As Minnesota played hot potato with the basketball, swinging it around the perimeter with over 16 minutes to go in the second half, Justyn Mutts and Grant Basile got ready. The Gophers lobbed in a pass over Mutts and into the hands of his man but before he could even think about going up cleanly, Basile rotated over for a super swat to erase the shot.
The ball went off a Hokie in the process so Tech had to lock back in defensively. On the ensuing play, Mutts stepped out to hedge out on the Gophers' ball handler and recovered back in time to righteously reject another layup attempt. Minnesota tried on numerous occasions to generate easy looks inside. Too bad they didn’t get the memo that Basile and Mutts were hosting a block party Monday night at Cassell Coliseum.
It was Virginia Tech’s stellar defensive performance that paved the way to a commanding 67-57 victory over Minnesota in the final edition of the ACC/Big 10 challenge. The defense was piloted by the excellent rim protection of Mutts, who posted three blocks, and Basile, who finished with a career high of four blocks. The Hokies finished the game with eight rejections and held the Gophers to an abysmal 36% FG shooting for the game.
“He’s (Grant Basile) one of the best shot blockers in our conference,” Justyn Mutts said to the media postgame. “He brings the rim protection element to our team that we really need.”
Basile’s versatile offensive game has stood out from game one. His interior defense is taking that next step which is making a big difference for the Hokies backline. At several points in the game, Tech allowed a breakdown on defense, but Basile cleaned up the mess by rotating over from the weak side to block would-be Gopher scorers at the rim.
“He took a big step forward and has to continue to come on for us,” Mike Young told reporters postgame. “That was certainly a bright sign for us, we spent a lot of time in the early going with him in that area.”
Additionally, Virginia Tech’s defensive intensity as a team seemed to ramp up for most of Monday evening's game. The Hokies held the Gophers in check in all facets of the game, and it resulted in allowing less than 60 points on the scoreboard for the third time this season.
“We were connected defensively and we played hard on that end.” Young said.
The Hokies' offense was once again carried by the usual suspects. Sean Pedulla continued his torrid pace in 2022 matching his season average of 17 points per game tonight on an efficient 8-13 shooting from the floor. Pedulla excelled as a slasher, getting to his spots in the paint and in the mid range, and rising up for a flurry of jumpers.
“I’m just trying to be aggressive with whatever the defense gives me,” Sean Pedulla said postgame. “I’ve been smarter on when to attack, and when to run the offense and give other guys the ball.”
With just over six minutes left in the first half, Virginia Tech went on a 13-0 run that was catapulted by Pedulla scoring 11 of his 17 total points on the night. That run helped break the Hokies out of an offensive rut and propelled them out to a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“He’s (Sean Pedulla) doing it night in and night out, making better basketball plays and better team plays,” Young said. “He’s talented and such a good player.”
Tech’s second leading scorer was Justyn Mutts, who nearly had himself a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds. Furthermore, Mutts added three blocks and two steals, and shot a clean 7-13 from the field to cap off a solid overall performance. On the bad side, Mutts did record five turnovers for the game, including a few too many in the early stages of the first half.
“Three of the early turnovers were mine,” Mutts said. “Nobody has to do too much, we have to make the easy pass and not the home run play ourselves.”
Another area the Hokies dominated the Gophers in was the rebounding category. Virginia Tech hauled in 42 rebounds to Minnesota’s 27 for the game. The Gophers had a physical size advantage with two out of the five starters standing at 6’11 or taller. However, the Hokies still feasted on the glass.
“I was pleased with our rebounding,” Young stated. “To out rebound them significantly was great.”
It’s a good early sign that Virginia Tech was able to out work a bigger team on the boards considering who’s coming to town Sunday afternoon. This game served as an early litmus test for Virginia Tech on the glass and they passed. However, there’s still lots of work to be done on both ends before the Hokies do battle with the Tar Heels.
“We got a way to go,” Young said. “There are strides still to take and we need to get better.”
Virginia Tech improves to 7-1 after the 10-point victory over Minnesota in their final ever ACC/Big 10 Challenge game. Next up for the Hokies is a tall task as No. 18 North Carolina strolls into town to take on Tech in a bout that will decide a lot moving forward in the ACC. UNC and VT will face off this Sunday at 3 p.m. at Cassell Coliseum for the Hokies' third home game in a row.
