Collegiate Times

Virginia Tech players erupt in joy as the referees announce Florida State's potential game-winning shot was too late.

Welcome to the Big Dance, Malcolm Delaney, Jeff Allen and Terrell Bell. After this trio of seniors shot just two of 17 in the first half against Florida State and played from behind for the majority of the game, things fell into place at the end.

The Hokies downed the Seminoles 52-51 in the final seconds—but not without controversy. A clutch jump shot by guard Erick Green put Tech up by one with 4.7 seconds remaining. Green’s shot was enabled by Allen stripping the ball from Florida State guard Michael Snaer.

Down 52-51 and coming off a timeout, Seminole guard Derwin Kitchen nailed a corner shot as time expired—yet upon review, the tip of his finger was just touching the ball as the buzzer sounded and the shot was declared no good. 

A premature Seminole celebration turned into pure jubilation for the Hokies as the call was reversed and they hung on for the victory.

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“I told them before the game that something special is going to happen tonight,” said Tech head coach Seth Greenberg. “For a team that has been so close, so many times…to finally have the basketball gods smile upon us is pretty cool.”

“I would have cried if we lost,” added Delaney. “It reminded me of the game against Carolina when they had Tyler Hansborough.” (Hokies lost by three to the No.1 Tarheels in the ACC quarterfinals in 2009 and failed to make the NCAA Tournament)

Green’s game-winning shot came in the midst of a two of 13 shooting performance on the night for the sophomore.

“I was a little down. I was struggling from the field…but I let all that stuff from the past go behind,” said Green.

With the win, the Hokies are essentially a lock for the NCAA Tournament and have earned themselves a contest with Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals. Tech upset Duke 64-60 in Blacksburg on February 16th when the Blue Devils were ranked No. 1.

Although the Hokies shot only 17.9 percent in the first half and 31.5 percent for the game, foul trouble and depth became the biggest issue as the game progressed.

Tech had just seven eligible and healthy scholarship players, just six of whom played against the Seminoles.

Forward Manny Atkins played 31 minutes in relief of the starters and had one of the best games of his career. He shot four of eight and finished with 14 points.

Meanwhile, Florida State played five bench players who tallied 58 minutes.

“Atkins was magnificent,” said Greenberg. “He played so hard.”

Atkins, whose three-pointer tied the game at 49-49 with three minutes remaining, was the second-leading scorer behind Delaney’s 16 points. No other Tech player finished in double-digits.

Foul trouble also plagued the Hokies. Forward Victor Davila picked up three fouls in the first half alone. With just under five minutes in the game, Allen, Davila, and Delaney each had four fouls—yet none of them fouled out.

“They were due,” said Greenberg of his seniors. “They persevered through everything that could happen to a team in a year.”

Tip-off against No. 5 Duke is set for 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

A version of this article appeared in the Mar 12 issue of the Collegiate Times.