2006-07 Hokie Hotline Notes for 2/19/07

The Hokie Hotline (football and basketball season)

When: Every Monday from 7:00-9:00 during football season, 7:00-8:00 during basketball season.

Where: Click here for a list of radio stations, and to find the link for listening to the show on the Internet (look to the right on the hokiesports.com page that loads when you click the link). You can also watch the archive on hokietv.com.

Pete
Dye River Course of Virginia Tech has new expanded non-resident areas that
qualify for a lower membership rate. They are also waiving the initiation fee
for new members from now until April 1st! For more information, visit RiverCourseGolf.com,
or call 540-633-6732 or 1-888-PeteDye.

Seth Greenberg was late arriving, so Bill Roth filled in by himself for the
first few minutes of the show.

• The ACC takes a big risk by moving their tournament to Tampa. What if the
  championship game doesn’t feature either Duke or North Carolina? Will there
  be enough interest in Tampa to fill all the seats?
• Virginia Tech has seven wins over teams from the RPI top 50 this season.
  They have definitely built a solid resume for the NCAA tournament.

Greenberg was late because the team isn’t out of class until 5:45 on Mondays,
and they had extra things to go over in practice today.

• The past week for Virginia Tech is no different than the weeks many other
  teams have had in college basketball. Tennessee had a huge win at Kentucky,
  and then lost at South Carolina by 16. That’s the way it is in college
  basketball.
• You have to give NC State credit. There is a matchup problem there.
  Anytime you make a switch on defense, you’ve got a 6-7 wing in Gavin Grant
  posting up 6-3 Zabian Dowdell. NC State tries to isolate matchups like that.
• Tech wasn’t as focused off the ball defensively as they should be. Also,
  NC State just hit a lot of shots and the Hokies got discouraged. If you don’t
  bring your best, you’re going to lose.
• The
  Hokies had two road games last week, and they got a split. That’s pretty
  good. They are now 9-4 against teams in the RPI top 100, and that’s probably
  as many wins as any team has in the country.
• Greenberg is very proud of where the team is right now. Who would have
  thought that the Hokies would be in the top four of the ACC in two of their
  first three seasons in the conference? They have four ACC road wins, and
  only two other ACC teams (UNC and BC) have that many.
• There is no reason to beat the team up after the NC State loss. They have
  two weeks left in the regular season, and the players need to be fresh and
  confident. They have more invested in this than anyone.
• The Hokies have an RPI of 25. They have three of their last four games at
  home. They are in pretty good shape.
• It’s good that people are excited, but disappointed by the NC State loss.
  It means that the team has done enough to create expectations.
• If Tech played NC State again in the ACC tournament, they would probably
  start a different lineup. They would go with Cheick Diakite against Ben
  McCauley, Coleman Collins against Brandon Costner and Deron Washington
  against Grant. They also wouldn’t switch as much defensively.
• In the last four games, the Hokies will be adjusting their starting lineup
  based on who they are playing and how they matchup.
• BC’s Jared Dudley is a great player because he has no fear. He is
  relentless. Sean Marshall and Tyrese Rice are the same way. Dudley is a
  tough matchup because he posts and draws fouls, and he can shoot from the
  outside.
• The Hokies have to be able to give BC a couple of different looks
  defensively, and they have to rebound. Deron Washington will guard Jared
  Dudley. He has to stay on the ground and stay balanced.
• Virginia Tech has created possibilities because they have won games on the
  road. Winning games on the road sets you up for a good finish.
• The key to beating Boston College is toughness. They have to draw a line
  in the sand. This game will not be for the weak of heart.

Monday was Day 814 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup.