Two big wins for the Hokies this week. It should come without saying that when you’re on the bubble, each win is big. However, when the two wins are against a top-15 opponent and on the road in the ACC, that is a large step forward towards cementing your spot in the tournament. It isn’t all sunshine and roses though, as the program lost Chris Clarke (arguably, but not arguably, Tech’s best player) for the season to an ACL tear. Today, I will take a look at what the injury means to the Hokies going forward as well as what went on offensively in contrast from the first half of the UVA game to the second half.

Before I move to Chris Clarke, let’s cover some good news. Virginia Tech shot 58.3% in the second half, a welcome change from the 34.8% they shot in the first half. What happened in the second half that allowed them to climb 24 points in percentage? Well, after watching the film it looks like 2 things:

• Zach LeDay was more efficient in his post moves.
• The rest of the Hokies made open shots.

It may seem like a slap in the face to make it that simple, but take a look at some of these pictures from the first half.

The results from these five pictures were zero points, believe it or not. Those are great looks in areas where each of those players taking the shots excel. They’re not being guarded in any of the instances, not even a little bit. If you knock down those five shots, you are looking at an extra 13 points and a stat line of shooting 13-for-23 (56.5%) in the first half. The Hokies shot 14-for-24 in the second half, pretty similar to what the first half could’ve been. So it would seem there is a very simple explanation…make some open shots!!!

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