#252 R.P.I.  South Florida vs. #188 R.P.I. Virginia Tech: 

Virginia Tech men’s basketball returns to the hardwood to take on the South Florida Bulls of the Tampa area fame to close out the Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off 2020 made for TV Tournament.

The Hokies get their second Uncasville, Connecticut run in right at 22-hours or on an Association or professional type of short-time turnaround on Sunday night. That brings benching into play and that brings judicious use of TO’s (timeouts) into play as well. As these Bulls might just be hornier than you’d expect. As this is a big and pretty dang athletic hoops club behind all of that height upfront. Nonetheless, what you really wanna know is… who is gonna win and by how much, right? So read on, to find… out!

South Florida Head Coach: Brian Francis Gregory: Age=53, 296–233 (.560) overall, and 48–53 (.475) @So.FLA. Has a rep’ for patience and program-building.
And for being a defensive halt-unit flavored coach.
$1,114,000.oo

From 1985 to 1986, baller Gregory attended the U.S. Naval Academy where he played on the Navy team that featured David Robinson and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. He then went to Oakland University where he was a three-time all-conference selection and in 1990 was named an Academic All-American. In 1990, Gregory graduated from Oakland University with a bachelor of arts in secondary education. He went on to earn a master of arts in athletic administration at Michigan State, graduating in 1992. “Thanks” serving our nation Sir!

Coach Greg was previously serving as a consultant to Tom Izzo at Michigan State after being let go as head coach with Georgia Tech. Prior to coaching at Georgia Tech, he was the head coach at Dayton and an assistant coach under Izzo at Michigan State.

Coach Greg’ was middleocre in the All Coaching Conference at Gah.Tech. 76–86 (.469). However, when you study his coaching tally… his teams rebuild, build, and then go get it every 3rd or 4th year. Don’t know if that makes Coach Greg’ a great annual big-cheese? Though I do know it makes him a pretty good strategic or long-view head-honcho. He really shined at Dayton (172–94 (.647)), and has only won one Tourney in three years at So.Fla.

Coach Greg’ is therefore a pretty solid post-season crackerjack of a chips get big-n-blue coach… as Coach Greg’ gets it in the post-season. With three Championships: NIT (2010), A-10 West Division (2004), and just two years ago with a victory in the CBI (2019)! 16-6 in March Tournaments is really tough to top. As a slew of men’s D-1 post-season big-whistles wish they had Coach Greg’s .727 winning percentage problems.

Daddy G’ and his wife, Yvette, have two daughters,
Isabella and Elyse.

South Florida at a glance:

• 29th in scoring O. (not their rep’ historically, however).
• 38th in rebounding margin.
• 38th in FG percentage O.
• 42nd in assists.
• 102nd in blocks.
• (NOT known to be a good FT-shooting team).

Returning Starters=4

So.Florida Strengths:

• I gotta admit… the pseudo-Oregon-looking neon tennis ball yellow and neon green on white threads? They somehow pulled this together and made this Dutch pastel Caribbean Sea look work. Amazingly, these are some tight uni’s.
• S/F Justin Brown is a 6′6″, 208 lb. final-year Swing style baller. Who brings a street intensity or edge to his slashing game. 10 ppg and 5 rpg on 33% behind the arc is not real bad from a 4th option guy. Though this is a versatile guy who finally slides back over to his natural or home-position as a “3”. As he’s played a lotta P/F after Yetna went down last campaign. One would have to think that can only benefit this southpaw twist-top “Three”. And his uncle Mark played fo’ the Dallas Cowboys. So that don’t hurt his Genome Project 1ι (one-iota).
•  6′4″, 220 lb. 2-Guard David Collins is an aggressive guy in the open court and So.FLA’s leading returning scorer at 13.7 ppg. And he’s been a team-leading minutes played ironman for the Bulls for two years straight. Collins was also ranked as the 46th guard prospect in the country according to 247 Sports. So, there is some measure of backcourt talent onboard here. Momma-bear: (Dorothy) is only the all-time leading scorer in Youngstown State wimminz’s basketball history and was inducted into the Youngstown State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997. That does not suck, so there must be some roundball-D.N.A. on board here as well. 33% from 3-point land and a guy who hovers in/around 16 ppg for his career is no bad-shakes. Nor is 3rd-string All-A.A.C. (American Athletic Conference) preseason. Making DeeCee a good and highly experienced 2-Guard. And oh yes… did I mention that Mister Collins has already shot more FTA’s (at: 69%) than anybody in A.A.C., history? Did I? Or did I mention his really unusual rat-tail worn just to the right of center on the front of his ‘fro?

  

• #4 who plays the “Five” is one Michael Durr. And Mr. Durr is a big ole strapping 7′, 252 lb. Jr. year P/F who will dunk on you and finish his work at the rack. Although he did not quite look the 250+ part to me on film, (he looks bigger!) he will go hard in the paint. As his tag of MikeProBound pretty much has to suggest. Durr came on a bit to close up shop last spring. And 7 ppg and 7 rpg with a swat and over 70% FTA’s is not half-bad here. As Durr is an overload at the “4” for most opposing teams.

So.FLA Weaknesses:

• The backcourt has a giant hole to fill with star G’s Laquincy Rideau’s departure. Just a solid all-’round glue-guy who was good and nearly misQ free. And did I mention the: former A.A.C. Defensive Player of the Year award, yet?
• One opt-out and one transfer hurt depth a bit. C’est la 20-20.
• Starting Point-G (Xavier Castaneda) is: day-to-day with a bad, groin. (St.Elmo’ bless). Though he missed game#1 and so did his returning 6′1″, 198 third-year lbs. and just under 6 ppg and 31% from range.
• G, 6′3″, 190 lb. SG, Ezacuras Dawson III (personal: ‘opt-out’) is done and so are his near 7 ppg and 38% from way downtown.
• and F, 6′8″, 255 lb. Prince Oduro (4 ppg, 3 rpg) (eligibility questions).

