One of the biggest storylines entering Saturday's matchup between Virginia Tech and Miami was Lynn Kidd's return to Blacksburg. However, it was his old frontcourt running mate Mylyjael Poteat who stole the headlines and the victory in the end with arguably the best game of his collegiate career which included big plays in the biggest moments.
Virginia Tech beats Miami 86-85 thanks to a three-point play from Mylyjael Poteat with 2.7 seconds remaining in regulation. The win bumps the Hokies to 6-8 on the season including 1-2 in ACC play while the Hurricanes fall to 4-10 on the season including 0-3 in ACC play.
Of course, the headline was obviously Poteat's game-winning layup at the end, with the veteran big man having this to say about the game-winning play.
"It's a good play call. Pick and roll had been killing them all night. We knew we'd get a good look there if we made smart decisions," Poteat said. "Ben (Hammond) was great all night navigating the pick and roll. He made the right read, thought he made a good pass to me, and then I finished."
The game wasn't won just yet with Poteat still having a free throw to make to win the game rather than just forcing overtime. Poteat had to wait a little bit after Miami called a timeout prior to the attempt, but Poteat delivered the make with Miami's buzzer beater prayer sailing over the basket. After the game, Poteat was asked whether he felt any pressure stepping to the free throw line with the game in the balance.
"Not really, you either hit it or you miss it. I've shot a crap ton of free throws in my life. It really is the same," Poteat said.
This was an impressive performance as a whole from Poteat going against his former teammate Kidd, as he had a career-high 25 points on 10-16 shooting from the field and 5-7 from the free-throw line plus three rebounds and two steals. Poteat had this to say about what it was like to face Kidd, and obviously do so with an impressive performance from himself along with what else helped him have a standout game.
"It was cool and pretty beneficial. You know I know a lot about him. I played against him everyday for two years straight. I know what makes him angry. I know what he likes. I know what he doesn't like. So I think that made it pretty easy to navigate the game," Poteat said. "Honestly, a lot of good passes from my teammates. I don't think I scored off one back-to-the-basket move. Pick and rolls, Tobi made a bunch of good passes over the top."
Meanwhile, Kidd was held to only seven points and eight rebounds while having four turnovers in this game. When discussing the matchup with Kidd postgame, Mike Young shared some insights on how the Hokies were able to limit Kidd's productivity in this game.
"Most players don't like to be trapped. None of them do. It's very uncomfortable. None of us like to be trapped. He hates it as much as any player I've ever seen, just not comfortable with it. I could tell that he was looking for it as the game began. They went right at him. He knew it was coming and he never consistently caught the ball in his sweet spot. His sweet spot is the same sweet spot for a lot of post players. It's around the block. It's around the lane line, a step off. To kick him out of rhythm out a little bit was helpful. Seven points, and that guy can come here can score 18-22. We've seen it multiple times. Left hand, right hand, left shoulder, right shoulder. He's got them all. He's not shooting the ball from 15 (feet) like he did here. He only shot one and he missed it, and that kid's got a beautiful touch from 15-16 feet," Mike Young said.
Tech's victory wasn't just about the Poteat-Kidd matchup as VT was collectively better in the post tonight outscoring Miami 42-40 in points in the paint and 13-9 in second chance points while gaining an 11-7 advantage in offensive rebounds and 29-23 advantage in total rebounds.
The Hokies also were able to compliment that with an efficient offensive performance as they shot 54.2% from the field including 45.0% (9-20) from three, though the Hurricanes shot 58.9% from the field including 47.1% (8-17) from three-point range. They also had 23 assists on their 32 made shots with only 11 turnovers, another encouraging development for a team that has struggled with turnovers this season.
Free throws also proved to be an area of separation as the Hokies were 13-15 while the Hurricanes were only 11-17. Given the margins in this matchup, that had a major impact on the final outcome. Tech also had an important 8-1 run to close the half that gave them a one-point lead at the break while also overcoming a six-point deficit inside the final 3.5 minutes to get the victory.
Poteat was the brightest star, but not the only one for the Hokies as Tobi Lawal had 22 points, six rebounds, and a career-high five assists in this game with 8-10 shooting from the field plus 6-6 at the free-throw line. Lawal had a couple of tough, athletic offensive rebounds and putbacks in this game that proved crucial to the final result.
Then there was freshman PG Ben Hammond making his second career ACC start and delivering an impressive performance. Hammond had a career-high eight assists go with five points, four rebounds, and two steals. After the game, Mike Young had high praise for his starting point guard's play.
"Very (impressed). He had a couple. He's such a quick and dynamic player, sometimes gets a little too quick and a little too dynamic and doesn't make the right decisions. He's making great progress. I love having him here. He's a delight to coach. Eight assists, I take nothing away from him. He's a good defender. He let the ball get outside of his hip a couple times which is unusual. But he continues to get better here as we move along too. Every play he sees is beneficial to him just in terms of his overall growth as a college basketball player," Young said.
Jaden Schutt added a trio of threes in this game four assists while Tyler Johnson had seven points, four rebounds, and three assists. Brandon Rechsteiner had a pair of threes including a wild, off-balance one in the second half to beat the shot clock while Ben Burham added five points, two rebounds, and two steals. Patrick Wessler had four points and a rebound while Rodney Brown Jr. added three points, three assists, and two rebounds.
Matthew Cleveland led Miami with 21 points while Jalil Bethea had 15 points and Austin Swartz had 12 points in only 14 minutes off the bench.
So often in basketball, the indvidual stars dominate the spotlight, but this is still a team game. And on this day, Miami looked too often like a collection of individuals similar to Florida State football who had tons of talent like the Canes too, yet lacked the team aspect to properly put it together into being a successful team.
Meanwhile, the Hokies were consistently more of a team in this game and though they don't have nearly the talent that the Hurricanes do, today was a reminder that basketball is a team sport, not an individual game. This is a massive win for a young Hokies team that will look to carry that momentum across the country for a West Coast swing with road games at Stanford and California next week.
