The Hokies did a lot of things last night in Hooville: They picked up their first ACC road win of the season, moved above .500 in conference play for the first time, beat their rival on its home floor for the second time in three years and proved their resiliency. Tech mounted a furious comeback late in the game only to see the Hoos hit a late three to send the game into OT. The Hokies owned the extra frame and take a lot of momentum into Sunday's game at Miami.
It was a big win all-around for the Hokies, who were without Jeff Allen after he was ejected in the second half for throwing an elbow. Some think it's a big deal the Hokies were able to win without Allen, but this wasn't the first time he's disappeared down the stretch. It's just the first time he wasn't allowed to be on the court when the game mattered.
Malcolm Delaney didn't shoot very well but was able to get to the line (a very nice consolation in my opinion) and scored 28 points to lead the Hokies. And once again someone stepped up and provided secondary scoring. This time it was J.T. Thompson, who scored 17 points and grabbed a team-high three offensive rebounds. In the last few games Thompson, Dorenzo Hudson and Terrell Bell have shown their capable of stepping up. That will help the Hokies as they get into the meat of their conference schedule. For the first time in a while I'm confident that someone on this team will step up and provide scoring when to complement Delaney.
Let's hear what everyone's saying about this game as well as take a trip around the ACC.
Beat Writers
Tech downs UVA in OT (Nathan "Tommie Frazier" Warters)
"There’s something about this Virginia Tech men’s basketball team. Something intangible. Something incredible. The Hokies don’t always play particularly well, but they find ways to win. They did it again Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena, overcoming two double-digit deficits in a 76-71 overtime victory over in-state rival Virginia."
No Allen? No biggie (Aaron McFarling)
"They won without Jeff Allen. That's the story. The comeback itself was riveting. The overtime shots were stirring. The fact that it happened here, on the rival's home floor, was thrilling. But for the Virginia Tech Hokies, there's more to Thursday night's 76-71 OT victory over Virginia than all that."
Will Jeff Allen be suspended? (Darryl Slater)
"This much we know: Jeff Allen will not be automatically suspended for Virginia Tech’s next game, Sunday at Miami. The key word there is "automatically." Allen, a junior power forward and Virginia Tech’s third-leading scorer, was ejected from tonight’s 76-71 overtime win at Virginia after he threw an elbow that caught Jeff Jones in the face with 13:41 left in regulation."
After U-Va. win, Hokies last team in? (Mark Viera)
"Just how big was Virginia Tech's win over Virginia on Thursday night? For now, it was the victory that put them into the NCAA tournament. The Post's Eric Prisbell offered his latest bracket projection, and the Hokies were the final team in the field of 65."
Virginia Tech rallies past Virginia in overtime (Dave Fairbank)
"No way Virginia Tech wins this game. Not the way the Hokies played on offense for extended stretches. Not with forward Jeff Allen ejected for the final 18:41 for a flagrant foul. Not trailing by 10 points with less than three minutes remaining — in Virginia's building, no less."
True classic reveals how Hokies can gut out win (David Teel)
"It was, without question, the most memorable encounter between the state rivals since January 1989 at Richmond Coliseum, when the Cavaliers prevailed 113-106 in overtime despite 43 points by Hokies guard Bimbo Coles. Thursday night's game had no such signature performance. But Tech's Malcolm Delaney, J.T. Thompson and Dorenzo Hudson were gallant. Ditto Virginia's Mike Scott and Sylven Landesberg."
Hokies respond in overtime to defeat resilient Cavaliers (Collegiate Times)
"In a game where the Hokies had every right to believe they had been beaten, they simply didn’t quit Thursday night, and they were rewarded with an Atlantic Coast Conference road win over in-state rival Virginia, 76-71."
Bloggers
Hokies 76, boohoos 71 OT (Tech Hoops)
"The Hokies won for the second time in their last three visits to the port-a-john (both went an extra session) with an amazing 5 point victory in overtime over uva, 76-71. The Hokies trailed 62-52 with less than 3 minutes to play and then went on a 13-0 run to take the lead with 30 seconds to go. Tech played great defense in the final possession, but sammy zeslenski hit a desperation 3 with 1.3 seconds to send the game into overtime."
