#184 R.P.I. Wake Forest @ #31 R.P.I. Virginia Tech: 

Virginia Tech men’s basketball returns home to man the ramparts of their very own Cassell Coliseum after basically getting manhandled by the Zima heads over in hooville. And oui-oui on that as yah; I just threw up in my mouf, a; lot.

The Hokies just got punked. No if’s, and’s or butt’s need apply. No excuses, the better team won; and some are already saying the best team in all of D-1, won. Although that is them -and not me for a change- putting the cart out in front of the, horse. Here in realityville, we see that our beloved Hokies are hosting 8 up and 8 down (.5oo) and 1-3 (.25o) in Atlantic Coast Clashes Wake Forest. In what most seem to believe to be a bounce-back type home courting contest on a Saturday afternoon of an N.f.l. conference championship weekend at 4 pm on Raycom and ESPN/A.c.c. streaming. Nonetheless, what you wanna know who will win and by how much. Read on, to find… out!

Wake Forest Head Coach: Daniel Ricardo “Danny” Manning: age=52, 99–109 (.476) overall, 61–80 (.433) at Wake Forest.
$1,302,019.oo (+another 1 mill’ deferred from Tulsa!)

Baller Manning is the son of the late Ed Manning (R.I.P.), who was a longtime N.B.A. and red, white and blue; ball; A.B.A. player and then a professional and college coach. As a junior at Page High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, Danny averaged 18.8 points and nine rebounds per game, leading the Pirates to a 26-0 record and the North Carolina state title. Baller Danny Manning also won the national championship with the Larry Brown led Jayhawks in 1988 as a player. Danny left Kansas as the all-time leading scorer in Kansas basketball history with a mere 2,951 points! He was also the all-time leading scorer in Big-8 Conference history with 2,951 career points. Danny won the Wooden, Naismith, and Eastman Awards as the college player of the year in 1988. And K.U.’s 11 L’s that national championship year is still the most L’s of any crowned D-1 men’s hoops titlist, ever! Manning was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame with the 2oo8 class.

He was then the #1 draft pick overall in the 1988 N.B.A. Draft by the L.a. Clippers. Baller Manning spent 15 seasons in the Association. During his N.b.a. career Manning scored 12,367 points and averaged 14.o points per game. He was a two-time all-star, once the Sixth Many of the Year and a three-time A.c.l. victim who some say had a Hall of Fame ceiling if not for such ruinous knee knocks throughout his sympathetically gimpy professional career (Godspeed).

(Assistant) Coach Manning won another National Championship Jayhawker ring again on the K.U. coaching staff in 2oo8. After which he spent two successful years as the big whistle at Tulsa, garnering a post-season bid each time and an N.C.A.A. bid for his 21 win C-USA crowning second season. After which he inked with the Dec’s and posted two initial negatives (<.5oo) seasons before landing five games above .5oo this year as I type. Coach Manning teams have a rep’ for free-flowing, skillful; finesse based inside-out offense first, second and defense third; (if that). He is also thought to be something of a program-builder and a pretty decent recruiter by-the-bye.

Manning.edu earned his degree in communication from the University of Kansas in 1991.

Danny and his wife, Julie, have two children — daughter Taylor, who played volleyball at Kansas, and son Evan, who played basketball at Kansas and is currently a
basketball program assistant with the Deacons.

Wake Forest at a glance:

• 23rd most FT’s (∑=297 FT makes).
• 60th in rebounding margin (+4.9 rpg).
• 78th in 3-point defense (31.5% allowed).
• 303rd in steals (∑=just 85 swipes).
• 307th in 3-point attempts (∑=310 trey tries).
• 2 injuries listed (double Coach God bless)!

