After two disappointing road loses at No. 6 Duke and Boston College, the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team returns home to defend Cassell Coliseum in a White-Out night against the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday.
While the Hokies (21-6, 8-5 ACC) are returning to Blacksburg after a 20-point loss to the Eagles, the Terrapins (20-7, 10-3 ACC) are making the trip south following a four-game winning streak.
“That game is over with, it’s in the rearview mirror and in this league, you have to very much stay in the present,” said Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg.
The Terrapins are currently seated near the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference, just below Duke, in second place. The Hokies are currently fourth place.
In their first and only scheduled meeting of the season, the Hokies are looking to avenge not only their recent loses, but also last season’s loss to the Terps in College Park.
Last year marked an unhappy Valentine’s Day for Tech fans as the Terrapins took care of the Hokies, leading by at least six the entire game and finally winning 83-73.
Statistically, everything is in favor of the Terrapins — they average 79.1 points per game to Tech’s 71.5, 39 rebounds per game to Tech’s 37.7, 16.5 assists per game to Tech’s 11.6; and they shoot 39 percent from the three compared to Tech’s 30.3 percent.
There will be several keys in Saturday’s game for the Hokies, mainly containing the Terps transition game.
Maryland likes to run the fast break and press full-court for the majority of the game. The Hokies will need to negate the transition battle by stopping the break but at the same time, they cannot lose track of themselves during the press. If Maryland wins the transition battle, Tech will lose this game.
By playing such a fast-paced game, the Hokies need to frustrate the Terps by slowing down the tempo and keeping the score down.
In games where Maryland has scored over 75 points, it is 16-3. In games where Tech has allowed more than 75 points, the Hokies are 2-4.
Another key area for the Hokies is free throws. In their 2009 rendezvous, the Terps made 24 of 26 free throws, shooting 92.3 percent from the line while the Hokies shot a mere 62 percent. Maryland has traditionally been a very good free throw shooting team, while the Hokies have struggled in recent years.
Also, something that can buoy the Hokies is getting Maryland into foul trouble. Terps head coach Gary Williams likes to run a seven-man rotation, which leaves little room for foul-trouble substitutions. Maryland guard Sean Mosley is a very solid defender, but does foul when frustrated.
While trying to put Maryland’s team in afoul trouble, the Hokies must also keep their own key players out of it in order to keep the game competitive.
Hokies’ forward Jeff Allen will have his work cut out for him, battling with Landon Milboune, who has shown that he can hit the mid-range jumper.
Expect a battle between Allen and Maryland’s Milbourne underneath.
“We’ve got to figure out how we’re going to block and contain (them),” said Greenberg. “It is going to be a physical game.”
Allen must have help inside and remain composed in order to stay in the game and stay out of the constant foul trouble that has plagued him thus far in ACC play.
Both teams struggle with their rebounding, so look for a decent number of second-chance opportunities on both sides of the court.
Finally comes Maryland star guard Greivis Vasquez. Hated by many, loved by few, Vasquez is the face of this Maryland team.
The Terps’ senior controls the tempo and while he has the ability to score well into double figures, he also consistently posts high assist numbers. Frustrating Vasquez will frustrate Maryland and above all, could be Tech’s most important duty come Saturday afternoon.
Saturday’s game might be Tech’s biggest matchup on its remaining schedule. In need of another top-50 RPI win to secure its tournament bid, a win over Maryland would be huge for its postseason hopes.
One thing that rests in the Hokies’ favor is their home-court record of 14-0. With only two home games to go in the regular season, this game means a lot in terms of pride and NCAA tournament possibilities.
“If you look around the league, I don’t think there’s many places you can go and say there’s not a home court advantage,” said Maryland Coach Gary Williams. “You look at Virginia Tech now ... that’s a very tough place to play when it’s rocking in there.
Tech will welcome the Terrapins Saturday at 4 p.m. in Cassel Coliseum and fans are encouraged to participate in the White Out theme. The game will be televised locally on Raycom Sports.