After Brushing Off The Rust, Hokies Cruise to Season Opening Win Over Maine

Season openers are a challenging beast. Players are expected to brush off nerves and execute right out of the gate, often against a plucky mid-major school. The Hokies learned that the hard way last year, dropping their opener to Alabama State in stunning fashion.

On Friday night Buzz Williams' squad made sure they didn't repeat last season's opening dud, cruising to a 80-67 victory over the University of Maine Black Bears in front of a sold out Cassell Coliseum crowd.

Four Hokies finished in double figures, led by senior Zach LeDay. LeDay paced the Hokies with 20 points and 12 rebounds, picking up where he left off last season by notching his 13th career double-double.

Chris Clarke was active on both ends of the court all night, falling a rebound shy of a double-double in a 12-point, 9-rebound performance. Ahmed Hill returned to the lineup after a year on the mend to score 14 points, and sophomore point guard Justin Robinson finished with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

The Hokies struggled with consistency early. Rebounds bounced off fingertips, guards mishandled their dribble on occasion and wide open jumpers and layups failed to go down.

Tech finally started to settle in ten minutes into the game. Leading 15-13, the Hokies ripped off a quick 11-2 run to provide some cushion and never looked back.

As was the case last season, play began to open up off penetration. Justin Robinson, Seth Allen and Ahmed Hill began to beat their man on the perimeter, drawing the help defender in the post. They then either blew by them to the rim or dished to an open teammate, resulting in a wide open corner three by Clarke and easy finishes in the paint for LeDay.

The Hokies combined active on- and off-ball defense and backside rebounding to get out on the fast break. Tech took advantage of physical and athletic advantages to wear down the Black Bears, out rebounding Maine 44-36 and finishing with a 46-20 points-in-the-paint advantage.

Don't let the final score fool you. The Hokies started slow and didn't really pull away until the 15-minute mark of the second half. But after the Hokies created some separation ten minutes into the first half, Maine never really felt like they were threatening Tech. Up 25 with just over three minutes remaining, the Hokies took their foot off the gas and let Maine cut the score to 13 before the final buzzer.

It was by no means a stellar performance from the Hokies — the rust showed early and continued to creep up late in the second half. When you're building a program, you need to take advantage of these early season matchups against less talented teams to work out the kinks and ease into the season.

"I think, like any other coach would say after Game 1, we did good things and I think there are distinct ways we can improve," noted Buzz Williams post-game. "The things that we've been practicing came to life, more so than at any other time, whether that be a scrimmage or consecutive days of practice, but obviously, there's a lot of room for growth, for sure."

Quick Impressions

Ahmed Hill Looks Like a New Man I was very impressed by Ahmed Hill last night. Not only does Med look like an absolute tank, but he displayed some incredible athleticism and improved handles. I know we like to think of him as a "Three-and-D" guy, but after one game he looks like a considerably more well-rounded ball player.

We saw great on-ball and help defense from him against Maine, including in the post. He looked confident shooting from distance and attacking the rim, finishing 5-11 from the field and 3-6 from three. But most of all, he looks strong and sturdy, which will serve him well as the season progresses and he is forced to regularly go up against NBA-caliber wings.

Finding Their Sea Legs Some guys picked up where they left off. Others never really looked comfortable — specifically Justin Bibbs and Ty Outlaw.

Bibbs struggled all night with his shot, finishing with 6 points on 2-11 shooting. He did a decent job creating shots for others but needed to see a couple of his own shots go down. After failing to connect on a series of outside jumpers — many of which appeared rushed — Bibbs adjusted his game by driving to the hoop and posting up on the block to create more high-percentage opportunities. He eventually drained a three-pointer with 3:02 to play to finish the game with a better taste in his mouth.

Ty Outlaw had trouble settling into the flow of the game. Rather than integrate himself into the offense and allow shots to come organically, Outlaw appeared to press in the second half in an effort to get on the score sheet.

The good news is that these are the types of games where poor shooting nights from your gunners are acceptable. Plus, when youre natural scorers like the two of them are, you have to feel confident that Friday's misses will eventually fall.

Zach LeDay, the Unassuming Beast in the Paint I continue to be impressed by LeDay. He has such an incredible knack for knowing how to use his body to gain leverage in traffic. He never appears to out-leap defenders, yet he regularly finds ways to come down with the ball. His combination of natural instincts reading the direction the ball will travel off the hoop; his willingness to body up nearby defenders; and the drive to out-will opponents is outstanding. The ease with which he plays is so important on a young and developing team. Kudos to Steve Roccaforte for bring Zach to Blacksburg.

Speaking of Rebounding... One thing that stuck out to me was — with the exception of Zach LeDay — how little the Hokies are bodying up the nearest player and boxing them out. On back-to-back possessions, I noticed Khadim Sy and Justin Robinson simply put their hand on the nearest offensive player only to get out played on the rebound. Tech can get away with relying on athleticism against teams like Maine, but a similar laid back approach against a team like UNC will make for a long night. When you're undersized like the Hokies, little things like using your entire lower half to box out can go a long way.

Khadim Sy's Debut Sy was a surprise starter in place of Zach LeDay and had a decent first game in orange and maroon. He finished with 6 points, 4 boards and 3 blocks. Sy played a little tentative early but looked more comfortable as the game went on, showing off some nice moves in the post and providing great backside help defense on the block.

Chris Clarke's Improved Game On Friday night, Clarke displayed some noticeable growth from his freshman year. He hit a three; finished well in transition; made some really nice drives to the hoop in traffic and finished with confidence; and he made some really nice lead passes to cutting teammates. His athleticism stood out a year ago, but against Maine a more well-rounded skillset came to the fore.

One other quick Clarke-related note: I said this a lot about Jalen Hudson during his two years in Blacksburg, but Chris Clarke displays remarkable body control when he's in the air attacking the hoop. He combines incredible body strength (few players can match) with nice hands to score and draw fouls. It's like he has finally begun to understand how to throttle back a little on the R2 button and not play constantly at full speed for forty minutes.

Next Up The Hokies return to Cassell next Tuesday night to take on High Point. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.