A lot has changed since the last time Virginia Tech (6-1) squared off with tonight’s Big Ten opponent Minnesota (4-2) in the final ACC-Big 10 Challenge.
The last time the Hokies played the Golden Gophers in men’s basketball was almost 11 years ago to the day. The Gophers won that meeting 58-55 in Minnesota, but tonight the two teams will face off in Blacksburg, VA.
Since that meeting 11 years ago, both programs have undergone significant coaching changes. The Hokies thought they had their forever coach in Texas native Buzz Williams, only for him to go back home to coach Texas A&M. Now, the Hokies have found new life with the southwest Virginia native, Mike Young to continue on the rise started by Williams.
Meanwhile, the Gophers find themselves on the opposite side of a success. Second year man Ben Johnson is tasked with rebuilding a cupboard left bare by his predecessor, Richard Pitino. Minnesota struggled a lot last year, especially in conference play, after losing almost all of their scoring leaders when Pitino left.
This season has been much of the same for Ben Johnson, who has built the majority of the roster with transfers with the exception of one of the Gophers’ best players, junior forward Jamison Battle, a former transfer himself in his second year with the Gophers.
What to Watch For
Both teams like to work in their half court offenses. Mike Young typically likes to slow things down for the Hokies. They will utilize off and on-ball hand-off screens in every direction to find an advantage down low in the post or to get their guards one-on-one with a slower, larger defender behind the arc.
These two teams are starting to get into the thicker part of their schedule.
The ACC-Big 10 Challenge game is another chance to tune up the offense and work out any defensive kinks as conference play looms. For Young and the Hokies, they have to figure out how to close out games and capitalize on the big leads they have had against some of their opponents
already this year.
- College of Charleston- Led by 8, lost by 2.
- Penn State- Led by 16, won by 2.
- Old Dominion- Led by 20, won by 4.
Behind these close games has been the Hokies’ inability to hit shots down the stretch and failing to close out and defend their opponents. The big thing to watch as the Hokies draw near to ACC play will be what the closing lineup will look like for Mike Young at the end of games. Grant Basile does a decent job of spacing the floor on offense, but he has struggled
defensively.
Towards the end of the last game against Charleston Southern, it was Lynn Kidd getting the minutes and guarding the opponent's big man to end the second half. It will be interesting to see if Young goes to Kidd again for most of tonight to contain one of the Gophers’ leading scorers in UNC transfer, 6’11 Dawson Garcia as well as the athletic 6’9 freshman forward they have in Pharrel Payne.
Impact Players
- Minnesota: Forward Dawson Garcia - 15.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game
- Virginia Tech: Guard Sean Pedulla - 17.1 points and 4.3 assists per game
Three Keys to the Game
Win the Turnover Battle
This is a great matchup for the Hokies concerning the advantage they often have in winning the turnover battle most nights. They are 4th in the country in assist/turnover ratio and 3rd in turnovers per game (only 8.1). The Gophers are young, and have not been playing together for very long so there are still some chemistry issues. At times, they struggle against the press, and the Hokies’ involvement in disrupting the passing lanes could be key in stopping the Gophers on offense and leading to points on the other end.
Run In Transition
This is an interesting key to the game, because Mike Young does not
often want to push the pace on offense. However, the Gophers struggle to communicate on defense. While watching some of their recent games, it is noticeable how late they are in their rotations to close out on open shooters, and rotate over to help in transition. The Hokies can take
advantage of this by pushing the ball up the floor with the speed of Pedulla,
Darius Maddox, and Hunter Cattoor.
Even if they decide to pull the ball back and run the offense, setting some down screens in the post could be helpful to getting Cattoor and Maddox open for three or in the mid-range while the Gophers are scrambling to cover.
Second Chance Opportunities
The Hokies have played more games (7) than the Gophers (6) this season,
yet the Gophers have gained more offensive rebounds (71) compared to
the Hokies (61). For most of last season, the Hokies were one and done on the offensive end. Mutts is one of the only players who works inside to grab an offensive rebound. He will need some help, especially if the Hokies’ shots are not falling.
Vegas Odds
- Spread: Hokies -13
- Over/Under: 129.5
Game Prediction: Virginia Tech 73, Minnesota 62
Even with the Hokies’ struggles on the offensive glass and the defensive
side of the ball to begin this season, I still think the Hokies do enough to
wreak havoc on Minnesota’s offense that is still trying to find its identity.
The Hokies will capitalize off the Gophers’ mistakes. They will utilize the quickness of their guards to burn the Minnesota big men in one-on-one
situations and push the tempo every now and then in transition to take
down the Gophers.
