Virginia Tech

2008 NIT Capsule: Virginia Tech

Joel Welser — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 07:08:28 -0700

Virginia Tech Hokies

Atlantic Coast Conference (19-13, 9-7)

Seed: #1

RPI: 56

Big Wins: 1/29 Florida State (89-80), 2/20 at Maryland (69-65), 2/23 Georgia Tech (92-84)

Bad Losses: 11/28 at Penn State (61-66), 12/16 at Old Dominion (69-72), 1/3 at Richmond (49-52)

Coach: Seth Greenberg

Probable Starters:

Malcolm Delaney, Freshman, Guard, 9.1 ppg, 3.0 apg

A.D. Vassallo, Junior, Guard, 16.6 ppg, 2.0 apg, 4.8 rpg

Deron Washington, Senior, Forward, 12.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg

Lewis Witcher, Sophomore, Forward, 2.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg

Jeff Allen, Freshman, Forward, 12.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.2 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Hank Thorns, Freshman, Guard, 4.8 ppg, 3.4 apg

Dorenzo Hudson, Freshman, Guard, 3.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg

J.T. Thompson, Freshman, Forward, 5.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg

Cheick Diakite, Junior, Forward, 2.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

Virginia Tech can be offensively challenged at times, so Coach Seth Greenberg’s squad will have to depend on defense to win in March. The opposition only shoots 40.8 percent against the Hokies and that is in large part due to the team’s five blocks per game. Freshman forward Jeff Allen is good for one block a game and Cheick Diakite, while not nearly the scorer that Allen has become, is a big time presence under the basket.

Wing Deron Washington will help out the forwards on the glass and put up some decent numbers in the scoring column as well. He can hit the three-pointer, but Washington is much more effective getting to the basket. Even if Washington is struggling to score, he is a good passer, a solid defender and will do all the little things.

Why They Can Disappoint:

This is a young team and there is no worse place to have youth than at the point guard position. Certainly Malcolm Delaney and Hank Thorns have performed admirably this season, but their inexperience has led to some problems. The turnover numbers are understandably high, but the bigger concern might just be what the effect has been on leading scorer A.D. Vassallo.

Who To Watch:

Delaney and Thorns might be the most important players on the team as far as success in the postseason goes, but Vassallo will be the biggest beneficiary if those two play well. Without the penetration ability compared to what Virginia Tech had last year, Vassallo’s shooting numbers have gone down quite a bit. Last year Vassallo got a ton of open looks and this year the opposing defenses key in on him. Still Vassallo is a prolific long range shooter when he can get open, but he is the only option on the team from beyond the arc.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 69.5 (157^th in nation, 11^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 65.2 (90, 1)

Field-Goal Percentage: 43.5 (197, 10)

Field-Goal Defense: 40.8 (46, 3)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.1 (293, 5)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.4 (256, 11)

Free-Throw Percentage: 68.3 (184, 10)

Rebound Margin: 4.5 (42, 3)

Assists Per Game: 13.2 (170, 10)

Turnovers Per Game: 15.1 (220, 8)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Second Round loss to VCU

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Saturday Night Fever: Conference Tournament Update

