Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball Weekly Preview
No. 13 Virginia Tech vs. Wake Forest | Thursday, January 4, 6:00 p.m. | Winston-Salem, NC
Wake Forest is a team that’s struggled this year. Disappointing losses to Charlotte and North Carolina A&T at home don’t bestow a lot of confidence in the Demon Deacons.
The Hokies outscore Wake Forest by over 20 points on average. Another interesting note is 3PT shooting. WF shoots 21.6 per game from behind the arc but at a 27.4% success rate. Tech, on the other hand, 27.4 at 37.7%. Quite a few players are taking a significant volume of shots from deep and making them at a low clip, which could be evidence of poor shot selection. Of course, it could also just be poor shooting, but either way, it’s good news for Tech.
WF has had some turnover in the starting lineup this season, but recently they’ve settled on Raegyn Conley in the final spot. The other four are Malaya Cowles, Kaia Harrison, Elise Williams, and Alexandria Scruggs. There’s no clear #1 option, as Cowles, Harrison, and Williams all average within 0.4 points of each other.
Expect WF to share the wealth for the most part scoring. Otherwise, I see them struggling against the Hokies. Rebounding isn’t their strong suit. Combined with poor shooting from all over, the defense will need to be incredibly strong to keep this game within reach.
No. 13 Virginia Tech vs. No. 3 NC State | Sunday, January 7, 12:00 p.m. | Blacksburg, VA
Tech finally gets to face off with a title-contending opponent at home for once. No. 3 Iowa (now ranked 4th) was neutral and No. 7 LSU was away, so maybe things go a bit differently for the Hokies this time.
NC State is without a doubt one of the most talented programs in the country this year. 13-0 with wins over No. 5 Colorado and No. 12 UConn speaks for itself. They also have one of the hardest strengths of schedule in the country, playing another ranked opponent in No. 22 FSU on January 4th while Tech plays WF. This is a VERY good team that Tech will be battling with for the ACC in early March.
The Wolfpack has six players in double-figure scoring, demonstrating the depth of talent on the roster. Any player getting minutes on this team can light you up. 6’5” center River Baldwin rivals Liz Kitley in blocks, which will be an interesting matchup. NC State also has the size to compete with VT, which most teams can’t boast.
With so many weapons in Aziaha James, Saniya Rivers, Mimi Collins, Madison Hayes, Zoe Brooks, and Baldwin, VT really needs to dial up the defense on all fronts. A “good” game isn’t going to win this game.
Tech has to be firing on all cylinders by keeping the ball moving and constantly shifting the pressure between the Clara Strack/Kitley frontcourt and the 3PT-machine backcourt of Georgia Amoore, Matilda Ekh, and Cayla King. Doing this will stretch out the defense. The guards draw defense up, and the bigs work the paint. The defense focuses on the bigs, and now the guards are wide open to shoot.
