#52 R.P.I. Wake Forest @ #131 R.P.I. Virginia Tech:

      Well, after a glorious home upset win over archival hooVa, we pretty much returned to form while visiting and getting blowout by uber talented Duke.

I however would like to point that that unlike last season; we did eek out the highly ranked upset win the game before.

I don’t (yet) know if that’s code for the Little Engine That Could. Although I’m pretty sure that that is no longer code for the little engine that, kan’t. And I for one like to view that as progress.

Wake ain’t bad –pretty much nobody in the A.c.c. is.

10 up and 5 down says so.

To me this contest is your truer measure of millibars of mercury; or a Hokie hooping barometer. As a credibly improved Buzz bunch will take care of their O&M business and win at home vs. an Atlantic side squad that they have a decent enough shot to beat.

…IF we really are, improved, that is…

 

Wake Forest at a glance:

• 324th in Turnover Margin (-2.9 tpg)
• 300th best in scoring defense (77.8 ppg allowed)!
• 73rd in Rebounding Margin (+4.6 rpg)
• 52nd in Blocks (5 bpg)
• 36th in offensive rebounding (13.47 orpg)
• 22nd in total FTA’s (412 FT’s attempted)
•  NO injuries listed (Thank God!)

Wake Returning Starters=4

Deacon Strengths:

• #2, final year P/F, 6’9” 255 lb. Devin Thomas is the truth. Don’t believe me? Just ask him; as this is one loquacious baller. Or maybe ask his team leading 16.9 ppg with his likewise team leading 10.3 rpg and now listed at 245 lb frame. Which seems to make more sense to me, as I just could not see that much mass on this guy in breaking tape for this preview. This Forest alpha blocks shots at 1.9 bpg and he is the likewise leader in FG percentage checking in at 59.2% from the floor. Can you say: “Deacon M.V.P.”? Mister Thomas can, and you might just get around to saying all-A.c.c. while you are at it. 110 career starts and counting is code for very experienced in Atlantic Coast hooping waters. It is also code for epic durability as Devin has been a starter for Wake since day #1. That means you can count on Mr. Thomas nite in and nite out to show up and ball. Both on the glass and now in terms of scoring, as his ppg have risen all the way up from 9.1 ppg as a rook’, to nearly 17 ppg as of now. And Devin has been scorching hot of late from the floor; 69% to begin the civil new year says so! And Devin is something else, he’s very very efficacious in when and where he shoots on the floor. No wasted motion in this guys game and that -and strongly- posits a very high hooping I.Q. Known for being a rugged internal baller with toughness makes that sage approach all the more impressive to moi. As this #2 is prolly a late 1st-round draft pick.

  

• after that there is a Deacon hooping committee of sorts; as seven Dec’s play regularly; six of those seven average between 13 ppg and 7 ppg and four of those seven pull down between 3 and 6 rpg. See what I mean? This ain’t quite a one trick pony; though it is pretty close to a fairly tricky pony and a lotta workhorses after that.
• Best of the rest is either Bryant Crawford or Konstantinos Mitoglou. Then there is a drop off from the these two trail-horses to the true workhorses in support of this upper tirade of Wake. Bryant Crawford is a very serviceable scorer; though that’s about what he is. Maybe not “all”, though pretty much what he is. A second best 13.2 ppg is actually pretty nifty enough. Though Bryant is listed as a true Pt.Guard who strikes me as a true Pt.Guard with a scoring itch that needs to be scratched. 6’3” and 190 pretty strong looking lbs. as a nugget (or rookie) does not suck. Neither does the team lead in 4.9 assists. or the team lead in steals at 1.4 spg. Though his shot selection is the gym. If he is in it, he’s open; at least in his own mind and 36% strikes me as a gunner with a possible career as a suit at Remington or Smith & Wesson up next. Konstantinos “dino” Mitoglou is a 6’10” Euro big who is versatile, skillful and very European. In that he was stuck on only 224 lbs., could finish better, harder, stronger on in the paint. Now however he’s gone out and found about 20 lbs. of right mass; and “dino” finally looks the part and at least passes (pardon the Euro’ pun) and at least passes the power-conference P/F eye-exam at this point in his second season. I like “dino”, he’s a smooth, smart, big who can shoot the rock (39% from downtown). As I’ll be pretty curious to see where he and Crawford team up to be in 2018 terms.

Deacon Weaknesses:

• d.Manning is said to be bringing in better talent(s) –also said to still be 2 years away.
• last years leading scorer and very solid Atlantic Coast baller Codi Miller-McIntyre has been lame for about half the season recovering from a busted foot. Godspeed on that. 6’3” 2o5 lb. former ~15 ppg scorer who is suffering or scuffling along at 7.4 ppg thus far on 31% from the floor. That’s not the C.M.M. I remember. Though McIntyre did break out a bit and drop 22 on Duke two games ago. Although that was after making exactly o-n-e shot per game in four of the most recent other five contests not named Duke. As this poor kid just does not look healthy to me. (However, if he gets his left-foot, right; this is a different Deacon team for it, make no mistake)
• defending and FT-shooting have been a problem under former Kansas star head coach d.Manning.
• Wake, same as Virginia Tech, is officially rebuilding. 4 senior starters help now; and yet hurts next year; and beyond that. That, and this is not the most physical team I’ve ever seen upon breaking A.c.c. tape; either.

Wake Bench: (depth=3, and nothing much beyond okay level D-1 guys; 2 F’s and 1 G. 6’8” string bean Fr. 207 lb. forward John Collins and his 8.6 ppg 4.7 caroms is the best off the pine)

Illation, conclusion (s) and OPT digits:

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is… these are two similar teams tracking two similar (program) rebuilding paths and that avers a similar game to me. As the opening Vegas big-b0ard line of: Even or pick ’em would seem to agree.

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Can’t say I found a whole lotta differentials; here. Can say it would appear to me that Wake just might enjoy the higher 2016 remaining ceiling vis-à-vis via recovering a talent (Codi); as opposed to coach Buzz and company dropping a talent (Clarke). Though you wanna read about this tactical contest in particular; not the strategic long-view.

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Virginia Tech is +1 in rest here; that can’t hurt; neither can the fact(s) that Virginia Tech is the better defensive team by 4% less allowed from the floor and by 8 ppg overall. Thing is, those stop-unit margins have narrowed in the last five games and that narrows this game all the more.

As there is no denying that Wake is the healthier team here; (just ask Hill, Clarke and Outlaw). Although Virginia Tech is playing 38.6% allowed defense at home and that makes Buzz’s bunch the better stop-unit, substantially.

the closer:
In closing, I’d have to say that his one goes pretty much as Codi Miller-McIntyre goes. If he is on his offensive game, I’d pick Wake to simply out score Virginia Tech; and if he is 1 for the game, I’d pick Virginia Tech to simply out defend Wake. Take thy pick as this one is a very level one to call…

(55% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=73, Wake Forest=74

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**