After a rough overtime loss against Maryland, the Hokies looked to end their three game losing streak and thanks to Dorenzo Hudson they did just that. A rumor spread that Hudson may miss Wednesday nights game but instead, Hudson started and scored a team high 21 points to help the Hokies edge the now 4-11 NC State Wolfpack.
Jeff Allen continued his recent tear, scoring 18 points on the night. After a bit of a lull in the middle of the season, Allen has really come on strong lately and played well when he’s been on the floor. Malcolm Delaney nailed all of the Hokies three three-pointers on the night and finished with a ho-hum 21 points.
The game was marred by sloppy play early on, especially by the Wolfpack who failed to capitalize on opportunities for the majority of the game. The Pack turned the ball over 20 times compared to the Hokies 10. It seemed like every time NC State tried to start a run, they would turn it over right back to the Hokies.
The first half was a low scoring, defensive affair but after a 30 second timeout by NC State at the 4:06 mark, the Hokies went on a 10-2 run to increase the lead to nine heading into halftime.
The second half was more of the same from the kids in Blacksburg as the Hokies used a big 8-0 run before the under 12 minute media timeout to stretch a two point lead into an eleven point lead. After that point, NC State could never climb back into the game. Tech held a steady 10 point lead until the final buzzer.
This was a necessary win for the Hokies who were in a bit of a tailspin after a hot 8-3 start in conference play. Coach Greenberg’s group is now 9-6 in the ACC and 22-7 overall. Tech’s final regular season game will take place on Saturday down in Atlanta against the Yellow Jackets. A win would boost the Hokies firmly into the NCAA tournament while a loss would force the Hokies into a must win situation in the ACC tournament.
Stats
Bullet Points
- The Hokies did an excellent job guarding the Wolfpack’s Tracy Smith on Wednesday night, holding him to just two first half points and 12 points overall. Smith scored just 12 points during the Hokies 72-52 win down in Raleigh earlier this year as well. Also, Tech did a good job keeping Dennis Horner off the glass on Wednesday, as he grabbed just eight rebounds. Horner grabbed 16 rebounds against the Hokies back on February 10th.
- Wednesday night was Senior night for the Hokies and both Lewis Witcher and Paul Debnam started thanks to Seth Greenberg’s senior tradition. Debnam was yanked after only a minute but Lewis played 21 minutes and even scored a four points in the second half. Witcher was definitely a player who failed to live up to his potential but he was never one to complain. With the ACC tournament looming and a big game against Georgia Tech on Saturday, this will probably be the last time Debnam steps on the floor so it’s a shame this game wasn’t televised. The Hokies may have a better team next year but the Hokies are losing their rock in Paul Debnam. He will be missed as a member of this team on and off the court.
- Want to know how this win effects the Hokies seeding in the ACC tournament, well it does guarantee the Hokies at least a top five finish in the conference this year. However, the Hokies do have a chance at third place if they win on Saturday. If they lose there still is a chance of the Hokies claiming third or fourth place in the conference and getting a bye. Although the Hokies control their own destiny, they could potentially lose to Georgia Tech and still receive a bye in the ACC tournament. It will depend on the outcome of the Florida state vs. Miami and the Clemson vs. Wake Forest game. Both Florida State and Clemson are 9-6 in the ACC just like Virginia Tech where as Wake Forest is 8-7. So let’s look at each scenario.
Scenario One: Virginia Tech wins, Florida State beats Miami, Clemson beats Wake Forest. If this occurs on Saturday, Clemson would win the tiebreaker overall three teams and grab the 3rd seed, the Hokies would grab the 4th and Florida State would be forced to play on Thursday as the 5th seed.
Scenario Two: Virginia Tech wins, Florida State wins, Clemson loses. If this happens, Florida State would own the tie breaker over Virginia Tech and take the 3rd seed while the Hokies fall to the 4th seed.
Scenario Three: Virginia Tech wins, Florida State loses, Clemson loses. If this happens, the Hokies would be the 3rd seed, Clemson the 4th seed since they beat FSU twice this year, and FSU would fall to the 5th seed.
Scenario Four: Virginia Tech loses, Florida State and Clemson both win. This would be the worst case scenario for the Hokies as it would drop them to a 5th seed and force them to play on Thursday.
Scenario Five: Virginia Tech loses, Florida State loses, and Clemson wins. This would also be a bad scenario for the Hokies as they would drop to the 5th since Florida State has the tiebreaker over the Hokies.
Scenario Six: Virginia Tech loses, Florida State wins, and Clemson loses. If this happens, the Hokies would slide in as the 4th seed since the Hokies own the tiebreaker over Clemson.
Scenario Seven: Virginia Tech loses, Florida State loses, Clemson loses. If this occurs, then Florida State would be the 3rd seed while the Hokies slide in as the 4th seed.
As you can tell by all of this as long as Clemson loses then the Hokies will earn a bye in the ACC tournament despite what happens in the game against Georgia Tech.
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