Records: VT (16-5, 6-1 ACC), nc state (11-8, 1-5 ACC)

Spread: VT is favored by 14 1/2 (wow!)

Offensive PPG: VT - 74.9 (75.9 ACC), nc state - 72.8 (66.3 ACC)

Defensive PPG: VT - 62.4 (73.0 ACC), nc state - 70.6 (75.3 ACC)

Leading Scorers:
VT - Dowdell (18.3), Gordon (11.7), Vassallo (11.4), Washington (11.1)
nc state - Costner (16.7), McCauley (15.9), Grant (15.2), Fells (11.7), Atsur (11.1)

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Ugh, for the second week in a row, comcast sportsnet is jobbing Hokie fans out of seeing our team play live on our local cable system in the DC area.  I’m sure many others will be affected by this.  csn will be showing the Wizards @ Raptors game tomorrow night that runs from 7 PM to 9:30 PM, followed by the post-game show from 9:30 to 10, followed by SportsNite from 10 to 11 (their SportsCenter wannabe).  This will lead to the gary williams show from 11 to 11:30 PM.  Then, they will join the gonzaga @ stanford game already in progress and show that live until 1 AM.  Finally, at 1:30 AM, the Hokies take the air.

I am not complaining about comcast showing the Wizards game live.  After all, I’m a huge Hibachi/Agent Zero/Arenas fan.  The Wizards are from DC and likely get better ratings than Hokie basketball.  But why not just join us in progress at 9:30?  Is the post-game show that important?  Why did they pick up a portion of the ACC package when they knew they weren’t going to be able to show many of the games live?  This has now been the case two weeks in a row.  Or is DC 20 or my20 or whatever they are called now just choosing not to pick up the games?  That would show a real lack of respect for Virginia Tech.  We, the fans, will have to start to make some noise and show that we want the Hokies on the air.  I am bitter.  FYI: my20 is showing Watch Over Me and The Tyra Banks Show during that time slot. 

Here’s how you can contact my20.  Give’em hell!

http://www.wdca.com/contact/

Now give Comcast SportsNet hell!

http://midatlantic.comcastsportsnet.com/contact.asp

We’re gonna take our case to my20!  Then CSN!  Then the White House!  Beeeyahhhh!

So, once again, I will have to head over to a friend’s house that has DirecTv or head to a sports bar.  DirecTv has the class and intelligence to show the Raycom channels (I believe they are around Ch. 653) when the ACC is on, even if you don’t subscribe to a sports package.  So three cheers for DirecTv.  And I think from now on comcast and my20 will have to feel my wrath by getting mentioned in lower case.

Looking back at the Hokies’ 73-65 victory Sunday at Georgia Tech, it’s quite obvious that Zabian Dowdell’s 23 points and 8 assists (all with just one turnover) along with A.D. Vassallo’s 19 points and 10 rebounds were a key to the victory. One thing that should not go overlooked is Jamon Gordon’s ability to control a game without filling up the scoring column.

Gordon’s defense was on display again Sunday, particularly his work against the Jackets’ freshman phenom Thaddeus Young, who was held five points below his average. Already known around the ACC as one of the league’s best defenders, this season Jamon is taking his game to a new level on the defensive end. Want to find Gordon on the court? A safe bet is to find the opposing team’s best player & Jamon won’t be far away.

Gordon’s stats Sunday (4 points, 7 assists & 5 rebounds) were not eye popping, but his ability to control and handle the ball, along with Zabe, is invaluable to the Hokies. And even though he only shoots in the 60-65% range from the line, Jamon is usually money come crunch time.

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A quick shout out to Seth Greenberg and his staff for the halftime adjustments they made to shut down GA Tech’s Mouhammad Faye in the second half. The condor-like Faye, with his 7’5� wing span (according to the television commentators), was all over the place on both ends of the floor in the first half, scoring 13 points. After the Hokies’ halftime adjustments Faye was no factor at all in the second half.

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Next up for the Hokies is Wednesday’s 9:00 PM contest in the Cassell with the NC State Wolfpack. Seems like a great time to take a second to look back at one of the all-time feel-good stories in college basketball, the late Jim Valvano’s 1983 Wolfpack squad that beat the University of Houston and Phi Slamma Jamma to win maybe the unlikeliest national championship in hoops history. This was a team that came out of nowhere to win it all and was led by two senior guards as well as a 6’9� senior forward/center.

Hmmm….that sounds pretty familiar. Ok, I know it’s very, very early, but who knows, maybe Jamon and Zabe could play the part of Dereck Whittenburg and Sidney Lowe (the current Wolfpack coach), and Coleman Collins could be the second coming of Thurl Bailey. Well, stranger things have happened I suppose, and the similarities are definitely there. For now though we’ll just focus on win #17. By the way, for you younger Hokie fans who don’t know the story of the ’83 Pack, check it out:

http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/numbers/150004.html

Every basketball fan should watch Hoop Dreams.  I found myself sucked into it again tonight.  It is to high school basketball what Friday Night Lights was to high school football (FNL the book, not the movie or TV show).  It follows the lives of Arthur Agee and William Gates from 1987 to 1991 (their high school years).  Two kids trying to make it to the next level.  Two kids from very poor neighborhoods in Chicago.  If nothing else, the high comedy of the outfits will really hit you.  Oh, the memories of those nut-hugger shorts we had to wear in high school basketball back in the early ’90s until Michael Jordan and the Fab Five of michigan set us free.

