Men’s Basketball Week 14 Recap: A Split Week for Tech, Up to 8th in Standings

A double-double from Mylyjael Poteat, 15 points from Jaden Schutt, and 12 points off the bench from Ben Burnham just weren't enough to stop the high-powered SMU offense. This game was extremely back and forth, featuring nine lead changes and 12 ties. Unfortunately, a Matt Cross takeover late in the game was enough for the Mustangs to walk out of Cassell with a W in their hands. It was his trey with 1:23 left in the game that put SMU up nine. Even though the Hokies were resilient, cutting the lead to 77-75 with 20 seconds left, it just wasn't enough. This was the final game Virginia Tech would play against the new additions to the ACC, going 1-2 against the unfamiliar foe. With this in mind, I asked Mike Young how difficult it is to game plan against these new opponents in the wake of conference realignment. "You know what, it's really hard," said Young. He noted that he was "thinking about it in the locker room before the game" and that when "watching Andy [SMU HC] at Southern Cal, I don't know how much I got out of that." Coach Young went on to say that it's not just VT going through the conference alignment, and that it's "everybody". Being the coach that he is, it was expected that he would pick up on these new additions quickly. And he did. Taking Stanford and SMU to the wire and defeating Cal. There's no doubt that next season the team will come into these games with even more fervor to take down unfamiliar competition.

If I were to tell you that with 12 minutes to go, the Hokies were down 11 points, shot below 20% from deep for the game, and connected on only 40% of their field goal attempts, what would you think the final would be? Most would say the score wouldn't change, and that the Maroon and Orange would go on to lose. The thing is, most people forget about who is coaching the team and the fight that the players possess. After going down 46-35 with 12 minutes left, the Hokies went on a passionate 30-17 run to end the game and take home a much needed road win. The bench's reaction after a Jaden Schutt three from the left wing said it all, they believed in themselves and their teammates. That triple cut the lead to five, and it seemed like the life was sucked out of the building in South Bend. Then, with 3:06 left in the contest, a Tobi Lawal jumper lifted Virginia Tech into their first lead since it was 2-0. They never looked back, cruising out the rest of the way to a two point win, 65-63. This win said a lot about this team's character, and we've seen it before. Look at the Miami game (down 6 with less than three to play), or the NC State game (down 15 in the second half). They're gritty and they care. Even though the wins haven't piled up for the team like they would've hoped, they ought to be proud of how they're winning some of these games this season because  Blacksburg sure is.

1. #3 Duke Blue Devils ~ 12-1 ACC (20-3 Overall)
2. #23 Clemson Tigers ~ 12-2 ACC (20-5 Overall)
3. Louisville Cardinals ~ 11-2 ACC (18-6 Overall)
4. Wake Forest Demon Deacons ~ 10-3 ACC (18-6 Overall)
5. SMU Mustangs ~ 9-3 ACC (18-5 Overall)
6. Stanford Cardinal ~ 8-5 ACC (16-8 Overall)
7. North Carolina Tar Heels ~ 7-6 ACC (14-11 Overall)
8. Virginia Tech Hokies ~ 6-7 ACC (11-13 Overall)
9. Florida State Seminoles ~ 5-7 ACC (14-9 Overall)
10. Pittsburgh Panthers ~ 5-7 ACC (14-9 Overall)
11. Syracuse Orange ~ 5-8 ACC (11-13 Overall)
12. California Golden Bears ~ 5-8 ACC (12-12 Overall)
13. Virginia Cavaliers ~ 5-8 ACC (12-12 Overall)
14. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets ~ 5-8 ACC (11-13 Overall)
15. Notre Dame Fighting Irish ~ 4-8 ACC (10-13 Overall)
16. Boston College Eagles ~ 2-10 ACC (10-13 Overall)
17. NC State Wolfpack ~ 2-10 ACC (9-14 Overall)
18. Miami Hurricanes ~ 1-11 ACC (5-18 Overall)

Feb. 15th - vs Uva @ 2pm

Feb. 18th - at Boston College @ 9pm

Feb. 22nd - at Miami @ 6pm