Bull Bench: (depth=very, close to 5-6 deep here)

Alexis Yetna is a: 6′8″, 238 lb. piping strong r-Jr. who will oui-oui all over you. As he is a Parisian and he will Louvre you behind… if you know what I n’est-ce pas mean? Alexis has been in-and-out per the NC2A (eligibility rulings) and due to (left-knee: St.Nikon help) injury— having missed two full years of his three down at So.FLA thus far. Behind the learning and experience-curves alike for it to boot. Still yet, this is a rarefied bruising looking Euro’ frontcourt import guy who looks the diesel part in an unleaded backcourt era. Yetna enjoys a Bronze medal with France at the 2017 FIBA U20 European Championship. That does not suck, and neither did 16 (ppg) and 10 (rpg) ‘over there’. So, if/when this kid gets/stays on court? There really should be some sharp frontcourt help here. If/when this former A.A.C. 2019 Rookie of the Year gets an annual swagg back. (as Lindy’s tabbed Yetna 2nd-string A.A.C. from the Bullying bench!) This from a very high horsepower V8 kinda motoring guy.

Texas Tech transferring Russell Tchewa is a 6′12″, 270 second-season big-ole-big of a true-C. By imported way of: Douala, Cameroon. The somewhat raw-looking Tchewa did not do much or get much time for aTm last year. Though he did drop 13.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game when he played three years of prep basketball in Italy for Grissin bon Reggio Emilia. And “si”, there is no doubt So.FLA would welcome that here. (UPDATE: box score says Rus’ played game#1. A couple of websites however read: eligibility issues here… not sure…)

6′5″, 196 lb., Jamir Chaplin (nicknamed: “drippy-J”) is a sophomoric lead-G baller from Georgia. Where he picked up a septa-A (AAAAAAA) championship bling. Though dinged/dented off/on during a 16 ppg scholastic career. Chaplin is said to be a freakish athlete who slashes and attacks off the wing. And his opening 14-point game a couple of nights ago hints at all those jumpy metrics and at a most alluring future if it all comes together.

Lead-G 6′4″, 186 lb. rookie voting year Caleb Murphy is merely So.FLA’s highest-rated recruit since 2013! And he keeps a 3 (maybe: 4) pronged massive twist-top Predator ‘fro. Truly. This guy’s hirsute game is off any and all charts.  No. 72 player in the nation in the ESPN 100 who beat his old high school team at his new high school team while finishing #10 in the nation in high school hoops says a lot. So does his hair— did I mention his hair, yet? Anywho… “the” Caleb Murphy -as he says he is supposed to be, called- is a talented cocksure kid. Did I mention the cock part, yet? Anyway… this is a talented Pt.Guard who can and will offensively lead from the “One.” Don’t die of shock if he and his **** hairstyle style-n-profile into the starting line-up before 2021 is through. This is a hardnosed kid who appears offensively nosely on tape indeed. (and there is a chance this is the best pure backcourt talent on the floor on Sunday night).

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Bulls who could gore @Tech=5 or 6 at least.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is… this is nobody’s gimmie or lay-up if you show-up contest men.

So.FLA is prolly right on the fringe of being: “bubblicious” as chewing-gum and March Madness go alike according to all my preview mags.

And they are dang sure a hard-out of a tough match-up for us down low in the paint and off the dribble off the wing with several Tall Trees and freaky freaks alike.

---

As foul-trouble(s), TV-timeouts, rotational R&R spacing, and all the little things will play-out big here vs. such a Sunshine State lunch-room bully of a frontline.

Because scoring an “olê” vs. these hard-charging and pretty street-swaggy
Bulls would be quite the caper indeed.

 ***

Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame is calling for an ask back in a fortnight or so.

The annualized year-to-date vitals say that… VeeTee is up a nifty +9% in shooting percentage margin (mostly on D); the Hokies are up +5% in 3-point percentage margin (virtually all on O); and yet So.FLA is up a large +16 boards 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… check back post-V.M.I.

VeeTee is up 7% at the charity stripe for the year.
These two are even on R&R. (although So.FLA is 1,255 miles from home).

VeeTee is 1.00 as a neutral; whereas  So.FLA is .ooo as a Swiss.

The Call...

No.1o4 Net Ranking Virginia Tech vs. South Florida no.198 Net Ranking

So, on paper -where the next thing that gets played there will be the first- though on paper?
I had this one close to even at the beginning of the preview.

Then I swung it to a modest USF Bulls gory match-up advantage foible towards the end.
Then Rollie Massimino beat Georgetown, again… and… oh, wait!

–oOo–

That being rightfully said… this is the kinda team that a kinda coach like M.Young just loves to out-smart and out-sharp.

Though M.Young must fight his intellectual fight and control the distance with a very educated jab and not allow the superior athletes and really BIG big-men of So.FLA to fight their fight.

Make them fight slow and small respectively and win this one between the ears.

Tradecraft, skill-craft, or head-gaming 1o1.

Because trying to punch with this puncher of a team might be a very bad idea.

And therefore methinks that whoever plays their game plays the other team out, here.

(65% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=8o, South Florida=65

please support the VT F.C.A.!

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**