Game Thread: Hokies Basketball Wk7: @ WVU, vs Syracuse

[wildturkey]

Week 7 has two games, one against an old time rival and another to kick off the ACC schedule.

12/30: VT @ #17 West Virginia @ 2pmEST (ESPNU)

1/3: VT vs Syracuse @ NoonEST (Raycom, check local listings)


Well the easy part of the schedule is over. Things could get very ugly score wise from here on out as I'm pretty sure we'll be the underdog in every game for the rest of the year. We knew it'll be ugly but we'll also be able to see if Buzz has been able to make any quick progress. WVU struggled last year but has bounced back this year and looks like the well coached Bob Huggins teams of the past. Syracuse hasn't looked like itself this year so there may be an outside chance we could make things interesting if we make all our shots and keep the turnovers down against their zone.

Heading into the new year, it looks like Buzz has settled in on his rotations. After not getting playing time early, Henry has cemented his place as Joey's back up. Some of that has to do with Pierce being greener than the beer on St. Patty's Day, but Henry has looked better and better with each passing game. He's been solid rebounding the ball and has had some thunderous blocks on defense. Hill, Bibbs, Smith, and Joey are basically locked in as starters. Wilson and Hudson have been splitting time at PG of late, with Hudson really coming on and he appears to be the one Buzz favors more. Mueller is the odd man out. He hasn't looked good at all over the last month and his playing time has been cut dramatically.

 

[Ragingcroc]

I agree on Henry. He is a good rim protector and rebounder. He also has a nice midrange shot. I was hoping he would get more minutes after seeing him play Game 1. When he plays center, it means we can switch on every screen. My concern is when he has to guard a true post player. According to hokiesports.com, he weights 190 pounds. Adam Smith is the only other person on the roster that weighs less.

I'm guessing we'll see more Satchell Pierce when we play bigger post players. He has a much better post game than Henry, but he looks lost trying to hedge the pick and roll. He also hasn't made a huge impact rebounding the ball. I think this will improve with time but right now Henry is the better center, which is really scary.

 

[vtfan15]

33-30 WVU at halftime.

 

[Ragingcroc]

I think we missed 2-3 front ends of one and ones that half. Ugh. We also allowed way too many offensive rebound. Seems like we have a problem coming down strong so with the rebound.

The good news is we are playing very good on offense and defense.

 

[Ragingcroc]

Well that got ugly quick. Don't know what happened in the locker room but now we can't play defense at all. Rotations are messed up and we keep leaving guys wide open. I had to turn it off.

 

[wildturkey]

Couldn't see the game today but after opening the box score and seeing Pierce was the leading scorer, I just assumed everything that could go wrong went wrong. I assume Huggy Bear pressed the shit out of us causing those 20+ turnovers, right? I figured it be ugly but just reading things over is still a tad bit eye raising.

 

[Ragingcroc]

Couldn't see the game today but after opening the box score and seeing Pierce was the leading scorer, I just assumed everything that could go wrong went wrong. I assume Huggy Bear pressed the shit out of us causing those 20+ turnovers, right? I figured it be ugly but just reading things over is still a tad bit eye raising.

We were turning it over in the first half because of the press but it was only a 3 point game. However, we were playing good D and good O. In second half, WVU got a bunch of wide open dunks and 3 pointers. Its not like they were getting any penetration. We'd just blow a rotation off a screen and someone would get a wide open dunk or 3 pointer. It was really bad. We got worse shots in the second half and didn't hit the open shots we had.

I know players can get cold on offense, but I'm really not sure what we were doing in defense. It was really bad.

Pierce actually played pretty well.

 

[vtfan15]

In addition to JVZ...<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Jalen Hudson won't play today because of a back issue. Not a long term problem.</p>&mdash; Mark Berman (@BermanRoanoke) <a href="">January 3, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[wildturkey]

Cuse up by 20 at the half. We played the zone about as poorly as you could possibly play it for most of the 1st half. Just guys passing the ball around with ZERO movement from anyone. They looked completely clueless on what to do. It wasn't until about 5 to 6 minutes left in the 1st half that they decided to try to get the ball into the middle of the floor but they didn't generate much success there either. Once a player in the middle caught the pass, he immediately fired it right back beyond the arc. And I mean immediately. Like less than a second. No cuts to the basket for passes, no dribbling, no shots, just right back. Wilson tried a few drives but often looked like he had no plan once he got to the basket, getting caught in between "do I shoot or do I pass" and resulted in some really tough lobs at the basket (I won't call them shots).

And while Buzz is constantly talking to the players and coaching them up, he isn't really helping matters either. Pierce predictably has gotten into foul trouble. But instead of keeping a rebounding threat on the floor in Henry or Beyer, he's played Johnston or Mueller for much of the game, leaving 5 guards on the floor. Many possessions Cuse is getting 2 or 3 offensive per sequence. Maybe Beyer is hurt? I dunno. Even with our lack of talent, it makes no sense to not have Henry or Beyer on the floor when Pierce sits. None.

 

[wildturkey]

Much better effort for the first 8 minutes of the 2nd half. We're moving and attacking the zone with a plan. Defensively, Buzz has amped up the aggression switching to a 3/4 court press that is giving Cuse some trouble. And Henry is playing more this half so far. Hokies cut the Cuse lead down to 9

 

[Ragingcroc]

21-7 since the half

We're so much better on the boards, offense and defense. The press has helped too.

 

[wildturkey]

Roughly 8 mins left, lead is down to 5 with Johnston at the line with another FT to get it to 4. Regardless of the outcome, the way we've played the 2nd half so far is something to build on. Undermanned but fighting like hell. Don't know how long it'll last but its fun to watch

 

[ckhokie]

Ok boys

 

[wildturkey]

OMG! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! So close to the miracle upset!!! UGH!

 

[ckhokie]

Seriously I would have lost my shit if that dropped.

 

[Ragingcroc]

fgdfhfjfgjrstgh

 

[ckhokie]

Good fight. Helluva 2nd half without JVZ. Good to see Buzz' boys making some strides.

 

[wildturkey]

Ok, I've caught my breath but my heart is still pounding.

FANTASTIC coaching and player effort in the 2nd half. Like I said earlier, the first 15 mins of the 2nd half was great. We attacked the zone and was aggressive on D, totally disrupted the Orange. Pierce fouled out (BS call it looked like) and Henry did as well like a minute later. The game looked lost as Cuse went on a run to go back up close to 10. But Buzz implemented the foul strategy to extend the game. Cuse kept missing we kept getting timely shots cutting the lead to 7 then 6...5...4...and finally 2. With 4.3 left, Cuse misses both FTs, we speed down the court, Mueller gets an open 3 FOR THE WIN ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNND miss. It's a bummer to lose but every player can hold their heads high the way they played the 2nd half.

And shout out to Will Johnston, who imo, played his best ever game. He hit several 3s and made a lot of hustle plays that won't show up on the stat sheet to keep us in the game. He stepped up big today

EDIT:

Also of note: Buzz started the game with a nice suit, tie, vest combo. At the end of the game, all that was left was a sweat soaked shirt that was half buttoned.

 

[HoHumHokie]

If that buzzer 3 had gone in, Buzz would probably have been dancing at mid-court in his underwear.

 

[wildturkey]

YES! Someone (TKP) gif'd this from the game yesterday.