Holliday: Historic Hokies' triumph lays groundwork for ACC in the NCAA Tournament
Posted March 14, 2022 1:33 p.m. EDT
Updated March 14, 2022 1:35 p.m. EDT
In a season where the quality and especially the perception of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball is, to put it mildly, off kilter; where the regular season standard bearer suddenly looks vulnerable and the other teams in the NCAA field all have high numbers attached to their slots in the tournament bracket – the play of Virginia Tech in Brooklyn is good news. This is what a competitive NCAA team looks like. In the early rounds experience and togetherness matter at least as much as talent and the Hokies seem to have that.
Four other conferences received more NCAA bids than the ACC, a notion once unthinkable. It will take another season – possibly several seasons – for the ACC to regain the top spot in college basketball’s hierarchy, a position the league enjoyed for some 40 years. In the meantime the ACC needs some positive publicity, the kind that can only come with wins against other leagues in March. Virginia Tech suddenly looks like a team that could win some NCAA games.
VT needed some good fortune, as almost any ACC Tournament champion does. In the first round, the Hokies trailed Clemson by two with less than one second left until Darius Maddox buried a three.
Starting with the quarterfinals Thursday though, Tech plowed through the conference’s top contenders one by one – Notre Dame, UNC, and Duke – manifesting crisper offense and stingier defense on each successive night.
In the process, Mike Young’s team created an entirely new chapter in the ACC record book. You see, until Saturday, the seventh seed had never won the ACC Tournament. Strangely, the sixth seed has won it a bunch, five times to be exact, most recently in 2004 when Maryland beat Duke. But the seventh seed has made NCAA Tournament noise just twice in the previous 68 tournaments.
In 2010, #7 Georgia Tech advanced to the championship game but lost to #1 Duke. And way back in 1973, when #1 NC State was on probation, #7 Wake Forest, which had beaten #2 seed North Carolina on Eddie Payne’s 94-foot pass to Lee Foye, led #3 Maryland at halftime. The Terrapins needed a big finish and 20 points from Durham’s John Lucas to snatch the NCAA bid away from the over-achieving Deacons.
But now, finally, the ACC’s automatic bid belongs to the a seventh seeded team, and a particularly good seven seed at that.
Virginia Tech is an older team, one that starts two grad students, a redshirt senior and two juniors. Indeed Storm Murphy and Keve Aluma are such veterans they played on Coach Mike Young’s championship teams at Wofford, three and four years ago.
The Hokies also have balance. Aluma was the only Tech player to finish among the ACC Tournament’s top 20 highest scoring averages with 18 points per game. But Justyn Mutts, Nahiem Alleyne, and especially Murphy, Maddox, and MVP Hunter Cattoor all had their moments in the Hokies’ four wins.
VT has depth. Young told his players before the UNC game “we’re the deeper team.” Then they went out and proved it, outscoring the Tar Heels in bench points 30-6. That depth is the reason both UNC and Duke appeared to be the more tired team against the Hokies even though the underdogs from Blacksburg played more games.
Finally, though VT struggled in early January, once falling to 2-7 in ACC play, the Hokies now look like a team that has played together a long time. Tech did not dominate in any one statistical category during the tournament, but did everything well.
For starters, Virginia Tech turned the ball over only nine times per game. The Hokies shot almost 50% overall and 43% from three. Defensively, VT held opponents to 25% from beyond the arc, and then rebounded 78% of opponent misses. In sum, this is a team very efficient on offense that gets more than enough stops to win most nights.
Though disappointed to lose in his final quest for an ACC Championship, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski praised the Hokies and noted they are the type of team Duke could see next week in the NCAA Tournament.
Mike Young called Saturday night’s 82-67 triumph over the Blue Devils the greatest win in school history. For comparison, again we have to go back to 1973.
The ’73 Hokie team, starring Allen Bristow and Craig Lieder, beat Notre Dame to win the National Invitation Tournament on a miracle buzzer beater by Bobby Stevens. That was in the era of the 25 team NCAA Tournament—so many quality teams didn’t make the big dance and went to the NIT instead that winning in Madison Square Garden then really meant something. The ’73 team has always been the school’s most celebrated.
