wildturkey
Well-Known Member
Every game is pretty much the same now. In what universe does a team play Duke well to OT in CIS, but end up in the exact same situation against Georgia Tech at home? That's the complete polar opposite scenarios in the ACC, and its nearly the same result. It's no fluke. We've done these weird play-to-opponent games for years, but it's just amazingly obvious this season.
It's not too hard to figure out the reason if you've watched VT basketball over the years. The answer traces back to Greenberg, specifically his strategy. VT plays to survive, not to win. Our strategy is to play defense and muck the game up. Keep it close and try to snatch victory late with a few possessions. It doesn't matter who the opponent is. Slow the pace, keep it close. Wisconsin is probably the best team at this year after year.
Our problem is, regardless of the talent on the floor, we cannot capitalize on those final few possessions for mainly two reasons: Free throw shooting and offensive efficiency. Our offense is far too stagnant and its very difficult to create an easy shot. If you're going to play a muck it up style, you have no margin of error on offense. You have to score because you aren't going to get extra possessions based on your style of play.