unc came, saw, and kicked VT’s butt by a 92-53 score. unc led by 20 at the half, and thanks to 12 straight misses by the Hokies to open the 2nd half, they blew the game away, leading by as many as 46. The only question was would unc double VT’s score. The answer was “no”, thankfully.

This was easily Tech’s worst effort of the season. They were dominated in every aspect of the game. Most of all, the Hokies were absolutely embarrassed on the boards, outrebounded by a 54-24 margin. 24 rebounds for the whole game! It was so bad that unc actually had more offensive rebounds than VT had defensive rebounds, 18-16.

VT shot less than 26% for the game, and as mentioned above, missed 12 shots to start the 2nd half. They hit only 14 shots for the game while committing 21 turnovers. Vassallo continued his road slump on threes, going 0/5 and 3/13 from the floor overall. Tech’s starters went just 12/46 from the floor and they got just 8 bench points.

Delaney was the only Hokie in double-digits. Meanwhile, Hansbrough had 23, Ellington a “quiet” 19, Green 12, Stepheson 11, and Graves 10 for unc.

The disturbing thing is not that Tech is 5-6 in ACC play. If you had told me before the season that VT would be 5-6, I’d be shocked and thrilled. The disturbing thing is the fact VT is getting worse as the season goes on. Since entering the halfway point of ACC play at 5-3, the Hokies have gone 0-3 and not really been competitive in any of those three games. Sure, Tech only lost by 3 to miami, but it really wasn’t that close. Tech never led, or even tied, the game in the second half. You hope that freshman get better as a year goes along, and that clearly isn’t the case with this team. They are getting worse.

The basic lesson I’ve learned in the last week is that VT was lucky as heck in the first half of the season. They trailed for most of the 2nd half in 3 of their 5 ACC wins. They just happened to go on a run at the right time, and pulled out victories in those games. They aren’t doing that now, largely because their deficits are too much to overcome.

So, let’s look at the positives from today:

• Malcolm Delaney took a huge step forward today. He was the only VT player that looked ACC worthy today. He shot the three well (3/6), got to the line (9/11), and competed (20 points). He also had 4 steals.
• Deron Washington broke out of his 0/14 slump on threes by hitting a three early in the 2nd half. However, he is shooting under 31% from the floor in ACC play and under 20% on threes (3/22).
• Cheick had four blocks and was a force in his 11 minutes. He needs more playing time. I saw a stat the other day that said he blocks 1/8 2-point shots an opponent takes while he is in the game. That’s amazing.
• VT got to the line 28 times, just one less than unc. In the last two losses to nc state and miami, the Hokies had not been getting free throws. That was not the issue today. This is a good sign for a team that doesn’t shoot the three well. You have to be aggressive and go at the basket. The problem was that the shots VT wasn’t fouled on weren’t dropping and turnovers were too high.
• A very young VT team lost by 35 at duke back in 2005. That team grew a lot that day, even beating duke at home later that season. I think that game really instilled a fire in Dowdell, Gordon, and the rest of the team. Let’s see if the same happens with this team. This was VT’s first real “ACC road experience”. Let’s see if this loss hardens the Hokies. They need it.

Long story short, VT must develop another outside threat to compliment Vassallo (or replace him on the road). Delaney made strides in that respect today. Dowdell was a terrible three-point shooter as a freshman, but worked his butt off before his sophomore year. Someone (Delaney, Thorns, Hudson, etc) is going to have to make the same kind of commitment this offseason.

Around The World (Wide Web)
UNC 92, Virginia Tech 53 | UNC Basketball Update
Hokies give up against Heels | Gaston Gazette
Hansbrough, UNC roll past Virginia Tech | Hoops World
5th-ranked Tar Heels crush Virginia Tech | The State
UNC 92, Virginia Tech 53 | Carolina March
Carolina routs Virginia Tech, 92-53 | Yardbarker