Collegiate Times

Against Temple in Philadelphia, the Hokies got 32 points of production from Delaney, but the rest of the team combined to shoot an inexcusable 8-36 from the field en route to a 61-50 defeat.

Unlike last year, the Hokies bounced back and continued to fight until the very last millisecond in wins against Delaware and Iowa on the road.

In their game against Delaware, the Hokies were out-shot 45.5 percent to 35.5 percent in the second half. While the Hokies were expected to win, they were forced against the ropes, and a late run by Delaware sent the game into overtime with all the momentum shifted to the Blue Hens.

In overtime, the Hokies took care of business and won by eight.

Against Iowa, the Hokies were pressured multiple times but never let up.

The Hawkeyes began the game Tuesday night with an 11-3 run to which Tech answered with a 10-2 run of its own, but whenever it seemed Tech was ready to pull away, Iowa had an answer.

Iowa shot 44.9 percent from the field and a shocking 44.4 percent from three-point range, connecting on 12 of 27 shots from beyond the arc.

Even in a home game and against a team picked to finish eighth in the ACC, that wasn’t enough for the Hawkeyes.

When the Hawkeyes took the lead with 6:27 remaining in the game, the Hokies kept fighting and it paid off when Tech strung together six straight points off a 30-second timeout to take back the lead for good.

This season seems different.

Last season, the Hokies had four players average more than six points per game, with Vassallo, Delaney and Allen all in double-figures and J.T. Thompson clocking in with a mediocre 6.5 points per game.

So far this season, six Hokies are averaging more than six points per game, and there’s a much deeper rotation at head coach Seth Greenberg’s calling.

Even players who aren’t averaging more than six per game, such as freshmen Ben Boggs and Erick Green, are contributing. Tuesday, Boggs knocked down two three pointers early in the game to spark the Hokies’ comeback from an early 11-3 deficit.

While there’s still a long road ahead for the Hokies, some are beginning to understand why Delaney brushed off the predictions made for his team before it even stepped foot on the court.

If close losses turn into close wins for this Tech team, the postseason destination will be different at the beginning of March, and as for the talking heads who don’t mention the Hokies name when discussing ACC basketball — well, Delaney isn’t too worried about that.

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