Virginia Tech basketball: Hokies drop an ugly one to Boston College

Stick a fork in ‘em; they’re done. That’s the Virginia Tech Hokies after an embarrassing 82-76 loss to the Boston College Eagles on Wednesday night in Blacksburg. The Hokies fall to 14-10 on the season, with a 4-9 mark in ACC play. Outside of another miracle run to the ACC Tournament championship, this team isn’t going to the NCAA Tournament.

The Hokies jumped out to an 11-4 lead, and things looked good in Blacksburg. However, it was Boston College’s night as the Eagles would go on a 35-16 run for the remainder of the half to head into halftime with a 39-27 lead. BC, which isn’t usually an excellent 3-point shooting team, made seven of 15 from beyond the arc in the first half.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech, which often lives and dies from its outside shooting, made only two of 13 from 3-point range. Sean Pedulla and Hunter Cattoor combined to go 1-8 from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes.

The second half was much of the same for the Hokies. Boston College had an answer whenever it seemed like the Hokies were pulling close. Senior forward Grant Basile kept the Hokies afloat, scoring a game-high 33 points. BC was led by 7-foot-0 forward Quinten Post, who scored 24 points and led all players with 10 rebounds. Post made all three of his 3-point attempts.

Freshman guard Chas Kelley, who came into the game averaging two points per contest, scored 17 for the Eagles. Kelley drained four of seven attempts from beyond the arc. He entered the game shooting 21% from 3-point range.

It was just that kind of night for the Hokies. Boston College outrebounded Virginia Tech 40-30, and BC had 24 assists to 11 turnovers.

Pedulla finished with 12 points on four of 13 shooting, while Cattoor scored just eight points on two of 10 shooting. Justyn Mutts scored 16 points for Tech. The Hokies tried to make it interesting late, but the deficit was too significant, and Boston College made its free throws while the Hokies continued squandering opportunities.

It was another frustrating night for Virginia Tech. Cassell Coliseum was quiet. This game was another example of Virginia Tech’s inability to compete if the outside shots aren’t falling. The Hokies had played well offensively in the last four games, and you saw the result of those games. This team is far too reliant on jump shots. And when those don’t fall, you have no answer. The most frustrating part is Tech actually had success in the frontcourt but still appeared content to launch contested 3s.

There’s no turning around this team. This is not an NCAA Tournament team. Tech missed Darius Maddox again, particularly on the defensive end. The Hokies sometimes have defensive issues, but to BC’s credit, the Eagles weren’t missing on Wednesday.

When you allow 82 points to Boston College at home, you don’t deserve to win. The Hokies have a tough remaining schedule, and it’s difficult to predict how they’ll fare. If the shots are falling, they can beat anyone. When they aren’t, they’re going to struggle. Somehow, Tech has lost five consecutive games to Boston College.

Basile was outstanding Wednesday, but he and Mutts didn’t receive enough help from the backcourt.