After an impressive victory in Brooklyn this past Sunday, the now #24 Virginia Tech Hokies return to action at Cassell Coliseum to end their non-conference portion of the schedule against Grambling. While the SWAC tends to be one of the worst conferences in Division I, Grambling is looking like the best team that conference has produced in years and a potential 14 or 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament should they win their conference tournament in March which would be something for the SWAC.
So with that said, here are 3 things to watch for the Hokies against Grambling.
1. Can Darius Maddox Find His Three-Point Shooting Rhythm?
Darius Maddox has found ways to make winning plays both with his hustle on both ends of the floor and what he's done offensively inside the arc this season. However, arguably the biggest strength of his game has been in a rut through the first 11 games, his three-point shooting.
So far, Maddox has shot a disappointing 27.3% from three-point range after shooting 50.6% from three last season despite the fact that his three-point shot attempts has only grown from 2.2 to 3.0 per game. He's found other ways to contribute with his two-point shooting percentage only dropping slightly to just under 48% despite his volume more than doubling there while his free-throw shooting percentage is up to 86.7%.
Maddox has shown some signs of finding his form from three-point range again lately going 2-5 against Dayton before going 1-3 against Oklahoma State though he had another made three waived off against the Cowboys due to stepping on the out of bounds like on that corner three. Those may not seem like great numbers but in his four prior games, Maddox had shot 0-4, 1-4, 0-2, and 0-2 from three-point range.
It seems inevitable that Maddox will find his form and when he does, the Hokies will be able to elevate their game even more. The good news, Maddox is showing signs of finding his form right before the start of full-on ACC play.
2. Don't Underestimate Grambling
Prior to the season, this seemed like a nice, easy matchup against a low-major opponent to help the Hokies find their footing following a tough four-game stretch and a finals week that would cause a weird practice schedule.
Think again as Grambling is currently the highest-rated non-conference opponent that Tech has faced based on the NET rankings that currently have them ranked 106th. Yes, this team is more highly ranked than Preseason Atlantic 10 champion pick Dayton and Minnesota.
Grambling is currently 6-3 and has already pulled a pair of upsets beating a Colorado team that upset Tennessee at home before going on the road and beating Vanderbilt. Their three losses are also at an Arizona State team with only one loss, at Grand Canyon which has a solid program and maybe the most underrated home environment in college basketball, and Incarnate Word.
Two things that have helped Grambling so far are the fact that they are good at forcing turnovers averaging 8.3 steals per game while they also have insane depth with 11 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game. Now the Hokies have been among the best in the country at protecting the basketball but Grambling may have the ability to test that some today.
Tech should comfortably win this game, but the Hokies can't simply overlook Grambling in this one.
3. Will We See More John Camden?
John Camden's time at Virginia Tech hasn't started out as well as hoped with a slow start to the season before picking up an injury between the Charleston Classic and the Charleston Southern game. Since then, we've only seen Camden play briefly in the Hokies' rout against Dayton last week.
Camden has only played double-digit minutes once this season in the opener against Delaware State where he had 6 points on 2-4 shooting from three-point range plus 2 rebounds. Since then, Camden has only scored 2 points total in 5 games having not played more than 3 minutes since the opening three-game stretch.
While Camden hasn't been great so far, there's definitely plenty of potential that he has not only for the long term which is well-known but also in the immediate short term. Camden is an intriguing 6'7'', 6'8'' wing who can play the 4 or the 3 for the Hokies plus an ability to stretch the floor that can allow Tech to go really big if they want without having to sacrifice floor spacing given Camden's three-point shooting potential.
If Tech can get control of this game early, this would be a great opportunity to get Camden some minutes and see if he can find his form before ACC play given the lineup versatility that he can offer this team. But that's only if he can find his form with Camden potentially running out of time for this season as ACC play looms.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 82, Grambling 60
Having a week off may benefit the Hokies in some ways while this Tech team should be more than aware of the threat that Grambling can pose. Don't be surprised to see the Tigers keep it fairly close for some of the first half given the talent that they have.
However, the Hokies have more than enough to overwhelm the Tigers from the inside-out led by their star duo of veteran forward Justyn Mutts and breakout PG Sean Pedulla, both of whom seem well on their way to being All-ACC players this season. Combine that with a well-rounded attack that can score numerous ways and the Hokies will be able to put up the points and take care of business against Grambling.