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:40:19 -0700

Some thoughts on an exciting Championship Week Saturday.. with an eye on the Big Dance: - Tulsa learned in a big way this morning that Memphis owns the CUSA. Having won 10 of 13 games, and with 20 overall, the Golden Hurricanes are hoping they've done enough to impress the NIT selection committee. Regardless, the emergence of 7-0 big man Jerome Jordan is a great sign for the future. - Give Va Tech credit for taking UNC down to the wire.. but don't give them too much credit. The Hokies overall resume is virtually identical to Creighton, but they're only getting a look because of their ACC affiliation. Creighton has one more overall win, the same 1-6 record against Top 50 teams, and both finished 7-5 in their last 12. Yet you don't hear anyone claiming the Jays should be dancing.. - Bo Ryan is a coaching genius. With Indiana and MSU expected to be the top dogs in the Big Ten, it is Ryan's unheralded Badgers that will most likely walk away with the title. Wisconsin's been to the title game 4 of the last 5 years, and this year's team features no one that the average sports fan has the slightest clue about. - The real question though is whether any Big Ten team can get past the Sweet Sixteen? - If Illinois wins the Big Ten, they should immediately change the rule giving automatic bids to conference champions. - Duke proved what we already knew about them.. that they're going to live and die by the three. 6 for 26 won't cut it for a team with no inside presence.. and you have to figure they're going to run into a similar rut in week two of the tourney that will be damning. - As soon as you get your bracket, just mark down UCLA in the Final Four and realize you have at least one guaranteed lock. The Bruins just find ways to win. Today, it was Darren Collison (taking a career high 22 shots) and offensive rebounds that pushed them over Stanford. Tomorrow, it could just as easily be another formula. - Early on, it looked like St. Joseph's was going to run away with the A10 title. But Temple's two leaders, Mark Tyndale and Dionte Christmas, kept on fighting and ultimately the tides turned. St. Joe's (particularly Pat Calathes) ran out of gas and they foolishy stopped getting the ball in Ahmad Nivins' hands. Now Temple has secured a spot in the field for the first time since 2001, while the the Hawks will be sweating it out tomorrow. It would be fitting, after all the ups and downs in the A10 (teams like Dayton, URI, and UMASS rising and falling all year), that the league whose numbers are right there with the Big Six still ended up with 3 bids. - Good to see Kent State taking care of business in the MAC, ensuring that an undeserving Akron team doesn't steal a bid. I've been admittedly slow to jump on Kent State's bandwagon, but you can't argue with a 28-6 record. - Wink Adams completed an impressive MWC tournament by scoring 23 in UNLV's championship win over BYU. Adams averaged 24 ppg as the Rebels won their second straight conference crown. I'm not a huge fan of UNLV or BYU, but both have top 30 RPI's and will get Top 10 seeds in the tourney. I just wouldn't expect anything more than a win out of either. - Georgia's currently up on Mississippi State as I write this. Perhaps there would be no greater proof of the SEC's mediocrity this year than one of Georgia or Arkansas being the title holder. Tennessee's loss to Arkansas perhaps opens the door for an outsider to steal a #1 seed.. but UNC, Memphis, UNC, and Tennessee are still my choices. - I have nothing against NMSU.. but thank God Boise State won the WAC title. If you get lucky enough to host the conference championship for no reason, and you get lucky enough to get into a 3rd OT despite getting outplayed most of the night.. and you still lose.. then you don't belong anywhere near the Big Dance. - Houston has apparently accepted a bid into the new College Basketball Invitational.. the first of what should be many interesting twists and turns in the life of this new tournament's rivalry with the NIT. - I have to own up to my mistakes.. and underestimating Pittsburgh is one of my biggest. Before the season, I didn't even think this team would make the Big Dance.. and we ranked them pretty low in our preseason rankings. Even coming into tonight, I favored Georgetown heavily.. and was wrong again. Like Bo Ryan above, it's becoming clear you don't mess with Coach Dixon.

Today's Poll: Will Virginia Tech Make the Field of 65?

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:26:36 -0700

Friday Night Championship Week & Bracketology Update

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:24:10 -0700

A Friday night update on all things Championship Week with an eye on the bracket.. - Miami, the Ohio version, almost caused havoc by knocking Kent State out of the MAC tournament. But the Golden Flashes managed to pull of a 49-47 win, ensuring that at least for another day the MAC is a one bid league. - I've said this many times.. but its too bad Dominic James has never learned how to hit a jump shot. The Golden Eagles made a nice comeback to make a game of it against Pitt, but ultimately Marquette couldn't hit shots. Outside of Jerel McNeal, the rest of the team shot a dismal 25% (12 of 48) - SFA was supposed to be the class of the Southland, but their solid season came to a close tonight. The Demons of Northwestern State came back from a big halftime deficit to advance to the conference finals. SFA came into today with an RPI of 57 and will hope to do some damage in the NIT. - Speaking of damage (never a good segue..), the SEC semifinal matchup between Georgia & Kentucky has been postponed. Unless a team plays twice tomorrow, I'm not sure what's going to happen there. - One guy who wouldn't mind doing some damage to Kentucky is Tubby Smith. His Gophers upset Indiana in the Big Ten quarters and now face fellow surprise Illinois tomorrow afternoon. You have to figure Minnesota is the favorite to advance to the finals.. and there's no reason not to think they'd give Wisconsin or MSU a game. Taking Minnesota to the Big Dance would be an amazing accomplishment for the first-year coach. (It would also be an embarrassment to a league that most likely wont get a team past the Sweet Sixteen). - I'm usually a big ACC proponent, but man has that league's tournament been boring. - Tulsa's good run continued, beating UTEP in OT a day after knocking off UAB in OT as well. In their last 12 games, Tulsa is 10-2, only losing to Memphis and UAB. The Golden Hurricane (seems like a lot of Golden nicknames in action today) face Memphis tomorrow.. and though they won't win, it might be closer than you'd expect. - A day after scoring 0 points, Roy Hibbert came through with his best statistical game of the season.. 25 points and 13 boards against West Virginia. On the flip side, Joe Alexander's tear came to an abrupt end with just 12 points on 5-16 shooting. - Congrats to Saint Joseph's for being a rare bubble team that actually won some games down the stretch. Beating Xavier (rather easily too) should probably lock up a Tournament bid. But then again, if Temple won the title tomorrow.. the committee might shy away from giving the A10 3 bids. - American worked their way into the tournament, beating Colgate in a hard fought game. I thought the Raiders played every bit as well, but home court was the deciding factor here. - If anybody suggests to me that Va Tech should be in the NCAA Tournament, I'll slap them in the face. If they beat UNC tomorrow.. then that's a different story. But as of now, this is still the same team to me that struggled to put away Liberty at home..

