Virginia Tech (14-5, 4-1 ACC) will tangle with the No. 12 Clemson Tigers (17-2, 3-2 ACC) tonight at 7 p.m. at Cassell Coliseum. The Hokies seek their fifth straight Atlantic Coast Conference win, fresh off two critical road victories against Miami and then-No. 1 Wake Forest.
"We played two outstanding teams in a league of them, and we found a way to get enough stops and make enough stops to win," said Tech head coach Seth Greenberg. "Obviously we're pleased with what we accomplished last week, but the reality is ... we're going to have to deal with this 12 or 13 more times. We've got to use what we learned from last week and move on."
The series between Tech and the Tigers has produced riveting results in recent years, with five of the last six decisions being decided by two points or fewer. In their last meeting, Clemson clipped Tech by a 70-69 count in the regular season finale on March 9.
"All those games have come down to the wire," said Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell. "You could say we match up well with them, but they also match up well with us ... most of those recent one- or two-point ball games -- obviously they could have easily gone the other way. You've got to keep your poise up in Cassell Coliseum. It's one of the toughest venues to play in, and it will be loud."
"They've been great games," Greenberg said. "Oliver and I talked -- the team that leads with 30 seconds to go has no chance of winning."
The Hokies, who have lost the past three decisions to the Tigers, will attempt to end that streak and add another win, which would surely boost their NCAA tournament resume with 10 more league games left before the ACC Tournament begins.
"The last few years we kind of had a problem with Clemson, but I think with the way that we're playing right now, it should be a good game," said guard Malcolm Delaney.
"Virginia Tech and Duke are probably the two hottest teams in our league right now," Purnell said. "They're playing with a lot of confidence. Virginia Tech is just an excellent defensive basketball team."
Tech's defense will have to tame Trevor Booker in the post, who is averaging 14.4 points per game and hauling in nearly nine rebounds per game.
"We have to guard Booker on picks, pops and post ups," Greenberg said.
The media was quick to criticize Jeff Allen after cutting weight, with some claiming he's now soft in the post.
"He's not getting pushed around," Greenberg said. "He's got to hold his block outs longer."
The second defensive task for the Hokie defense will be defending the perimeter.
Guards K.C. Rivers and Terrence Oglesby are each averaging nearly 14 points per game, with Oglesby making 40 percent of his attempts behind the arc.
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Did you also know that tonight is a Blacksburg Blackout!??! I didn't see anything in the paper about that? Not even a mention?
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Why should they say anything. It is such a stupid idea anyway. So not important. I am really cool.
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