Collegiate Times

At halftime when the announcer told everyone in attendance that they would get free window washer fluid if Virginia Tech scored 75 points, I figured it was more likely that Hank Thorns would throw down a reverse tomahawk dunk before the Hokies would reach that mark.

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It didn't even look as if they would approach 60 points. Not after taking more than four minutes to score their first field goal, going 0-5 from behind the arc in the first half, and barely scrapping their way to 25 points by the time they headed to the locker room.

But as offensive as their offense was in the first half, the Hokies were reciprocally efficient in the second half. The halftime adjustments bore a plentiful bounty as Tech guards Malcolm Delaney and Thorns focused on pushing the ball up the court and getting the ball into the post rather than settling for jumpers. What resulted was a fast-paced transition game that left the Eagles in the dust.

"Coach told us to get the (big men) the ball. I mean Jeff (Allen) showed up, J.T. (Thompson) showed up, Cheick (Diakite) showed up with a couple plays, and Lewis (Witcher) showed up big tonight," Thorns said. "I give our 'Player of the Game' to all our bigs, I think they did what they had to do to keep us in the game."

Had Tech not let up late in the second half it probably could have reached that 75-point benchmark. And with the way the second half developed, had head coach Seth Greenberg not pulled Thorns with just over a minute remaining, I'm convinced he would've posterized a Boston College big man.

After yesterday's second half, the Hokies have put themselves in a position where they get a shot at revenge against Wake Forest with the NCAA Tournament still within reach. If you add up all the factors, it's an extremely winnable game for Tech.

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