Wake’s Returning Starters=1

Wake Forest Strengths:

• One no.zero, Brandon Childress is a legacy 6′, 190 lb., second-season, Pt.Guard and “yes” he is the son of associate head coach Randolph Childress— Randolph of full-blown bishop level Deacon 1990’s hooping fame recall. Son Childress also looks bulkier/stronger than listed, and squatter, too. As Brandon may not have been carded recently as this is a very mature looking kid; and he does bring you a virtually doubling from last year and team-leading this season, 16.1 ppg on an eight percent improved and downright agreeable 43% from deep. That said, Bran’ is also up a nifty seven percent overall and is now netting you 44.4% of his shots while leading the Dec’s in dimes dropped at 4.7 apg. His mechanics/lift on his J may need a little ironing out and yet this is prolly a star in the making (pardon the pun); a Point-G who can score, pressure-defend and/or set-up on at least an overseas basis.  As the son of the aforementioned associate head coach and star/legacy Deacon backcourter one Randolph Childress… this pair is the highest scoring father-son duo in A.c.c. history. Ever! Period. Nepotistic game over there.  As pops’ only played for the Deacons from 1992-95, only earning All-America honors as a senior before being selected by the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft. As junior goes… now mix in virtually 80% on FTA’s and the blue ribbon in swipes (1.8 spg) and just south of four boards (3.8 rpg) and you’ve suddenly got a very viable Most Improved A.c.c. 2019 candidate on your hands, or a very savvy all-’round baller or; both. Which I for one find to be descriptive of a solid season so far; this from a kid with maturity questions, who was said to be mostly a distancing (shooting) Pt.Guard with credible distribution skillz and not much else. This from perhaps the lowest {sic: nationally} ranked **** or four-star baller I’ve ever studied.

  

• 6′8″, 214 lb., Jaylen Hoard, is a rookie year nugget Euro imported baller all the way from Carnon, France. Which is code for basically being at least mini-me Park Place version of Claytor Lake “over there”. Except their Claytor Lake is pronounced: The Med’ Sea on the southern coast of ritzy/resort riddle France. Bon on homme! As le` hoops go, however… Jaylen is second in scoring for Wake at 14.9 ppg and he is leading the Deacs in Windex work with 8.2 rpg already. If his outside shooting comes around -and they say it should- this is not less than a returning Vichy €uro earning pro’. Maybe an associative S/F pro’, as who does not like an athletic S/F or Three who can score, rebound and defend (1 spg & 1 bpg) alike? And as the Hoarding Hooping Genome Project goes… his father only played college basketball at Murray State before an 18-year professional career overseas. Momma Hoard only played college basketball at WashingtonU and played on the French national team at the 1994 FIBA Women’s World Championships. Baby sis’ Hoard (Anaia), has only played on French youth national teams for the last three years. So the family tree is sprouting roundball(s) as I type. Even Jaylen’s Godparents were basketball pros! Jay’ was also only ESPN’s no.20 recruit and the highest ranked international recruit in his class by far and he’s got plenty of FIBA global experience to boot. Where he acquired something of a rep’ as being an outburst scorer. Keep an eye on this #10 folks, he’s one to A.c.c. watch for as long as you can see him as you may not be seeing him for long in Winston-Salem at this rate. As this is a strong finishing kid with an A.b.a. era credible mid-range game and once he gets dialing long-distance down he’s gonna be special. Possibly, very. (i.e. who will be the higher Draft pick here?  Nickeil Alexander-Walker or Jaylen Hoard???)
• Chaundee Brown is a 6′5″, 213 lb., sophomoric, Orlando native sunshine state ball with a very springy looking game. Chanundee started every game less one last year and is something of a streaky-three-point specialist who can move/groove as a pure athlete who can shoot in addition to that. 11.7 ppg with 4.6 boards on 34% is not bad work. As consistency is all that is really lacking here, as the body-kinetics seem most willing indeed. As this offensively versatile Wing can score inside and out’ when he really gets it going. And he was ESPN’s no.31 baller and also the Gatorade and AAAA (quad-A) Florida Player of the Year.