Team of the Moment: Virginia Tech

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:15:09 -0700

Virginia Tech 19-12 (9-7 ACC) Computer numbers (courtesy of kenpom.com; through Thursday's games): RPI 59, SOS 52. Result today: Beat Miami 63-49 in an ACC quarterfinal. After a day littered with teams who seemingly don't want to hear their names called on CBS Sunday afternoon, the Hokies went out and took care of business in eliminating expansion bosom buddy Miami in Charlotte earlier today. Malcolm Delaney and A.D. Vassallo each scored fifteen points, and forwards Jeff Allen and Deron Washington both posted double-double in knocking off the Canes. The difference was Virginia Tech's board work, pasting Miami 47-22 in the rebounding category. So, does this win get the Hokies into the Tournament? That remains to be seen, but at the least they've earned themselves an opportunity to control their own destiny when they get North Carolina in tomorrow's ACC semifinal. On the clock: Colgate and American. The winner of the Patriot League final, currently being played on ESPN2, will be the next automatic entry into the NCAA Tournament. American leads 20-18 with about five minutes remaining in the first half.

Picture of the Day: Virginia Tech Getting Pumped Up

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:05:39 -0800

Picture of the Day

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, we now have access to thousands of great college basketball photos to use on the site. Each day, CHN will feature a Picture of the Day, which might include a newsworthy, funny, or simply interesting subject. At the bottom will be a caption or headline that might be informative or amusing. The possibilities are endless!

Virginia Tech

This is a great shot of the Virginia Tech bench getting pumped late in their win over Maryland. Right after the Hokies took the lead, Coach Greenberg looks like he's about to Sumo wrestle someone..

- Check out recent Pictures of the Day!

- Also check out the Cheerleader of the Day!

Daily Dribble: Friday's Report Card

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:45:04 -0800

The Report Card

A new series, the Daily Report Card tells you all you need to know about the day in college hoops. From good to bad and bad to worse, I'll be laying down the law.

A - Ron Hunter

The IUPUI head coach has been getting some good pub for his campaign to collect shoes for children in Africa. He went shoeless on the sidelines last night to help promote the cause, and so far his campaign has generated over 110,000 shoes due to the contributions of individuals and corporations. Besides such real-life success, Hunter is also having success in the basketball realm where his Jaguars are 14-5 overall.

B - Boise State

Quietly the Broncos are in the midst of one of their best season's in years. At 5-2, they actually have a shot at the WAC Championship, and their overall 14-5 record looks nice. Their odds of making the Big Dance are slim as they'll have to go through USU, NMSU, and Nevada to get there. But with Reggie Larry, a fringe NBA talent, and other seniors like Matt Nelson and Tyler Tiedeman.. this team has the experience and depth to make some noise in Las Cruces.

C - Arizona

Nice win for the Wildcats last night, who beat Washington State to improve to 3-3 in Pac-10 play. When Bayless is 100%, this team can play with anyone in the Pac-10 (well, maybe not ULCA but everyone else). In fact, they may be 15-4 or 14-5 if he had played every game, and not the mediocre 13-6 they are now. Still, this team has some work to do to prove they're not just a mediocre team wrapped in legendary uniforms. We'll find out next weekend when they face USC & UCLA on the road whether this team is legit.

D - Jeff Allen

I don't want to rip Allen too much for his 2-game ACC suspension. He's only a freshman, having a solid and underrated season. But you simply can't make contact with a ref, no matter how innocuous the contact is. He shouldn't feel guilty for causing VT to lose to Duke, because the Blue Devils would have won anyways. So long as this something like this doesn't happen again, Allen is on the verge of stardom.

