Game Preview: Virginia Tech (11-5) at Maryland (11-6)

         The Hokies kicked Wake Forest back to Winston Salem with a 29-point loss and now their reward is to travel to College Park, MD to face one of the more hostile environments in the ACC.  Tech will try to get their first ACC road win Thursday evening in the Comcast Center versus the University of Maryland.  Can Malcolm Delaney and the Hokies quiet “the worst fans ever”?

Starting Lineups
Virginia Tech						Maryland
Pos.	Player	Ht.	Cl.	PPG	RPG	Player	Ht.	Cl.	PPG	RPG
G	Green	6’4”	So.	9.4	2.0	Bowie	6’2”	Sr.	9.0	3.1
G	Delaney	6’3”	Sr.	18.6	3.1	Stoglin	6’1”	Sr.	9.7	1.2
G/F	Bell	6’7”	Sr.	6.4	5.8	Mosley	6’4”	Fr.	8.4	3.9
F	Allen	6’7”	Sr.	12.6	9.3	Gregory	6’7”	Sr.	8.1	5.6
F	Davila	6’8”	Jr.	7.1	5.1	Williams	6’10”	So.	18.1	12.2

Game notes:

• Sophomore center Jordan Williams ranks 3rd in the nation with 12.2 rebounds per game, and leads the nation with 15 double-doubles.

  Team	VT	MD
  Conf. Record	2-2	1-2
  PPG	71.7	78.4
  Opp. PPG	60.3	62.9
  Reb. Margin	+0.8	+6.5
  Turn. Margin	+2.9	+2.5
  FG%	47.1%	48.2%
  Def. FG%	39.8%	37.0%
  3PT%	34.0%	32.6%

• Maryland’s defense ranks 6th in the nation, holding opponents to only 37% field goal shooting.
• Tech is shooting 47.1% from the field so far this season.  The last time the Hokies shot nearly this well was the 2006-2007 season, when Tech shot 46.8% for the year.
• Maryland leads the nation in defensive efficiency, giving up only 82.2 points per 100 defensive possessions.  The Hokies rank 17th, giving up 87.5 points.
• The Terps rank last in the ACC and 303rd in the nation in free-throw shooting (62.8%).

    Maryland utilizes only 8 players over 10 minutes per game.  Compare that to UNC, which has 10 players averaging over 12 minutes and depth should be less of an issue for Tech, especially if the Hokies can stay out of foul trouble.  That may be difficult, however, against Maryland’s star center Jordan Williams.  At 260 lbs, Williams is a beast in the post and Tech will have to play him smart.  By that I mean slow him down, don’t try and stop him because you probably won’t succeed.  The Terps also have a legitimate scoring threat off their bench in 6-6 senior wing Cliff Tucker.  Tucker is the team’s leading 3-point shooter (37.7%) and second leading scorer with 11.4 points per game.

     The Terps are 9-1 at home so far this season, the lone loss was a 79-75 decision to Boston College on December 12th.  Despite losing the turnover battle by 5, Boston College was able to outscore Maryland by 30 from the 3-point line.  Maryland isn’t a team that’s going to overpower you with their offense, instead they like to force the tempo and lock you down on defense.  Boston College used the fact that 3 is greater than 2, and played just well enough to hang on.  Both teams will be well rested coming into Thursday’s game, with both teams playing on 4 days rest.

     This one is a tough call, because you know at some point the Hokies are going to get a breakthrough win on the road against a good team.  Tech came frustratingly close against UNC and exactly a week later the Hokies will get another chance in arguably as difficult of an environment.  For Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen, it’s their last chance to make a statement right in their own backyards with family and friends watching.

     I like the way Virginia Tech’s offense has been clicking recently, and what makes Tech a dangerous team is while they’re shooting over 50% on offense, the defense is still holding opponents to just 35 % from the field.  One thing that stood out to me when looking at this game is that the Hokies have been very good with time to prepare.  Tech is 8-3 when both teams have 3 or more days rest, whereas Maryland is only 3-4.  Seth Greenberg will have a plan to slow down Jordan Williams and if Malcolm Delaney and Manny Atkins can remain hot shooting the ball, the Hokies can steal one on the road.

Prediction: Hokies 76 Maryland 70

Also see:

• Gobbler Country: Hokies Travel to Maryland for Key Bubble Battle
  
• The Key Play: Maryland Preview