Wake Forest Weaknesses:

• Mario Van Peoples, I mean… Bryant Crawford is a 6′3″, 2o1 lb. senior season alpha scorer for Wake at 16.3 ppg. Is no longer really acting— or playing ball at Wake Forest. No word yet from Rick Fox. Neither is 7′2″, 288 lb. third-year Lurch type true Center, one #4, Doral Lamont Larod Moore and his team-leading 7.3 rpg did not suck. And all coulda returned. And, yet all did… not. Mitchell Wilbekin and his 10 ppg did graduate. So just under 50 ppg and just over 18 rpg got in a rush and just went… Exit Stage Left.
• Ergo, therefore, to wit… lots and I do mean lots of Deacon roster turnover now sermonizes somewhere else, and that’s seldom a good sign.
• Manning is not exactly known as a defensive coach; although he has made the post-season three times in five seasons; so there is that. Overall? Time will tell here… though I can tell you that Danny is an extremely well-liked coach personally; a player’s coach if you will.
• Sunday Okeke -grate name- is listed as: questionable, and so is his: “uncertain” bad-back, his .7 ppg and his 1.4 rpg on 50% shooting. The 6′8″, 245 lb. strapping looking Lagos, Nigeria P/F was gonna provided some measure of frontcourt pine-squad help this season as you can not coach bulk and/or work-ethos and toughs. And although a bit underdeveloped offensively at the moment, most non-scholarship, floor-burn type players do not want for “want too” as Bud Foster likes to put it. As this kid was ESPN’s no.60 kid back in 2015; he is said to be an all-conference caliber foütballer (soccer)— although he’s been on a circuitous path(s) ever since 2015. So Godspeed on all that.
• 6′3″, 195 lb., t-Fr., ATL. Ga. native and very highly touted Jamie Lewis is off on an: “indefinite personal matter”. So what exactly is the matter here was elusive to Google and me. We do know that this is the second leave of absence for (.4 ppg) Jamie —and that the first was whispered to be due to WF.edu. We additionally know that his roster link is broken and that’s prolly not the most encouraging sign for a kid with a scoring, penetrating and defensive stopper rep’, that was actually said to need quarterbacking or passing-game work as an upstart Pt.Guard. May St.James bless, as this kid does/did have a pretty interesting 2022 or so out in front of him. If he and H.Dumpty can put it back together again.
• 6 newcomers ball here, warm-seat whispers, and (possible) lube and/or turmoil all live here; now mix in being thin on depth and a generic lack of defense and maybe we should play a game of (Century)-21? (though the future could be bright enough if Danny man’s, 2021 up!)

Deacons Bench: (depth=3 or so)

7′, 233 lb., sophomore Olivier Sarr and 6′10″, 247 lb., 5th-year grad’-transfer (Buffalo), Ikenna Smart give you substitute size and try as we might: “you still can’t coach… height”. Oliver is from Toulouse, France, and plays above the rim way more than most Frenchy Four’s that you know. 5.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg with the team lead in swats (1.1) are reasonable enough. Though his 42% shooting needs to come up for a kid shooting as close to the rim as Sarr is— so to speak. This from a kid on the French National Team for the last couple of years who was merely ranked as the top prospect at the 2017 FIBA U-18 European Championships by ESPN Insider. Where he did have more of a defensive or rim-protecting, vibe; so to speak. Umuahia, Nigeria native Smart is more of a banger/enforcer with 3 & 3 (ppg and rpg) who averaged six (ppg) and three (rpg) doing basically the same thing for four years up in O.J.’s backyard.

Back-up Pt.Gurad, Torry Johnson, is a 6′3″, 170 lb. One, who nets you a bench trumping 5.9 ppg and is said to be a good individual stopper of a defender, as a shooter he just, ain’t; (35% floor and 27% long). He is, however, a Koufax or a lefty and that does give him covering advantages and he does (somehow) have two years eligibility left as a 5th-year Northern Arizona transfer where Torry lead Nor.Zona in scoring at 12.1 ppg. Although he has had an injury-riddled colligate career after picking up two AAA Illinois high school rings and you have to wonder where he is on two good legs? (may St.Nikhon help).