F - Princeton Offense

I'm tired of hearing about the intricacies of the Princeton offense. Watching Northwestern get rocked by Michigan State last night, all I kept thinking was jeez this team isn't very good. Granted, its their lack of talent that is the main problem, but the Princeton O doesn't help like outsiders might think. The reality is that for the one time a half that the offense does in fact lead to a beautiful wide-open lay up, the other 95% of possessions lead to mediocre shots.

Previous Best / Worst

January 23rd - Kentucky / Archbishop Burke

January 22nd - DJ Augustin / Scott Sutton

January 21st - New York Giants / Marquette

January 20th - Maryland / ESPN.com editors

January 18th - Cleveland State / Marquette

January 17th - Drake / HP Laptops

January 14th - Roy Hibbert / Michigan State

January 10th - Tony Bennett / Saint Louis

January 9th - DJ White / CSTV

January 8th - Robert Morris / Schedule Makers

January 7th - Wayne Ellington / Illinois

January 6th - Herb Sendek / Kentucky

A stunner in Ann Arbor, and other happenings on the season's first Saturday

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 22:44:29 -0700

Well, by now you know that two-time Championship Subdivision champ Appalachian State went into Michigan and left with a 34-32 win, closing it out with a blocked field goal with six seconds remaining. How does this happen? For one, the Mountaineers didn't go into the Big House with their collective tail between their legs. Secondly, the Michigan defense continued its sieve-like performance for the third straight game. To be honest, the offense minus Mike Hart didn't show too much either. Without Hart's 188 yards and three scores, this one could have been worse than it actually was. Lastly, the Michigan players may have focused more on the "1-AA" part of the opponent rather than the fact that the Mountaineers can play some football. So where do the Wolverines go from here? Oregon comes to town next week in a game that has all the looks of an 0-2 start when you compare the offensive styles of Oregon and Appalachian State. Both teams like to spread out defenses and use their speed on the perimeter. If Michigan and defensive coordinator Ron English can't take care of their issues in the coming week of practice and film study, things could go from bad to worse for Lloyd Carr as far as job security is concerned. Two other games that caught my eye were a pair of wins for Mountain West schools at home. Naturally, the two games were part of a doubleheader on Versus, making the wins by Wyoming and BYU all the more important for the conference. Wyoming held Virginia to three points in a 23-3 win that in all honesty wasn't that close. The Cavs, who some liked to make a move in the ACC Coastal, did very little on offense, and Jameel Sewell didn't look 100% recovered from off-season left wrist surgery. And BYU handled Arizona in Provo, 20-7. Two players making their first appearance on the college stage, QB Max Hall and RB Harvey Unga played extremely well, and a defense that made huge strides a year ago in winning the MWC held Arizona scoreless until the game's final minute. For fans of the Cats who were hoping that the hiring of Sonny Dykes to run the offense would mean an explosive attack, slow down the thinking. When your playmakers don't have a history of consistently making plays (that's a big difference from simply having talent), a new system doesn't turn an average attack into the Indianapolis Colts. Have patience, there's still a long way to go. A great scene in Blacksburg this afternoon as well, but I wouldn't read too much into the final score (17-7) too much for two reasons. One, the emotion of the day was something that no other football team has had to deal with. Secondly, ECU is pegged as one of the better teams in CUSA this season, meaning that they're no slouch. Of course, there were some turnovers that could be deadly in Baton Rouge next weekend, but the Hokies will work out those kinks throughout the week. With all the attention being paid to "Bowden Bowl IX" on Monday, people had better pay more attention to Boston College, who beat Wake Forest 38-28 in Chestnut Hill. Matt Ryan threw for 408 yards and five scores, and corner DeJuan Tribble had three picks on the afternoon. The most important development in this one could actually be the separated throwing shoulder of Wake QB Riley Skinner. Redshirt sophomore Brett Hodges played well in Skinner's stead, but you know that the Deacs will need Skinner if they want to repeat as ACC champs. Right up there with the Michigan game in terms of excitement was Colorado's comeback win over CSU in overtime. Cody Hawkins performed well in his first start for the Buffs, taking some pressure off of the head coach had things not gone so well. Oh, the head coach is his father, which could make for an interesting dynamic in terms of fan opinion if Cody struggles. But with Cody at the helm, the future looks bright in Boulder. Lastly, not to take anything away from Auburn and their comeback win over Kansas State, but the Tigers had no business winning that game. But thanks to 18 penalties and a seeming unwillingness to give left tackle Alesana Alesana consistent help with All-American defensive end Quentin Groves in his first college start. Groves wreaked havoc on the KSU offense in the fourth quarter, pressuring Josh Freeman countless times and forcing the fumble that was returned for the game-clinching touchdown. Auburn is a young team overall, so they should be able to work out the kinks as the season progresses. Almost forgot, don't ever...ever kick the ball to Cal's DeSean Jackson. If you decide to out of bravado and end up getting burned as Tennessee's Britton Colquitt did tonight, you essentially dug your own grave. Not too smart.

