Despite a career high 26 points from Devin Wilson, Virginia Tech fell to Wake Forest 83-77 in Cassell Coliseum on Wednesday night. Tech dropped to 8-10 overall and 1-5 with the loss, while the Demon Deacons improved to 13-6 and 3-3.
Freshman point guard Devin Wilson scored 26 points – 25 of which came in the second half. He was 6-of-10 from the field, 3-of-4 from three-point range, and 11-of-14 from the free throw line. He also had four assists and two steals.
Despite Wilson’s heroics in the second half, the Hokies were never really in the game. They trailed 37-17 at one point in the first half, and shot 22.6% from the field over the first 20 minutes.
Jarell Eddie scored 20 points and made 4-of-10 shots from three-point range, finally getting out of his slump in a game in which Tech trailed by double figures for most of the way. Freshman forward Trevor Thompson scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in 18 minutes of action. He had seven offensive reboundns.
Cadarian Raines only had five points and three rebounds in 24 minutes after scoring 20 points against Notre Dame on Sunday.
The Hokies were in a hole from the beginning offensively. Ben Emelogu and Adam Smith missed the game with injuries, which means Tech started former walkin Will Johnston at shooting guard. Johnston got in foul trouble early, which forced Jarell Eddie to play shooting guard and Marshall Wood to play small forward. As a result, Tech struggled offensively in the first half.
Despite that setback, they could have stayed in the game with a better defensive effort in the first half. However, Wake Forest shot 54.8% in the first half and 53.6% for the game, and the poor defensive effort by the Hokies took away any chance of picking up a win.
Tech returns to action on Saturday when they travel to Charlottsville to play UVA. Tipoff is scheduled for 3pm, and the game will be televised by The ACC Network.
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Lots of issues with this team, put them all together and you see the results in each game. My biggest concern is the coaching or lack there of. We seem to continue to do stupid things. For example, last night I counted 4 attempted slam dunks. We missed them, the ball hit the rim and bounced back out, no points. Slam dunks are just “showing off” when a simple dunk will do. If you don’t know how to slam dunk, then don’t do. JJ should control these things, coach these things, cut out stupid. This is discipline. Those eight points plus a little better performance at the line and this 6 point loss becomes a 10 point win.
I totally agree with scary1. Teams like Duke, UNC, Kentucky and Kansas many times will just lay up a ball instead of a dunk and it equals the same – 2 points. Unless you are certain you can slam the ball without it bouncing right back at you for NO 2 points.
Transfers, injuries, walk-ons, players getting more minutes than they are ready for at positions they aren’t as accustomed to playing ….
I am wondering what the basketball guru’s think: Would a more experienced coach do any better?
Second, are the players becoming disillusioned with the program such that we might see transfers, leaving the cupboard even more bare?
The freshmen are getting it done. It’s the upperclssmen who aren’t cuttin’ the mustard. Bodes well for the future.
It is embarrassing to watch Va Tech basketball. That is a fact. However, we are playing with less than half a team. We have two former walk-ons playing significant time out of necessity, we lost people to transfers before the season started, we are the youngest team in the league, and two of our top shooters are injured and were not playing. In fact, we have been injury prone all year. With that resume, can we really be surprised by our play in one of the top leagues in the country? I am far from a basketball guru, but maybe our poor play (defense and offense) has more to do with the ability of those we are able to put on the floor each night than other factors prefiously mentioned. Some just can’t keep up. Tom
3rd game in a row a player has said “we came out flat” or “we weren’t ready to play”, or worse “we took the opponent too lightly”. There is no want-to here and it starts w the coach getting the team to “want to”.
Defense and rebounding are also “want-to” stats, and you can look at the sheet after each game and see what’s up there.
This isn’t Ferrum College JJ, get the team ready or bench em if they aren’t ready. Pull a Hoosiers move and play w 3-4 if you have to.
Unbelievable how kids on a scholly to play basketball aren’t “ready to play” when the very reason they are at VT goes live.
I think they are just saying something that sounds basketball proper because they are freshman who have a mike in their face. They could have said, well, I couldn’t guard my opponent because he has quicker feet, quicker hands, and a better basketball IQ than I have. So I did my best and tried other moves but except for limited success, he had me shut down. Raines could say, they scouted film from my game vs ND and they had answer for everything I tried. So I passed the ball back outside where somebody through up a brick. I think it is a mistake to take much from these post game interviews even when we win.
I’m not an expert student of the game, but it was clear to me that the VT D was pretty much hand-waving from afar in front of guys who were in the Three-Zone, and also letting so many others drive to the bucket virtually untouched. People must have been losing their man, or else using the matador defense. Overall, a totally unacceptable defense.
We have a control issue!
Eddie is still in a slump. 4-for-10 just means a bunch of shot attempts. The number of points does not mean he broke out. And only if he follows up with a good performance. It is a baseball batter in a slump hits a home run and an announcer says that he broke out…and then he promptly goes 0-4 the next night.
4 of 10 from 3 point range isn’t bad. I’m not sure about the shooting % for the rest of his shots, but I’ll take 40% from 3. It’s the same points per shot as 60% from 2 pt range, and any misses give you a somewhat better chance at an offensive rebound.
Thats 40% from three pt land..thats not bad. Few players shot better then 40% from 3…
Why did we stick with zone d for so long if it obviously wasn’t working?
Our coach sucks!
I agree – I thought we stuck with the zone too long after we climbed back into the Notre Dame game as well. We cut that lead down to two, but then gave up a couple of open three’s with the zone and all of a sudden it was 8 again. I know JJ’s missing bodies, but being 8 or 9 deep should still be enough to play more man and press from time to time, particularly down by double digits.
Maybe had something to do with resting.