by Stefan Adams, TechSideline.com, 2/11/05 Virginia Tech (12-9, 5-5 ACC) at Virginia (12-9, 3-7 ACC) Saturday, February 12th, 2005, noon TV: Raycom/Jefferson Pilot (WDBJ in Roanoke; check local listings elsewhere -- click here for a station list) Special Preview Items: Bragging rights take a back seat to other implications for this Saturday’s matchup between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Virginia Cavaliers. The Hokies need to notch at least two victories in their final six games in order to be postseason eligible when the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament arrives in March. Similarly, the Cavaliers sit in the same exact position as the Hokies with respect to postseason play. Both teams are 12-9 overall, but the Hokies are ahead in the ACC standings with a 5-5 record, compared to Virginia’s 3-7 conference mark. The two teams met on January 27 in Cassell Coliseum and the Hokies were able to run away with a 79-73 win. The Hokie starters played 183 of the 200 possible minutes in that game and the same might be true for Saturday’s game. The Cavaliers seem to be hitting their stride as of late. They are most recently coming off a 56-55 victory over Florida State on Wednesday night in front of a home crowd. Devin Smith hit the game-winning three-point shot with 5.2 seconds left. The Virginia lead was its first of the game. Before edging out the Seminoles, the Cavaliers began their mini-win streak in Raleigh, N.C. when they defeated North Carolina State last Saturday 64-62. Much like the Hokies did in January, Virginia is putting together tight-margin wins, which is helping the Cavs build momentum for the final stretch. The Hokies are coming off a loss at Maryland on Tuesday night. Tech committed 18 turnovers which led to 24 Maryland points and the Hokies allowed the Terps to shoot 52% from the field. For the second consecutive game, a Hokies opponent has shot over 50% (Wake Forest shot 58%). Look for the Hokies to pressure the Cavaliers in hopes of defending easy shots. All of that means that the Cavaliers are playing hot and the Hokies have cooled off in the month of February after burning through January. This is something the Hokies must be cognizant of because hot teams find ways to win basketball games, Tech head coach Seth Greenberg knows that for sure. Since the last time these two teams have played, Virginia head coach Pete Gillen has changed the team’s look. He now runs a three-guard set, as opposed to starting Elton Brown and having a bigger lineup. The trio of Sean Singletary, T.J. Bannister and J.R. Reynolds will keep the Hokies busy on the parameter all evening. In order to match up, expect to see Marquie Cooke in the game often to help shut down Virginia’s speedy guards. Down low, an interesting matchup will be Carlos Dixon and Devin Smith. When the two teams met in January, Smith shot the ball at ease, going 9-for-12 for 24 points. Half of his total came from beyond the three-point line. Dixon must contain Smith and force Virginia to find other ways to score. Tech’s Coleman Collins will have his hands full with the duo of Elton Brown and Jason Cain. If Collins can have another big game as he did against the Cavaliers last time, he could be Tech’s X-factor. He must first focus on defending Brown, who came off the bench against Florida State and played 28 minutes, compared to Cain, who played just 12. When Brown gets the ball down low, he converts. Therefore, the Hokies must maintain a presence in the passing lanes. The Cavaliers are quickly beginning to look like the Hokies with how they approach their game plan. Look for the starters, with the exception of Cain, to log a serious amount of minutes on Saturday. It is going to be a dogfight, with both teams running on the fumes of their fumes at the end of the game. In order for the Hokies to win, they are going to have to execute better than they did against the Terps on Tuesday. They must take the points in transition when they can, but also be able to slow down the tempo to their speed when they cannot run the floor with numbers in their favor. However, the most important key factor to Saturday’s game may be rebounding. Tech is last in the conference in rebounding and rebounding margin, and Virginia is not far ahead of them. Call it what you want, but the battle of the tiny giants on the glass will be essential in determining who will emerge as the winner of Saturday’s contest. With that said, both coaches and teams are looking at this as a must-win game. Neither team has it easy down the stretch, but Virginia may have the tougher road ahead after Saturday’s game. Here is a breakdown of final five games before the ACC tournament for the two teams:
Considering that both teams have tough schedules to finish up the season, Saturday is a must-win game. Even though the Hokies have an edge in conference play thus far, insuring the .500 mark for the season is the more important priority, considering the basketball calendar is dwindling down. In-state bragging rights will be of little substance if one team is playing after the end of the ACC Tournament. Here are some of the key stat matchups for this weekend
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