But now Young’s squad will go where few other Hokies’ teams have traveled. Only 11 times previously has Virginia Tech gone dancing. And in the NCAA’s modern era, following the expansion to 32 teams in 1975, the Hokies have reached the Sweet Sixteen just once.
Ironically, in the wild euphoria on the floor of the Barclays Center after VT won the ACC, Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” blared throughout the building as the Hokies’ cheerleaders and fans sang the refrain “Off to Never Never Land.” Never has VT been a major player in an NCAA Tournament. But the overriding lesson from this weekend in Brooklyn is to never say “never” about this VT team. And the ACC desperately needs the Hokies to keep on doing what they’re doing.
Another rough Saturday for Duke
Regular season champ Duke finds itself needing to regroup after a second straight Saturday night loss. Again Mike Krzyzewski is wondering where his team’s defense has gone. Duke allowed 79 points per game in Brooklyn as opponents shot 46%. The Blue Devils, who led the ACC in three point defense during the season, allowing just 31% beyond the arc, got drilled in the league tournament, their three opponents making threes 42% of the time.
Duke defenders blocked shots as they always do, but too often gave up rebound position when they left the ground. The Blue Devils rebounded only 65% of opponent misses during the tournament and were often outhustled to loose balls by Virginia Tech.
Duke’s offense is still potent inside but the Devils ranked just sixth in assists at the tournament – well below their seasonal norm – and maybe the decline in ball movement led to some poor three point shooting. In any event, Duke hit just 28% beyond the arc in Brooklyn.
Notably, Krzyzewski shortened his bench in the championship game, using predominantly six players. Joey Baker and Theo John, who played four minutes apiece, were the only reserves to get meaningful game time. Even when Jeremy Roach and Mark Williams picked up their fourth fouls, Krzyzewski kept them in the game.
Both Wendell Moore (18 ppg) and Paolo Banchero (16 ppg) scored well in Brooklyn, and that’s a positive, because both have been a bit streaky shooting the ball over the course of the season. But clearly this team has some work to do in the next few days if it is to put together a string of NCAA Tournament victories.
The Blue Devils did avenge a loss to Miami in the Semi-Finals at the Barclays Center. Miami had rallied from three points down with a minute to go at Cameron to beat the Blue Devils in early January. This time though, Duke made the big plays—Mark Williams drawing a charge against Kam McGusty, and Banchero rebounding a missed free throw that led to a Miami foul and more free throws, and finally making 11 of 14 free throws in the final 2:29. Duke also fought off an inspired effort by a Syracuse squad playing without star Buddy Boeheim. Still, this Blue Devil team expected to win three games in Brooklyn. Not just two.
Now the talented but youthful Blue Devils head to Greenville, South Carolina, to face Cal Fullerton. The Titans don’t pose a three point threat, which should allow Duke time to plug the sudden holes that have emerged in its once impregnable perimeter defense. Sunday could then see the Blue Devils playing always formidable Davidson or Michigan State. Some prognosticators think the 10th seeded Wildcats will beat the Spartans. But as many great duels as Tom Izzo and Mike Krzyzewski have waged through the years, it seems fitting these two Hall of Fame coaches would square off in a game that could send Duke to the Sweet Sixteen or end Coach K’s career.
Tar Heels start fresh
UNC, like Duke, may benefit from seeing a new opponent rather than the familiar teams of the ACC the Tar Heels have faced two and three times. Carolina opens NCAA play against Marquette, coached now by Shaka Smart. Smart’s Golden Eagles like to press and push the tempo. Which should come as a welcome relief to Hubert Davis’ squad coming off two half court-oriented games in Brooklyn.
North Carolina played well defensively in the ACC Tournament, limiting opponents to 57 points per game and 39% from the floor. But the Tar Heels often robust offense suddenly needs a turbo boost.
