Virginia Tech Men's Basketball: Miami Q&A Preview

The 14th seeded Virginia Tech Hokies (10-21, 2-16 ACC) took down the eleven-seed Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Tuesday's first round of the ACC Tournament. Next up in Buzzketball's quest for the ACC crown is 6th seeded Miami (20-11, 10-8 ACC), a team that has embarrassed the Hokies in their two previous meetings. Let's hope Sunday's 21-point loss to the Canes is fresh in this team's mind and they use it as extra motivation to firmly knock The U off the NCAA Tournament bubble.

I had an opportunity to exchange questions and answers with Jerry Steinberg of State of the U ahead of Tuesday's game. Jerry's answers to my questions are below, and you can find my answers at State of the U.

Only two years removed from winning the ACC's Regular Season and Tournament crowns, the Canes have rebounded from a 10th Place finish in 2014 to earn a six-seed this year. Do you feel like this team has underachieved, overachieved, or finished right where they should have?

Miami came into the season with nine players who had never worn a 'Canes uniform before. In terms of game experience, only Manu Lecomte and Tonye Jekiri returned from last year's squad. So expectations were all over the place. I personally picked UM to finish 8th in the conference. So I am pleasantly surprised, overall. I did not see road wins over Florida, Duke, and Syracuse happening. That being said, home losses to Eastern Kentucky, Green Bay, and Georgia Tech were equally shocking. It's been that kind of season in Coral Gables. If they can win this game, maybe one more over Notre Dame and make the Big Dance, they will have had a very successful season, in my opinion. Next year when everyone returns, minus seldom used grad transfer Joe Thomas, the expectations will be much greater.

What is the status of injured point guard Angel Rodriguez heading into Wednesday's game? If Rodriguez can't go, do you feel confident in Manu Lecomte's ability to manage this team? He certainly played well against the Hokies on Sunday in Rodriguez's absence.

The latest and only update we have from the school is that Angel is "questionable." My guess is that he sits this one out. A wrist injury is a tricky proposition for a point guard. The combination of Lecomte and steadily improving freshman PG JaQuan Newton may not have the explosive abilities of Rodriguez, but in a sense they are actually more steady. You know what you will get from them most games, whereas Rodriguez can give you anything from a 25 point, 5 assist, 5 steal All-American type performance (see the Duke game) to a 1-12, 3 turnover stinker (several occasions).

With Sheldon McClellan and Davon Reed constantly threatening from the wing and impressive man-child Tonye Jekiri in the post, the Canes simply feel like a bad matchup for Virginia Tech. Where would you say the Canes are the most vulnerable against this Hokies team?

The Hokies like to spread you out and get open looks on threes. But Miami has a plethora of guards and wings who can contest shots on the perimeter. If Virginia Tech wants to beat Miami, they likely need to forego the "bombs away" approach, and take the ball to the basket over and over. Jalen Hudson looked like a monster in that regard versus Wake. Perhaps taking the ball to the basket gets Jekiri in foul trouble, as well. The Hurricanes have a lot of talented players, but without Jekiri in the game, they are vulnerable in defensive rebounding and rim protection.

Who would you say is the Canes' biggest x-factor heading into Wednesday's game?

I think it has to be Davon Reed. He is very active defensively. After missing the first 8 games of the season with an ACL injury, he took some time to find his offensive game. Yet on the season he shot 52% from the floor, and a white hot 49% from three. He also matched his career high of 19 points on 4 occasions in the final 10 games. Reed has point guard skills in a 6'6" frame. He is by far Miami's most underrated player.

Alright, I'm going to put you on the spot. Who've you got and why?

This is just a bad matchup for the Hokies. UM matches up very well on the outside with them, and they have the game's best big in Jekiri. Add to the fact that the Hokies might be fatigued and the Hurricanes have NCAA Tourney bubble status, and this all adds up to a big Miami win. That is unless of course they come out tight. You never know. Nonetheless, I will go 'Canes, 70-54.