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Deacons who could start @Tech=3'ish.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is… that you have to clinically wonder if the third half of the curb-stomping otherwise know as @uva is just about to kick-off?

Because taking that kinda a beating -on national Telly; with all that mutual Top-10 hyping surrounding it- well that kinda beating tends to leave a mental-mark. Or at least it would more often than cerebrally knott.

---

As I for one would not die of shock if Tuesday nights buzzkill did not cause a rather cavalier version of double-vision as the Hokies could very well be seeing uva twice. As uva -to the Tony Award’s credit his ownself- “beat us worse than the score showed” as my late father was want to say.

 ***

Nonetheless, this is also where the inexact, nebulous and yet absolutely objectified by its absence
-more so than by its, presence- this is precisely where the concept of Leadership the (active) noun comes into play. Or at least it really should on such an experienced O&M hardwood team.

Be that J.Rob’, or Med’ or Outlaw or Buzz or whomever… someone has gotta do something to pick-up and/or cheer-up this O&M hoops squad after what just happened. Be that a riot act speech to a classroom-clown. i.e. whatever it takes as rebound-dating (pardon the mix-metaphor) goes. This team same as the Hindenberg needs an emotional…  lift.

• This one really is a textbook so-called: horns or Halo recency effect game. What with a Deacons team with a roster dominated by underclassmen which lost each of their first three A.c.c. matchups by double figures. And yet still beat an up-and-coming 16th ranked North Carolina State team 71-67 on Tuesday night. Whereas no. 7 Virginia Tech suffered just its second loss of the season in humiliating fashion, 59-81 the ‘rong way at No.1 Virginia in the Commonwealth Clash.
• A.K.A., did a talented -albeit nubile and youthful- Deacon basketball squad just graduate from… Deaconess?
• Virginia Tech has won five of six in the series.
• Alexander-Walker is one of seven sophomores and three power-conference sophomores to average 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists this season.
• Hokies final-year Pt.G Robinson has 531 career assists. He needs just 13 more assists to move past Malcolm Delaney and 17 more dimes to move past Vernell Eufaye “Bimbo” Coles and into first place on our all-time list.

The call…

Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide is calling for a 15 point Victory. Although this same as @uva is a single-shot (Georgia Tech) round-robin looksee when typically you need closer to a handful of common opponents to reach content validity critical mass in Forum Guide predictive terms.

The seasonal stats tell us that the Hokies are a shiny looking +13% better in overall shooting percentage margin, +7% up in 3-point percentage margin, and an easy looking mere –1 in rebounding margin.

The more recent five-game metrics tell us that the Gobblers are a sporty +12% in shooting percentage margin, +5% up in 3-point percentage margin, and a reasonable –2 in rebounding margin. (F.Y.I.: virtually all of the said marginal changes were fueled via the Deacons preaching stiffer stop-unit efforting and a Hokie diminishment on the defensive end just the same).

Virginia Tech is +2% from the charity-stripe this campaign.

Wake does strike me as an interesting team on the rise, as they are surely playing 2020 and prolly 2021, already, right now, today.

And down the road they may be pretty good for it, too. However, at this particular moment, they are .ooo as a visitor (o-4) whereas Vah.Tech is 1.00 as a host (9-o). And on top of that Virginia Tech hoops is a nearly absurd +6 on rest -in a very strange scheduling quirk- in the last fortnight of play wherease Wake must sojourn 125 miles for this game.

Now, I do foresee that we/VeeTee are the superior team I just hope we are not mentally inferior and/or outright flat after the K.Kong sized junk kick uva just handed us.

As an Icky Crane or Sleepy Hollow slow or Hokie-(pokey) type start would surprise me nil in this one. Not even 1ι or one-iota. And neither would a Cavalier upset all hungover post-uva.

(69% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=76, Wake Forrest=63

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**