Yes We Can! Beat Wake Forrest
Tomorrow Virginia Tech will walk in to Joel Coliseum and attempt to hand the only undefeated team in the nation its first loss. Although it will be one of the toughest games in recent memory for the Hokies, I believe they have a real shot at making headlines when the final second ticks off the clock around 9:30pm tomorrow.
After tomorrow’s game, Wake Forest will have the upcoming weekend off, that’s before they host Number 2 ranked Duke on the 28th. Fans have started camping out for Duke, media crews are already polishing their media guides, and Dick Vitale’s hard-on has reached terminal velocity for (what would be) a 1 versus 2 match-up. Its a great opportunity for VT to come in and catch the Decons off guard (by the way never google image search “Jeff Allen” with safe-search turned off). It seems like every year Tech pulls off a great road game (sometimes ending in half court heartbreak) and the team is posied to take momentum in to North Carolina… Virginia Tech has won three straight and seven of their past eight games since mid-December. Since the Duke loss, the team signed a contract promising to give 100% the rest of the season - a tactic Seth Greenberg pulls out every year.We will see if the team upholds its end of the bargain.
Its not to say that Wake is overrated either. In five of the past six seasons, the very last team in the country to lose a game has gone on to at a minimum the Sweet 16 and three of those years the last unbeaten has advanced to the NCAA title game. Young starters Jeff Teague and Al-Farouq Aminu have been masterful but much like Hokies squad, they makeup the bulk of a three man show for scoring and rebounding. VT should look to hold back the long shot and esspecially pressure freshman Aminu, who though talented also gets in to foul trouble quickly when frustrated.As long as we play a well-paced game and don’t get ahead of ourselves (taking horrible attempts at dunks and quick look shots at threes) and the fans don’t attack us in the stands we can show the ACC that you should never overlook any team when you play in the best basketball conference in the country.
Score Prediction: Virginia Tech 80 - Wake Forrest 78 (far fetched — but change you can believe in)
Oh, for heaven’s sake… you might be over the top here, JP… but you know that A.D. Vassallo and Malcolm Delaney (especially Malcolm) will have to take over this game… Seth with have to give Malcolm the green light to go to the hoop every time he has the ball. A.D. can shoot over the top of the guards… for Virginia Tech to win, it will have to play a slow half-court game (we cannot run with Wake), pass the ball several times during each shot clock sequence, have no more than single digit turnovers, make its free throws, have big nights from the big three (Allen, Vassallo, and Delaney), make goo decisisions regarding our shot selection (e.g. no more of these one-handed missed dunks… if we miss, we need to miss dunking with two hands so we can get the rebound) and hope that Jeff Teague has the flu or something… I like the confidence, JP, but we are playing a team that has the best depth the Hokie Guru has seen in the ACC in several years. We have to play a perfect game if we want to win.
You guys up for going to the Maryland game? You can still see your girlfriends after the game… the game is on 2/14/2009.
Yeah, I figure I was so moved by the inspirational attitudes of 1.8 million strong on the mall I thought anything was possible. I still have hope for a good game. As for 2/14 I’ll be skiing so I’ll be sure to scream from the mountaintops loud enough to shake a few Terp free throws from falling in.
Well Guru - I guess over the top is the only way I know how.
Kudos to Dictailgatve for calling the game… I’m going to add a link in my current blog to your site.
Sorry, I mean I’ve giving you credit in a post on my blog for the pick… good job, JP.
Great game last night. Now we just need to avoid losing twice to FSU, twice to Clemson, and once to Duke and UNC.
Jon, didn’t you pick us to win vs Duke?
We are gong to beat the Terps, split with F$U, split with Clemson, and win one of the games against Duke and UNC, Acumenhokie. I think we can sweep UVa and BC and beat Georgia Tech. I’d love a win vs. Miami on the road, but don’t know if that can happen.
The bigger thing is: Can we finally beat NC State this year? That’s the question.
I did not pick us over Duke. At least not this year.
(I still hope for some revenge on 2/28 but not holding my breath. My next prediction won’t be till the ACC tournament, I’m resting on my laurels for now.)