Going into the game as big underdogs, Virginia Tech looked to get its first win in the ACC this season (0-3 going into the game). UNC started off the game well, with a 15-9 lead after the first few minutes of the game. Then the Hokies turned it on from 3-point range, hitting eight 3’s in the first half. Dorenzo Hudson was 4-4 from 3-point range in the first half as the Hokies had a five-point lead at the half, 39-34. The lead was a bit misleading, as the Hokies were shooting well from beyond the arc and UNC was not playing up to par. Even when the shots were falling in the first twenty minutes, the Virginia Tech offense is stagnant. The offense consists of Erick Green passing the ball around the perimeter, maybe passing it inside, and then kicking it back out. About ten seconds are left on the clock after this and the Hokies force themselves to take a bad shot. The team just happened to be making the shots in the first half, which is why Virginia Tech had a five-point halftime lead.
UNC started off the second half like a house on fire: they were getting into transition, which made the good VT half court defense irrelevant. This caused UNC to score points in bunches and blow what as a close game wide open with a 19-0 run. The shots that were falling for Virginia Tech in the first half did not fall in the second; what kept the Hokies in the game led to fast break points for UNC. North Carolina won the game 82-68 as the Hokies fell to 0-4 in the ACC and 11-7 overall.
Notes on the game:
- Dorenzo Hudson was playing well in the first half. Why didn’t he play many minutes in the second?
- Boxing out is something this team needs to practice more if we want to win in this conference.
- We need actual plays on offense. Dribbling around the perimeter and not penetrating into the paint will not help this team.
- The freshmen need to hit the weight room, and fast. This team needs to bulk up due to not having a real center on this team.