2007-08 Virginia Tech Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:59:27 -0700

Virginia Tech Hokies

Overall Rank: #116

Conference Rank: #12 ACC

2006-07: 22-12, 10-6, 3^rd (t)

2006-07 postseason: NCAA

There is enough talent on this team to reach the NCAA Tournament, but they will not have much time to get the six incoming freshmen acclimated to life in the ACC. There are hardly enough players returning to cover the starting five, so the talented group of freshmen will be asked to do a lot. The star of the team is now wing Deron Washington. The 6-7 senior averaged 12.0 points and a team high 5.3 rebounds last year and those numbers should only get better.

Who’s Out:

The backcourt duo of Jamon Gordon and Zabian Dowdell was one of the best in the nation. Gordon led the team with 4.5 assists and 2.8 steals per game and added 11.4 points and 4.5 rebounds. Dowdell was the best scorer for the Hokies, averaging 17.4 points per game. Replacing them will be nearly impossible and will not happen any time soon. Markus Sailes proved to be a quality perimeter player off the bench and was good for about 15 minutes per game. The major loss up front is Coleman Collins. The 6-9 forward was the lone scoring threat in the post and averaged 7.8 points and 4.8 boards during his senior campaign. The frontcourt also loses seldom used Chris Tucker and would be junior Robert Krabbendam. Krabbendam is headed to play ball in the Netherlands after starting five games for Virginia Tech last year.

Who’s In:

This is a really nice list of incoming recruits. If they can live up to their potential, the Hokies will not be near the bottom of the table. Yet, they are still freshmen and there are not any Greg Oden’s or Kevin Durant’s here. Finding somebody to run the point may end up to the most important issue for the Hokies this season. Malcolm Delaney is not just a passer, he is a terrific scorer and can hit the long ball with consistency. If he is not playing this year, Delaney is expected to be the point guard of the future. Hank Thorns lacks the high school pedigree of Delaney, but should at least develop into a solid contributor off the bench. Dorenzo Hudson will make an immediate impact. The versatile 6-4 wing needs to work on his rebounding if he wants to be the next Gordon, but he can get to the basket and work the defense off the dribble. Darrion Pellum has the potential to put up big numbers in the scoring column and fellow small forward Terrell Bell will add more depth to the wing. Before all is said and done, Jeff Allen may be the best player in the class. The 6-8 power forward is strong and tough and will be a star once he develops a more consistent offensive game. Terrance Vinson has spent a couple years on the bench with back and knee injuries and, if healthy, could provide some depth at the forward spots. J.T. Thompson, an athletic forward, has completed his high school classes and will join the Hokies in the fall of 2007 instead of 2008 as originally intended.

Who to Watch:

There are a few players returning. Well, maybe. At the moment, the rumors are swirling regarding a transfer of Nigel Munson. The point guard played in 32 games last year and would be leading the team if he opts to return. Yet, until noted otherwise, Munson is the starting point guard for the Hokies. A.D. Vassallo, a 6-6 wing, is a tough matchup. Vassallo, now a junior, is the most dangerous outside shooter on the team and is not afraid to mix it up inside and use his size to help on the glass. Even with Munson returning, the backcourt is young and will need to plenty of help from the newcomers.

Final Projection:

Speaking of young, the frontcourt is not much better. Sophomore Lewis Witcher and junior Cheick Diakite are the likely starters at the beginning of the year. Witcher, who started 20 games as a freshman, does not worry the opposition with his scoring, but will do the dirty work. The problem is Diakite played pretty much the same role last year. Somebody has to develop into a post scorer. Witcher has the potential to step up and take over Collins role, but he has yet to prove it with any consistency. As long as everybody sticks around, this team will be really good in 2008-2009. Even by the time the conference schedule is upon us, the Hokies could be a dangerous team, but this is an obvious rebuilding year in Blacksburg.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Nigel Munson, Sophomore, Guard, 3.0 points per game

A.D. Vassallo, Junior, Guard, 11.1 points per game

Deron Washington, Senior, Forward, 12.0 points per game

Lewis Witcher, Sophomore, Forward, 2.9 points per game

Cheick Diakite, Junior, Forward, 2.9 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | Discuss the Preview

Recruit's commitment to Virginia Tech altered by killings

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 14 May 2007 08:47:43 -0700