Both start out at St. Joseph High School, the private Catholic school that Isiah Thomas attended.  But Agee is kicked out while Gates, a basketball prodigy, becomes a four-year starter.  Every school wanted William until he develops knee problems.  Ironically, it is Agee that makes it to the state tournament while playing for a poor, inner-city school while St. Joseph’s chokes every year.  But this movie is not just about basketball, it also shows how poverty, drugs, and education affects their lives.  Ultimately, both go on to play college ball.  Gates at marquette and Agee at central arkansas after a stint in Junior College.

The movie became the highest grossing documentary ever upon its release in 1994 and still ranks fourth all-time.  Gates has become a pastor with four kids (he had one in high school) and the two central characters are still friends.

What does this have to do with VT?  Well, nothing in terms of the movie.  But guess who was in uniform for marquette in 1995 when they played the Hokies for the NIT Championship.   None other than William Gates.  However, he did not play in the game. He returned to New York just before game time after going to be with his wife for the birth of his second child.  His career never reached the level many predicted for this boyhood phenom, but he graduated from marquette.  If you ever whip out your NIT tape, you will see ESPN mention him during the game.

Another interesting local connection is Steve James, the director of the movie, who starred at Hampton High and went on to play basketball at jmu.

I encourage all of you to change your Netflix or Blockbuster queue and view this movie.  It is a true classic that takes you inside the lives of two kids just trying to make it in life where basketball is their main ticket out.

ACC Player of the Week - Zabian Dowdell

ESPN.com - Dick Vitale - Weekly Awards

VT is now 16th in the AP Poll and 18th in the ESPN/USA Today Poll; and #1 in the Washington Post’s DC Area Hoops Team Poll (uva is #5, md #6).

ESPN.com - College Basketball Rankings

NOTE: Every Monday I will be posting an ACC Report Card with nuggets about each team, their grade for the week, and recaps of all the ACC games from the past week.  On Tuesday, I will post the ACC schedule for the week which will be updated with recaps as the week goes on.

Random: Are they selling those all white jumpsuits from the Nike basketball commercial yet? Gotta get me one of those to show how money I am.  But I digress…

The ACC started to shake out, even though many teams only played one game this week.  The once 17-0 clemson tigers have now lost four of five.  Five teams have shot to the top of the ACC standings with two losses or less, six other teams stand in the lower middle of the pack with four or five losses, and wake continues to take it on the chin.  The ACC also got a major win this week for the RPI as unc won at arizona (the Pac 10 and ACC are #1 and #2 in the RPI conference standings).  Let’s look at how each team did and the recaps of all the ACC games from 1/22-1/27.

Team (Weekly Record; Overall Record; Conference Record) Weekly Grade

VT (2-0; 16-5; 6-1) A+
The Hokies are alone at the top of the ACC!  And VT made it look easy despite having to win at miami on just 48 hours of rest and win in the ATL where the jackets were 11-0.  The Hokies trailed just 16 seconds in the two road games.  Amazing.  Took control early in both and never gave it up.  Dowdell had 53 points this week and the offense is really clicking.  Tons of easy shots.  Free throws are improving.  Defensive rebounding is the only glaring weakness for the Hokies right now.

bc (1-1; 14-6; 6-2) C+
Now that Sean Williams is off the team, Rice, Marshall, and Dudley have to carry the eagles.  They did against fsu, scoring 71 of their 85 points.  And they won thanks to a buzzer beater by Marshall (the ACC’s #2 punk behind Vasquez for maryland).  At duke, marshall shot very poorly and the result was a L.  Let’s hope he stays in his slump through their game against VT this week.

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First Half:


Second Half:

Everybody but Duke fans will understand this column - CBS SportsLine.com

1) VT lost the turnover battle 14 to 11.  This is the 4th straight game VT has committed more turnovers than their opponent.  In the Hokies first 15 games, they won or tied the turnover battle EVERY game.  Getting sloppier with the ball?  This is in part due to the better competition, but VT dominated against unc and duke in this area.

2) VT shot 60% from the field and 76% from the line, well above their season averages of 48% and 66% respectively.

3) VT had 19 assists on 25 made shots!  That’s an incredible ratio and had a lot to do with the Hokies getting in the paint and finding the open man, something they weren’t doing a month ago.  The big men are finding holes and Z and Jamon are using their quickness.

4) The Hokies have had a player record a double-double in three straight games: Collins vs maryland, Washington vs miami, and Vassallo vs georgia tech.  Who’s going to do it against nc state?  Diakite?

5) Coleman Collins had five dunks in the game.

6) Super freshman Young and Crittenton were just 7 for 29 from the floor for the game.

7) VT outrebounded the jackets 33 to 32 despite giving up 17 offensive rebounds and getting just 4 themselves.

Vassallo was 7 of 9 from the field and Collins was 5 for 6.

9) Gordon was held to just 4 points and now has just 11 in his last 2 games.

10) Dowdell had 53 points in the 2 games this week.

Bonus: 16 seconds - This is how long VT trailed in their 2 road games this week. The only time VT was behind all week was 2-0 at the beginning of the ga tech game.