’Pine for ~11 ppg with 7 rpg a couple o’dimes and a sendback. Tho’ Jorge’s 36.4% overall is just hard to Spain, ‘splain. As both are poppin’ 3’s for very low 30-percents’. Although rookie or nugget year skillful legit BIGs with rebounding acumen are indeed worth a Plumlee 2o26 ask back here. As Pitt could be set down low for years to come.
(UPDATE: now: “OUT” as in for the year… Dangnation… what with a St.Philip bless, very significant left-ankle dent that underwent the surgical scalpel to correct; yucks/ouchs!)

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Panthers who could claw @Tech=6.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is…

…not to be too taken with this tactically epic+++ VicTory Dance all over hooVa— not in strategic terms anyhoo.

This is still a 15-11 menz hoops team overall that is still underwater with a negative rec’ in-league play.

---

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It is still a menz whoops team that needs to close HoopsSlammedTough to be sure it can and will eventually post-season quantify in order to Spring Break qualify.

As in… this menz hoops squadron could stand to take a lesson or three from Bud/Pry-bay and Company.
In regard to how to ‘compete’. How to plum ‘git after’ peeps and play “like your hair is on fire.”

This team can play at a post-season level when they choose to defend; when they net well from the outside, and when Collins (and his nearly 3:1 Assist:Turnover ratio) handles at least some of the Qb1 things. Like every other weekend when the Greenwood & Cox Qb1b/Qb1a combo punch landed some differing flavors of leather.

This is not a bad menz hoops team, it is rather a menz hoops team that needs to self-select or choose to go’on and be above average. Nite-n-and-nite, out. How far they go after that is up to them, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tin-Man and them.

Let us ask Saturday nite just how ‘competitive’ they truly are and how well
they heel-‘clicked’ this rivalry cup success.

 ***

Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame is calling for an unexpected +36-point VicTory Dance in this one here. When taken per capita it normalized to a mo; respectable: +3.6-point Tech Triumph. The nitty-gritty here tells us that the Forum Guide was at least semi-obedient. Not linear; tho’ it did favor VeeTee mo’ often than it favored Pitty. It also did not (much) swing that wildly in either direction. i.e., these two be who they be. As they both appear to be outta headroom additionally. (Or, each coach is getting a lot outta what they have left). And all that to say, this Forum Guide seems a bit mo’ solid to me.

The annualized year-to-date vitals say that… VeeTee is up right at ~+2% in shooting percentage margin (all: of this is on superior splashing on O; as Pitt is actually –2% stiffer on D); and yet Pitt is actually up +1% in 3-point percentage margin (same: as above… all of this betterment was from being harsher in 3-D and yet VT is +2% in 3-O) and Pittsburgh is up just beneath +4 caroms corralled in rebounding margin for the year-to-date. (As noted, up above… these Panthers leave mo’ than their fair share of scratch marks on the offensive backboard. Pretty good on the D-backboard, tho’ these cats are damn dawggs off the O-‘glass).

The most recent 5-game metrics say that… the Hokies are now up a slightly slick-looking ~+6% in shooting percentage margin (⅔ of which is netting a bit better tho’ Pitt has slipped a mite on D of late as well); with the Panthers now up right at ~+3% in 3-point percentage margin (pur: they have locked their 3-D down of late, tho’ the Fn’ Gobblers are a little mo’ spirited on 3-O), and yet the fe-lions are now up close to +5 misses collected in rebounding margin in the last fortnight of work.. (due to: +elbow-grease Windex wiping dat O-fiberglass as D-boarding was pretty close to equilibrium or break-even).

Armchair Pt.Guard’s:

Hemmingway Hoops: “To have and to have not…”

• vs. no-names? +2o1-points❗️ As the Pitt Panthers did not distemper before playing a buncha smucks. As in… clearly Coach Capel’s give a Foxtrot about R.U.T.S. vs. the little guy is… broke. He punches downhill all the way, all day; 25/8. As Pitt truly beat the damn piss outta several little guys earlier this year. Like nearly abusive 5o+ point W’s. Bet the Over on Pitt under Capel vs. nobody’s early season here. Pitt P5 sparked a number of bantamweights to be sure.
• vs. Surnames? –9-points❗️ As in… vs. anyone with anything of a roundball pulse? Pitt took a few uppercuts that they stopped with their chops. Or, maybe their shiny overall maker is not as choppy as it would prima facie posit, connote, and aver? As four, that’s (4) of Pitt’s name wins were by 2-shots or less. This could suggest some tuffness and it also suggests a want for equalizing Talent(s) to boot. Pitt is not soft; they try to be the hard show-out part; tho; they appear a few bricks shy of a load to me.

LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 7-3, averaging 71.0 points, 34.2 rebounds, 12.5 assists, 5.7 steals, and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 42.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.0 points per game.

LAST 10 GAMES: Hokies: 5-5, averaging 75.4 points, 29.3 rebounds, 15.4 assists, 4.9 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 72.6 points.

VeeTee is up +4 in R&R.
Pitt is a .667 host; whereas VeeTee is .142 as a guest.
V.P.I. is up a salty ~+1o% at the charity stripe for the year.

The Call...

No.56 Net Ranking Pittsburgh vs. no.52 Net Ranking Vah.Tech:

The VerdicT:

Well, and ‘aye’, Eye knows… wells are for water b.street!
Fair-play. Tru dat.

Still, yets, now would be a good time to engineer a get-well soon 2o24 menz hoops closer. Taking a lesson from our the W.N.B.A. is as easy as A.B.C. or Always Be Closing wimminz club. Well, right about now would be a great time—  a good time to try to nick one of these 3 in 4 upcoming roadies.

As @Pitt is prolly the pick to tap here; as @’Cuse and @Wake could be a Bridge (or two) Too Far.

And since half past ’24 never will we ever mule mo’ BIG-Mo’❓

Fish or get off the pot.

🐆 #46 ELO <<< >>> 🏀 <<< >>> #83 ELO 🦃

The digits:

So, VeeTee has won once, or, won’ce out on the Road this year.

That’s mo’ than a trend that’s a warning to picking the Visitor up in my hometown 322 miles Nor-by-well-mo’-Nor, away.

-oOo–

Thingy is… Pitt’s no-names/Surnames and the Fourm Guide each sense weakness here.

That and you gotta think that our team is feeling no pain after truly wrecking T.B. and hooVa and getting totally 5o4 totally, H’unk. (Hokie+drunk)❗️

And after the biggest and most unCommon beatdown since: 1961, I am also sensing a mite of O&M benching, strength.

That seems pretty (“/ˌhəNGkēˈdôrē/”) or hunky-dory to me’s…

…time to Hokie hunker down and make a break for not ending up, Spring; Broke.

 

 

 

💯

 

 

 

(47% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=75, Pittsburgh=72

please support the VT F.C.A.!

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**