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On Sunday, the Hokies struggled against Syracuse’s 2-3 zone, scoring on 56 points on subpar shooting. Tech’s offensive woes only worsened against Tony Bennett’s “Packline” defense. Virginia Tech came into conference play as an offensive juggernaut, but these two games have shown that the Hokies are far from that.
Some offensive stats that make you shake your head:
- Virginia Tech has made 35 field goals in ACC play. Virginia made 30 shots tonight.
- The Hokies have shot the ball poorly, making just 28.5 percent of their threes and 35.5 percent of their shots overall over the last two games.
- Turnovers have been a big issue. Virginia Tech turned it over 16 times tonight and about once every four possessions. UVA? Just 6 team turnovers and 23 points off Hokies’ giveaways.
- The Hokies’ top three scorers (Hill, NAW, and Bibbs) combined for just 11 points and zero made three-pointers.
- The best thing you can say about tonight’s performance is that Kerry Blackshear didn’t foul out.
I could go on. But there are some major problems with the offense right now, and we are already in conference play. This team has lost it’s edge since the second half against Kentucky. They need to find that edge and gain some confidence soon.
While the offense was pathetic, the defense was inconsistent as well. Virginia showed why they are one of the most frustrating teams to play against, grinding the shot clock for the entire 30 seconds but still having success in late clock situations. They finished the game shooting 49.2 percent from the field and went 12-of-25 from three. Tech had no answers for Ty Jerome, who has scored 10-plus points in four straight following tonight’s 13 point performance. De’Andre Hunter led the team in scoring with 14 points to his name.
In the Hokies’ second ACC game last season, NC State pummeled Virginia Tech 104-78. The gobblers were able to right the ship and make the tournament after that game. Obviously, the Hokies were in a different spot. They had just beaten Duke handily prior to the NC debacle, while tonight they fell at home in embarrassing fashion to their rivals. We will see if this team has similar mental fortitude to overcome these problems just as fast.