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No, the Virginia Tech Hokies couldn’t finish the job Sunday afternoon against No. 2 Virginia, blowing a late 10-point lead and losing 50-47. However, the game is still a watershed moment in the tenure of first-year head coach Buzz Williams. He’s been through plenty of those type of games while he was the coach at Marquette, in venues far grander than venerable (old) Cassell Coliseum.
But many of Williams’ current players weren’t quite used to that spotlight. For 35 minutes, heart, some clutch shooting and a frantic defense was enough to give Virginia problems, but the Cavaliers had Wooden Award candidate Justin Anderson, and the Hokies didn’t. In the final few minutes, that decided the game.
What the Hokies should have now in abundance, however, is confidence. The Hokies know that, even out-manned, they can play with one of the best teams in the country. A team that isn’t one of the best teams in the country, Pittsburgh, will come to Cassell on Tuesday night for an ACC clash. Pitt is coming off back-to-back losses to No. 5 Duke and No. 10 Louisville, both by double digits.
Pitt is a better team than Virginia Tech, but unless the Hokies are simply worn out from their valiant effort against the rival Cavaliers on Sunday, this might be the perfect setup for Virginia Tech to get its first ACC win of the season. It’s hard to believe the Hokies would go 0-18 under Williams; they are going to beat someone. And while Pitt would seem to be a much better bet in name, this Panthers team, despite being 13-7 overall, simply isn’t nearly as good as recent editions have been.
Of note for the Panthers entering this game are the struggles of senior guard Cameron Wright. Counted upon to be one of Pitt’s leaders this season, Wright barely showed up in the games vs. Duke and Louisville, shooting 3-for-16 from the field, scoring just six points combined, with seven assists and four turnovers. Already struggling at 3-4 in the ACC, such play from Wright can’t continue if Pitt is going to get it together.
Meanwhile for Virginia Tech, junior guard Adam Smith is the key Tuesday. While he struggled in a recent blowout loss to Notre Dame, Smith has been excellent in other games against tough competition recently. While facing Virginia, North Carolina and Louisville (all ranked teams), Smith averaged 15 PPG and shot 11-for-21 (52.4 percent) from 3-point range. In the game before that run, he hit five 3s in a loss to Florida State.
If the current trends continue for Smith and Wright, and the Hokies build off their effort in almost upsetting Virginia Sunday, the Hokies are going to notch their first ACC win of the season on Tuesday.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 57, Pitt 54.
Ed Morgans is an ACC Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @writered21 and add him to your network on Google.
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