Good afternoon, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) fans.
What. A. Game. In a sold-out Cassell Coliseum, I did think that Virginia Tech would have a good chance to defeat #5 Duke today – but I did not think in my wildest dreams that the:
- Hokies would drill Duke off the floor by double digits in a game that was never close (and I mean never – controlled this from opening tip to end game buzzer).
- Blue Devils would abandon man-to-man defense halfway through the game on the Hokies and switch to zone defense (read: The Hokies players, particularly the guards, were too fast for Duke – the Hokies played like a bunch of piranhas on offense and defense)
It was really the best game I’ve seen Virginia Tech play against an elite squad – and it was beautiful to watch. Here’s a question I asked @scacchoops:
@hokiesmash 9 turnovers, 12.6% of possessions, 2/1 A/TO ratio
— Jon Pence (@scacchoops) December 31, 2016
The Hokies had 18 assists and 9 turnovers (yes, a two to one assist to turnover rato), six players in double figures, 25 points off the bench, shot 55% from the field, and 61% from three-point land.
Another site friend, @DukeBlogger, had this to say:
Duke went into Blacksburg with more questions than answers and it showed. Duke arrived with a ton of talent but left with a double-digit loss 89-75. Virginia Tech played like a team that was hungry while Duke looked like a team that just met each other at the tip. Duke was ineffective in every phase of the game and completely shook in a true road environment. Yes there are a lot of factors at play as to why Duke looked as bad as they looked but in the end it was a team that didn’t play well. That looked lethargic and for the most part uninterested. I’m sure that isn’t the case but the team on the floor played with a minute about of fight and a defense that looked more like a matador designed it.
Woof – but it’s true – Virginia Tech wanted this game – and played like it wasn’t thinking about it’s New Year’s Eve plans (looking at you, Duke).
Site friend, @ChrisColemanTSL said this:
Noteworthy: Tech’s players didn’t celebrate after the game. They just walked off the court like they expected to win.
— Chris Coleman (@ChrisColemanTSL) December 31, 2016
And this game showed the rest of the world what we all know here at @AllSportsDACC – Virginia Tech men’s basketball has put the ACC on notice showing that the Hokies are a force to be reckoned with this year.
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