Virginia Tech Prepares for Physical Battle in NCAA Tournament vs. Texas

When asked to describe Texas and its style of play on Thursday, Virginia Tech forward Keve Aluma used the word “physicality.”

Guard Hunter Cattoor followed that up by saying, “they don’t make anything easy.”

Indeed, the Longhorns are known for that style of play. And as head coach Chris Beard explained before shootaround, his team’s identity starts and ends with defense.

“Certainly, to win six games in this tournament in three weekends, you’ve got to have a defense that can defend,” Beard said in a Thursday press conference. “And you’re going to have maybe an off night or two offensively. To win those six games, your defense has to be the staple. And for us, it is our identity.’

The Longhorns’ efficiency numbers back that claim up, too – No. 13 in adjusted defensive efficiency, No. 13 in defensive turnover percentage (forcing turnovers).

But this Virginia Tech team is going to pose a ton of challenges on Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 CT) on TBS.

“Concerns about our opponent, Virginia Tech?” Beard said. “All sorts of ‘em. I haven’t slept in four days. I would argue that this is one of the best offensive teams in the tournament, one of the best teams in the tournament. … If we let Virginia Tech do what they want to do, start the bus.”

Call it a battle of wills, then.

The Hokies can’t afford to turn it over 15 times in the Fiserv Forum, as Mike Young outlined. And you can bet Texas is going to be aggressive, jumping passing lanes and blowing up screens.

“If we do [turn the ball over 15 times], we’ve got a problem,” Young said. “We’ve got to have sureness with the ball, we’ve got to catch well, we’ve got to pass well. We’ve got to put the ball in the post to [Keve] Aluma and [Justyn] Mutts and see how the Longhorns are going to guard that, and then we’ve got to rebound.”

Rebounding, an area in which Tech has improved as the season has progressed, will be crucial as well.

Through the first 19 games of the season, during which VT had a 10-9 (2-6 ACC) record, the average rebounding margin in games was 0.26. Tech lost the battle on the glass (11) more times than it won it (8). In league play, VT’s two wins (Notre Dame, at NC State) were the only two times it won the rebounding battle.

After being dominated in two losses at Boston College and North Carolina with a combined rebounding margin of -26, that area became more of an emphasis. In the 16 games since, the Hokies are 10-4-1 (W-L-T) on the boards with an average gap of 3.75.

The difference? Improvement from the guards, something Young has alluded to many times. Against Duke, Virginia Tech recorded 37 total rebounds. Three were attributed to the team, while the frontcourt-backcourt split was 19-15. Aluma had 10, Darius Maddox had five.

“Now, that will be tested tomorrow,” Young said. “The Longhorns will wear us out if we aren’t sharp with our cutouts and pursuing the ball better, rebounding from our guards.

“… There’s going to be some balls come off that rim tomorrow, and the Hokies have to corral them. Their work in the lane, on the free throw box-out, I marvel at it. You can tell it’s like a badge of honor because their bench goes nuts when somebody comes out of there with a rebound. So rebound the ball, take care of the ball, and we’ll take our chances.”

Nothing will come easy against Texas, who poses arguably the best defense the Hokies have seen all year.

Tech is 1-4 against teams ranked in the top 50 in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted defensive efficiency with losses vs. Memphis (33), at Dayton (40), at Duke (43) and vs. Wake Forest (50). The win came in the ACC Championship game vs. the Blue Devils. But all four defeats were between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the team has grown leaps and bounds since.

The Hokies are one of the hottest teams in the country, having won 13 of their last 15. They’ve been tested in many ways recently, especially in terms of physicality.

On Saturday, March 5 at Clemson, they lost on the road because they were outmuscled. Aluma, Young and the team admitted that. But Virginia Tech responded with a win over the Tigers four days later, coupled with three straight victories over three tournament teams (Notre Dame, North Carolina, Duke) to win the ACC.

“At this point, all we can do is take it one game at a time like we did in the ACC tournament, focus on tomorrow and what happens after that,” Mutts said. “… It’s just a constant battle to prove who we are, what we’re about. We’re all up for the challenge. We’ve got nothing but fighters on our team. Being here isn’t the goal, but proving who we are is.”