The Virginia Cavaliers came into this game against their in-state rival Virginia Tech undefeated, and were the massive favorites to stay that way. The Hoos have used their pack-line defense and perimeter shooting to blow out opponents all year. Going into Blacksburg to take on a rebuilding team that still doesn't have an ACC win should have been an easy venture for the Cavaliers.
But, under new head coach Buzz Williams, the Virginia Tech Hokies had a great plan going into the game. They would try to shoot over the UVA D by using star shooter Adam Smith in the backcourt often along with German freshman Malik Muller and fellow underclassman Ahmed Hill. They would also alternate on defense between man-to-man and zone to fluster the Cavs' Justin Anderson and London Perrantes.
Buzz's plan would work for most of the game, in which the Hokies would gain a 10 point advantage at one point in the 2nd half behind a raucous home crowd in Cassell Coliseum. However, they Hokies would take many ill-advised shots in the final 7 minutes, allowing UVA to get back in transition and get back into the game quickly. Adam Smith had a chance to tie the game with a three with just seconds remaining in the game, but just barely missed, allowing Virginia to hold on for a victory that was too close for comfort.
Defense was prevalent during the entire game for both squads, with little breathing room for open jump shots. Adam Smith led the Hokies with 15 points, knocking down a few big threes to help the Virginia Tech cause, while Devin Wilson played well on defense, although he committed 4 turnovers on offense.
Virginia used a lot of grit to get back in the game, and some intelligent set plays designed by head coach Tony Bennett. Coming out of a TV timeout with 3:46 left, Justin Anderson took over with a dunk, and immediately following an Adam Smith miss from 3, the Cavs slowed things down a bit, and after some patience, kicked it out for an Anderson trey. Following a Devin Wilson turnover, UVA ran back down the court and found Anthony Gill down low, who grabbed an offensive rebound to stick it right back in for two, giving UVA a 50-45 advantage. Ahmed Hill made a jump shot with 1:09 left to make things more interesting, and with 13 seconds left, the Fighting Gobblers had the ball needing a three to tie and send the game to overtime. They got the ball to their best shooter, Smith, but his attempt from way out deep rattled out, just an inch away from sending the building into a frenzy.
Teams are starting to find out #2 Virginia's weaknesses, so Tony Bennett needs to tighten up the squad in multiple areas before their massive game this coming Saturday at home against Duke. Virginia Tech has to keep their spirits up, as they almost attainted their biggest win in program history today. They have a great recruiting class coming in and big-time transfers as well, so next year could be a breakthrough. As for this year, the gritty squad invites Pittsburgh to Blacksburg on Tuesday.