Hokie Hoops Central: Jacksonville (2-2) at Virginia Tech (3-1) 7pm ESPN+/ACCNX

back to work 🏰🔥🆚 Jacksonville🕖 7PM ET📺 ACCNX🎄 Christmas Store Night (bring a toy)🔗 https://t.co/Ypqs6c7UWE pic.twitter.com/LngGjHCgnP— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) November 20, 2024

Jacksonville (2-2)
at
Virginia Tech (3-1)
7pm
Cassell Colisuem
ESPN+/ACCNX

TV | ACCNX
Evan Hughes, PxP
Mack McCarthy, Analyst

RADIO | VT Sports Network
Zach Mackey, PxP
Mike Burnop, Analyst

LIVE STATS
ESPN.com and ESPN app stats.hokiesports.com

A Lull that may have Teeth

The Hokies are coming off a tough loss to Penn State but hopefully don't take Jacksonville lightly in the midst of exams and before a date with Michigan.

The Hokies nearly doubled their season turnover total against Penn State with 24 turnovers in the game. You can't expect to win many games when you give away a third of your possessions.

The team is still fun to watch but are not getting consistent scoring from the starting trio of guards. The three are averaging only 28.6 points combined.

Jacksonville comes in 2-2 with wins over South Carolina State and Trinity Baptist. Their losses are to Furman and #21 Florida.

Florida beat them by 21 and Vegas expects the Hokies to win by 14. The Dolphins are led by their starting guard duo of McCray and Bell, putting up 28.8 ppg.

Forwards Nwokeji and Munson appear to be splitting the starting role so not sure which we will see. Senior Guard Jakari Spence and Freshman Chris Arias also appear to be sharing starts.

This team does not shoot the three well at all. The leader in that area is Nwokeji at 35% on 3.5 attempts per game. The rest of the team is below 30% on the season. McCray and Bell are looking to drive to the rim every time they touch the ball. The Hokies have not dealt with this kind of drive to the basket ability yet this season which is the only reason I am concerned on how prepared the Hokies are mentally for this game.

Defensively the Dolphins employ a man-to-man defense that requires players to communicate effectively and switch when needed. There is a strong focus on getting defensive rebounds by keeping three players near the basket at all time.

One key piece missing for the Dolphins is Grad Guard Marcus Niblack. He has a weird history. He played at East Tennessee as a Freshman but did not play again until last season as a Senior at Jacksonville where he averaged double-digit scoring. I can't find a reason for his not playing so far this season as he was expected to start.

The Hokies should have a sizable advantage in the paint in this game but will need to be careful with fouls considering how much penetration the Dolphins attempt. This should be an easy W if the Hokies are mentally focused.

Hokies Starters
Mylyjael Poteat
34 SR F 6-9 260
13.3 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 2.5 Ast

Toibu Lawal
1 JR F 6-8 200
12.8 Pts, 8.8 Reb, 0.5 Ast

Jaden Schutt
2 SO G 6-5 185
11.0 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 2.3 Ast

Brandon Rechsteiner
7 SO G 6-1 185
8.8 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 3.5 Ast

Jaydon Young
3 SO G 6-4 205
8.8 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 2.5 Ast

Key Bench Players
Tyler Johnson
10 FR G 6-5 215
8.0 Pts, 6.5 Reb, 0.5 Ast

Ben Hammond
11 FR G 5-11 170
3.5 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 1.5 Ast

Ben Burnham
13 SR F 6-7 200
3.3 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 0.5 Ast

Patrick Wessler
5 SO C 7-0 245
3.3 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast

Dolphins Starting Five
Robert McCray
13 JR G 6-4 185
16.0 Pts, 4.8 Reb, 4.3 Ast

Zach Bell
5 JR G 6-2 180
12.8 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 0.8 Ast

Stephon Payne
0 JR F 6-9 210
7.8 Pts, 8.0 Reb, 0.3 Ast

Jakari Spence
8 SR G 6-0 170
2.7 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 2.0 Ast

Zimi Nwokeji
16 SR F 6-7 220
7.5 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 0.5 Ast

Key Bench Players
Chris Arias
1 FR G 6-6 205
5.3 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 0.8 Ast

Kendall Munson
9 SR F 6-8 210
6.0 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 0.3 Ast

Enrico Borio
23 FR F 6-5 225
4.3 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 0.7 Ast

Had a HOFer in the building Friday night ✌️Appreciate the support @foe23 🦃🤝 pic.twitter.com/SPNjiYbEwm— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) November 17, 2024