UNC averaged just 61 points against the physical defenses of Virginia and Virginia Tech. Transition chances were quite rare. Star big man Armando Bacot did not finish among the top 20 scorers at the tournament, though he ranked as one of the league’s top 7 all season long. Bacot, who shot exactly two free throws in two games, had to work hard for each of his 14 field goals against near constant double teams.
But while Bacot continued to shoot a high percentage as he has all season, around 60%, his teammates went stone cold. UNC, apart from Bacot, hit just 33 of 103 in the two games, just 32%. The Heels were especially abysmal from beyond the arc, going 9-49. That’s 18%. Even sharpshooting Brady Manek couldn’t buy a three against VT. But Manek, after missing 5 straight from beyond the arc, moved inside for his offense. Manek in fact made 9 of 13 shots inside the arc during UNC’s two games. However UNC’s backcourt made just 15-41 from two point territory, just 36%.
UNC through the years plays better in up tempo full court style games that feature fast break opportunities. Now this particular Carolina team had also been playing well against more deliberate teams. But the Heels’ half court offense went AWOL at the Barclays Center. So Shaka Smart’s press, which will force movement up and down the court, comes at a good time.
UNC and Marquette should play a game in the 70’s or 80’s-a pace much more comfortable for the Tar Heels than what we saw Thursday and Friday. But two caveats: UNC can’t commit wholesale turnovers—Marquette averages 8 steals per game; also the Tar Heel guards must shoot better than 36% in close to the basket. If UNC plays more like what we saw against Duke ten days ago, a matchup with top seed Baylor likely awaits.
Miami and Notre Dame
Miami is a 10 seed because the Hurricanes went 5-4 in Quad 2 games and 9-3 in Quad 3 games. Jim Larranaga’s team posted an impressive 4-3 record in Quad 1 games. The Canes went 4-1 against the top five in their own league.
Miami’s four guard lineup should challenge Southern Cal from the Pac 12. The Canes in fact are a trendy pick to win that game, setting up a matchup against Auburn, which sometimes struggles against teams with strong guard play.
Miami played well offensively in Brooklyn, shooting 50% from the floor and 35% from three. But the Canes were a bit off at the other end in games against Boston College and Duke. Miami averaged just 7 steals in Brooklyn after averaging 9 per game during the season. And opponents shot 50% against the Canes, four points above their season average.
This weekend Miami must use its quickness to force turnovers and get more pressure on opposing jump shooters. Also, Isaiah Wong can’t go 1-11 as he did against Duke.
Notre Dame must play a first round game against Rutgers. It’s ACC vs. the Big Ten, could this game be a bellwether for the ACC’s 2022 NCAA Tournament showing? Certainly this game presents a good opportunity for a league eager to show that it’s better than the seasonal record would indicate. Irish Coach Mike Brey will understand this.
In general, Notre Dame beat the teams it was supposed to beat this season and really didn’t suffer bad losses. But because of the ACC’s diminished stature, Notre Dame had to go outside the league to score the signature win-against Kentucky-that punched its ticket to the Big Dance.
This Notre Dame team has improved defensively over the course of the season, but we didn’t see that in Brooklyn. Virginia Tech shot 57% and 37% from three. Those are the worst defensive numbers of any of the 15 teams who competed this past week.
We all know this team can shoot, but if the Irish can’t get out and really guard Rutgers, there’s no point looking ahead to size up Notre Dame’s next opponent.
It wasn’t that long ago the ACC sent five teams to the Sweet Sixteen with multiple Final Four contenders. Expectations, obviously, are much lower this March. But maybe Duke can get rolling again, and certainly there’s at least a small chance Miami or UNC could win two games. Virginia Tech is playing the best of any ACC team right now but the Hokies as a ten seed have a very difficult draw against sixth seeded Texas and third seeded Purdue.
The bottom line is this: The ACC has sent at least one team to the Sweet Sixteen every year since 1979. Continuing that streak should be achievable, even if the overall results of this NCAA Tournament suggest this is the down year for the league all the pundits say it is.
