Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sports columnist Aaron McFarling: Tough early slate begins to pay dividends
Aaron McFarling
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BLACKSBURG -- Seth Greenberg hated this year's schedule when he first saw it.
Conspiracy! he thought. Four of Virginia Tech's first six ACC games were on the road. During one January stretch, the Hokies would have to travel to Virginia, then go to Georgia Tech, then come home to play Duke, then go on the road again and face Boston College.
With a young team featuring a rookie point guard, this was more than daunting. This bordered on torture.
Who exactly had he riled up in the ACC offices to get stuck with that?
"Remember, Seth," his friends kept telling him. "The payoff comes at the end."
The end is here. And the Hokies are ready to cash in on their January investment.
"I always look at the schedule," Greenberg said. "I said, 'If we're in the hunt, then these three [late-February] games are pivotal.' You've got to win your home games."
One down, two to go. On Saturday, despite being party to one of the most unwatchable games in the history of basketball, the Hokies got a win they desperately needed. The 92-84 victory over Georgia Tech began a long-awaited three-game homestand that will determine how this season will be remembered.
There are really only two options left now:
1) Very good season, or
2) Magical season.
Saturday's win ensured nothing less than a 7-9 conference record, a.k.a. very good. That might seem a little disappointing now -- after all, no team wants to finish on a three-game losing streak -- but taken on the whole, it's a sterling effort from a program that was supposed to be in rebuilding mode.
And thanks to three ACC road wins already in the can, there's a chance for the Hokies to do much more. Beat Boston College on Tuesday and Wake Forest the following Tuesday, and the Hokies will finish no worse than 9-7 in the ACC. Steal the finale at Clemson and suddenly they're 10-6.
A long shot? Sure. But these Hokies have been long shots from the outset.
Bet against them at your own risk.
"It all started at Maryland," junior guard A.D. Vassallo said. "We knew if we won that Maryland game away and then we had three games at home, we definitely had a good chance.
"When we're at Cassell, we shouldn't lose."
Thud. Tweet. Thud. Tweet. Thud. Tweet. That was the soundtrack at Cassell Coliseum on Saturday, the sweet rhythm of bodies hitting the floor and officials blowing the whistle. The game featured 60 fouls and took well over two hours to play, but the Hokies certainly didn't mind the bruises or the extra half-hour on the court.
There was a lot of groaning in the stands Saturday about the referees -- understandable, considering these people paid to see basketball, not a free throw shooting contest -- but a tightly called game played to Virginia Tech's advantage. Both teams are undersized, but the Yellow Jackets and noticeably thicker and more physical. Collisions without calls would have doomed the Hokies.
And this is why the home court matters. It's not just the crowd, which can energize a rubber-legged team in the final minutes. It's also the pace and flow of the game, which typically favors the team in white.
Duke's defenders hit the passing lanes a little more quickly at Cameron Indoor. North Carolina's fast break runs more smoothly at the Dean Smith Center.
And the Hokies, who lead the ACC in scoring defense but are second to last in field-goal shooting, get some extra trips to the line and a better chance at another ugly win.
They got one Saturday. Now they need two more. February is almost over, and at long last, the schedule wants to help.
