Coaches will often say it’s impossible to assess the legitimacy of a team’s March Madness hopes at this time of year. They’ll caution the media not to obsess over the seeds being sown before New Year’s Day.
Heavy experimenting will occur with personnel and strategy, whether the roster returns full or few. Months of potential fatigue, injury and rifts sit ahead. Let’s just say the crystal ball remains cloudy for now, whether you’re for UNC or UVa.
Virginia Tech’s 74-62 home win over Georgia certainly qualifies as encouraging, given some of Tech’s close contests against far sub-Atlantic Coast Conference caliber opponents, including a recent overtime win against Delaware.
Tech’s performance prior to Sunday had left much to be desired for a 5-1 record.
Win No. 6 topped a Georgia squad that — like Iowa last week — presents a major-conference challenge, albeit one pundits figure to finish low in its pack. The Bulldogs (4-3) bounded into Blacksburg with a seemingly light early schedule, a young starting lineup under a coach hired in April, and the ripple effect of receiving four years’ probation in 2004 for academic fraud and recruitment violations.
But let’s not forget Tech’s heartbreaking 67-66 loss at Georgia last season, or that the Bulldogs hit The Big Dance in 2007, or that Tech eliminated the chance of a buzzer beater by seizing control in crunch time.
Nonetheless, I will attempt to nail down a few truths in the early stages of the 2009-10 campaign, through the Christmas wishes of Tech basketball fans. Hop on Santa’s lap!
MALCOLM DELANEY STAYS HEALTHY AND ISN’T RUN RAGGED BY FEBRUARY
Georgia head coach Mark Fox: “We had no answer for him, and I think that was the biggest key of the game.”
For crying out loud, Georgia assistant Stacy Palmore coached Delaney last season while working under Seth Greenberg here in Blacksburg, and Georgia still had no answer.
Final stat line: 31 points, five assists, five rebounds.
Scouting report, shmouting report.
“He’s extremely mobile,” Fox continued. “He draws fouls, he finishes at the rim. He’s a complete offensive player, and his quickness and ability to shoot the ball make him a very hard matchup.”
After losing smooth-shooter A.D. Vassallo to graduation, Delaney will need to carry Tech on his shoulders to a few wins this season if it will advance to the NCAAs. The ACC’s current leading-scorer threatened to take the crown last year after a conference-best 37-point explosion against Clemson in late January.
Delaney, who played the second-most minutes in the ACC last year, would then hit a cold streak in February in which fatigue and a litany of injuries may have factored. The Hokies lost six of seven games between Feb. 13 and March 8.
JEFF ALLEN STAYS OUT OF FOUL TROUBLE SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY
Jeff Allen hasn’t started over the past two games in an apparent attempt to keep him out of foul trouble. He still picked up four personals on Sunday.
Greenberg initially seemed reluctant to address it, before offering a solution that sounds simple — but has been easier said than done for Tech’s best frontcourt player.
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