Tech's Jeff Allen gets a face full of Baylor guard Tweety Carter's right artm late in the second half. The Hokies lost to the visiting Bears, 84-66, on Saturday in the second round of the National Invitational Tournament.
Even though all followers of Hokie basketball have seen their fair share of close defeat, the run that Tech made midway through the second half is still memorable. After all, what basketball event in Blacksburg is complete without the traditional fall behind, comeback and eventually lose aspect?
Down 28, the Hokies came charging back with nine minutes to go, just as they have done all season long. A 13-0 run, capped by a Dorenzo Hudson steal and slam, brought the Hokies to within 15.
The Hokies came as close as 12, but ultimately it was too little, too late. Baylor's mental toughness suddenly reappeared, shots started falling, and Tech was never able to cut the lead to single digits. The Hokies never actually led against Baylor.
Delaney said it the best.
"We need to play like we played the last 11 minutes, every play," he said. "We couldn't get transition and easy buckets. No matter how (much) we are down we are still going to fight."
While Tech was trying to find a way back into the game, Baylor head coach Scott Drew was struggling with the complete opposite.
"It is different to play (with a 25-point advantage), because a lot of games when you get into conference play and the postseason, you don't get to that point," Drew said. "I slowed us down too much. I probably should have been more aggressive and kept us aggressive."
As the Bears from Waco, Texas, move on to face Auburn in the NIT quarterfinals, Tech must now spend another off-season evaluating its shortcomings and preparing for a new year. The team will graduate just two seniors, Vassalo and Diakite.
Vassallo, despite receiving praise from Greenberg, was far from enthused.
"I wanted to leave Tech winning a championship," he said. "I wanted to leave my mark. It just didn't want to go our way."
Such is life for all Tech fans. The ever-so-elusive run at a basketball championship in the NCAA tournament or NIT will have to wait another year.
And if next year's team still cannot complement their defense with a disciplined offense that scores points more frequently, Tech fans could be in for another long season.
"We are not where we want to be, but we sure aren't where we were," Greenberg said. "We have a lot of work to do, but we have a good core group to work with."
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