Hokies Overcome Adversity to Beat UVA in Overtime (Tech Sideline)
""Overtime is our time." That's the message that Seth Greenberg preaches to his team whenever a game goes into the extra frame, and it paid off yet again on Thursday night as Tech beat UVA 76-71 in overtime. The Hokies are now 16-3 overall and 3-2 in the ACC, while the Hoos dropped to 12-6 and 3-2."
Hokies Shock Wahoos with Late Comeback (Fight for Old DC)
"For the majority of Thursday's game in Charlottesville, the Hokies looked like the team that was dead last in the ACC in shooting percentage. Then, after the final media timeout, Tech mounted a furious 10-point comeback only to see UVA's Sammy Zeglinski nail an improbable three-pointer to send the game into overtime. Fortunatly for Tech fans, the Hokies dominated the overtime session and went on to a stunning 76-71 win at John Paul Jones Arena."
Breaking News: Sun Rises (The North End Zone)
"Three of the last five games against UVA have gone to overtime. Tech has won all three. Apparently, we just like to screw with their emotions before crushing their souls. I think there's a chess match coming up, so maybe UVA can finally beat us in something."
Around the ACC
College Hockey Played Outdoors Shows No Signs of Stopping (BC Interruption)
Brian takes time from cursing Valentine's Day for being on a Sunday this year because flower companies can ask a king's ransom to deliver on Sunday: "The Winter Classic - the NHL's annual regular season game played outdoors - is all the rage in professional hockey. The event is being played to record crowds and drawing huge TV ratings (for the NHL, anyway). So why should the pros have all the fun? College hockey is increasingly getting into the business of hosting regular season outdoor games, and this trend shows no signs of stopping."
Maryland Basketball Slowly Creeping Back (Testudo Times)
"Of course, some would rather Maryland stay under the radar, because this team seems to lose as soon as they get ranked. I'm not sure if that's selective memory or not (Maryland lost two games after they checked into the polls at #21, the only time they've been ranked this year), but if this team is ever going to be successful, they'll have to learn how to play when they're in the spotlight. Might as well get some practice in it now."
What's in a Hewitt Point Guard (From The Rumble Seat)
"Another interesting fact presented in this chart is that Will Bynum and Jack account for 4 of the top 6 scoring efficiencies when they were on the floor (scoring well over a point ever 2.5 minutes). And the other 2 in the top 6 are single year guards, Javaris Crittenton and Matt Causey. There has been a considerable drop off concerning our point guard's scoring ability and frequency since the departure of Jack and Bynum."
How high Can FSU's Recruiting Class Climb? (Tomahawk Nation)
"With all the talk about Jimbo Fisher's 1st signing class being the best FSU has had in some time, I wondered just how high it will climb. So I took a look. According to ESPN's rankings, the top classes usually have around 10 ESPNU150 players. I am using ESPN's rankings because Rivals.com only considers classes based on the top 20 players in a signing class, which doesn't measure the total quality of the class."
Friday Thoughts and Random Information (Shakin The Southland)
"First off, Clemson has done a pretty good job bringing in talent when you take into account staff experience. It is a tall effort for a rookie coach to come in and recruit immediately. While I think Swinney had a bit of an advantage (signing the "dandy dozen" last season and being at Clemson for 7 years or so total), I think this class looks pretty good on paper."
Fire the "la-ser" (From Old Virginia)
"We're certainly going to have an "explosive" offense. I hope he teaches the quarterbacks to really "fire" the ball downfield. Especially if they have a "laser arm." It's definitely time to "light up" the scoreboard. I slay me, and I'll tell you what - this more than makes up for not having a guy named Rip Scherer coaching the offense."
The Mountain Ahead (Tar Heel Fan)
"Assuming UNC is done with the valley and only time will tell that for sure, the Heels still have a pretty tough mountain to climb. UNC sits at 2-3 in the ACC and 13-7 overall. To get to twenty wins means they would have to go 7-4 down the stretch and out the Heels at 9-7 in the ACC. With two homes losses means the Heels are going to have to commit grand larceny a few times over the final month plus of the regular season."