Hokies Hope to Break Cycle of Conference Tournament Futility March 6, 2007 Virginia Tech will take part in their third ACC tournament beginning on Friday night, when they take on the winner of Thursday's Georgia Tech-Wake Forest game. The Hokies are hoping it goes better than their first two ACC tournaments. It certainly can't go any worse. The Hokies have been bounced in their first game the past two seasons, and their conference tournament performance has been poor for over 20 years. more
Hargrave Experience Helps Talented Hudson March 6, 2007 County Player of the Year as a junior at Forest Hills High School (Marshville, N.C.), 6-4, 185-pound guard Dorenzo Hudson felt it was time for a change. The Virginia Tech recruit decided to transfer to Hargrave Military Academy to finish out his prep career and the change has been for the better, as the talented guard feels like an improved player in several ways. more
A Long Road to VT for Talented Allen March 5, 2007 Jeff Allen committed to Virginia Tech on June 27th, 2005. At the time, he had played his previous season at DeMatha Catholic but would transfer to another prestigious prep institution - Oak Hill Academy - for 2005/2006. He is now at Hargrave Military Academy and all he needs to do is to graduate in order to qualify for Virginia Tech. Presumably, the talented forward will finally be in Blacksburg later this year. more
Tigers Upset Hokies in Blacksburg March 4, 2007 Virginia Tech lost their chance to tie for the ACC regular season championship and earn the #1 seed in the ACC tournament when they were defeated by Clemson 75-74 in Blacksburg on Sunday afternoon. The Hokies drop to 20-10 overall and 10-6 in ACC play, and are still assured a first round bye in the ACC tournament. Clemson improves to 21-9 and 7-9 in conference play. more
2006-07 Basketball Game Preview: Virginia Tech vs. Clemson March 2, 2007 Sunday afternoon will mark the final home game in the careers of five Virginia Tech seniors, and this will be a big one for them. The Hokies still have a chance to claim the #1 seed in the ACC tournament. Things are still so wide open at the top that Tech could finish anywhere from tied for first to fourth place. However, the only thing they can control is what they do on Sunday against the Clemson Tigers. more
Hot-Shooting Hoos Down VT in Charlottesville March 1, 2007 UVA used a very good defensive performance and a hot-shooting outside game to down Virginia Tech 69-56 in Charlottesville on Thursday night. The in-state rivals split the season series, and UVA momentarily moves into first place in the ACC with the win. Tech drops to 20-9 overall and 10-5 in ACC play. UVA improves to 20-8 and 11-4 in the ACC. more
2006-07 Around the ACC: March 1, 2007 March 1, 2007 It's crunch time. We are now entering the final weekend of ACC regular season play, and there is still a lot to be decided. First and foremost is the ACC Regular Season Championship. UNC, Virginia Tech and Virginia all find themselves tied at the top of the conference standings, and tonight's huge matchup in Charlottesville will help determine who gets the #1 seed in the ACC Tournament. more
Special Season Assured, Hokies Look for More February 28, 2007 Twenty wins. An NCAA Tournament bid. An All-ACC First Team candidate and Coach of the Year candidate. A top four finish in the ACC. These are all great accomplishments, and if the season ended today, Hokie fans should be proud. But as the team embarks for a critical road game in Charlottesville Thursday night, it's becoming clearer that success breeds many things. Among them: an appetite for more success. more
2006-07 Basketball Game Preview: #21 Virginia Tech at #25 Virginia February 28, 2007 What were you doing on January 6, 1968? Many of you probably don't remember. Some of you weren't alive. I sure wasn't. Will Stewart was a toddler. LBJ was in the Whitehouse, we hadn't landed on the moon yet, and Lane Stadium and Cassell Coliseum were in their first few years of existence. That's also the last time Virginia Tech won a men's basketball game in Charlottesville. more
Hokies Blow Hurricanes Out of Blacksburg February 24, 2007 Virginia Tech started slowly, but blew the Miami Hurricanes out of Blacksburg in the second half on their way to a 73-57 win that all but locked up a berth in the 2007 NCAA tournament. The victory improves Tech to 20-8 overall and 10-4 in the ACC. Miami drops to 11-17 overall, and 4-10 in conference play. more
2006-07 Basketball Game Preview: Virginia Tech vs. Miami February 23, 2007 The Miami Hurricanes venture to Cassell Coliseum on Saturday afternoon fresh off a win over Virginia, and they'll be looking to turn that into a winning streak. Virginia Tech will be looking for their 20th win overall and 10th in the ACC, and if they get it, they'll lock up their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1996. more
2006-07 Around the ACC: February 22nd, 2007 February 22, 2007 With nine teams in the top 48 of the RPI ratings, pundits around the country are wondering if the ACC will get seven, eight, or even nine teams into the NCAA tournament. TSL has their own ideas on that topic, and we give our thoughts on what teams from the conference will and won't be dancing at season's end in this week's "Around the ACC." This week's ACC quiz: UNC has the most overall wins in the conference with 24, but which team has the second-most wins overall? The answer will surprise you. more
Will Top SG Clark Visit VT? February 22, 2007 At 29-0 and ranked the #4 team in the nation by USA Today, Montverde Academy (FL) features one of the top remaining unsigned players in the country in 6-4, 185-pound two-guard Gary Clark. Virginia Tech is just one of many schools showing heavy interest in Clark, who may visit Blacksburg next month. more
Hokies Whack BC, Eye Top-Four ACC Finish February 21, 2007 After six straight losses to BC, the Hokies finally got a hold of the Eagles Wednesday night and shook them like a pit bull shakes a rag doll. The win was nice, in more ways than one, and the Hokies are now a lock to finish in the top four of the ACC. As the season winds down, it's apparent that Virginia Tech has handled the ebb and flow of the ACC schedule a lot better than they did the last time they finished in the top four, in 2004-05. more
Hokies Ground Eagles in Blacksburg February 21, 2007 Virginia Tech turned a narrow halftime lead into a rout, dominating the first 12 minutes of the second half en route to a 79-62 blowout win over Boston College on Wednesday night. The Hokies got revenge for a loss to BC earlier this month, and improve to 19-8 overall and 9-4 in the ACC. Boston College drops to 18-9, with a 9-5 record in conference play. With three straight losses, the Eagles are all but out of the race for the top seed in the ACC tournament. more
Basketball Recruiting Update: 2007 Signees Moving Up in Rankings February 21, 2007 Virginia Tech's already stellar 2007 basketball recruiting rankings got a boost on Monday, when Rivals.com updated their National Top 150 list. All five Virginia Tech signees are on the list (including Dorenzo Hudson pictured at right, who cracked the top 100), and each one of them moved up. Not only that, but the Hokies are in on a couple of other Top 150 prospects with their final available scholarship. more
2006-07 Basketball Game Preview: Virginia Tech vs. Boston College February 20, 2007 One of the biggest ACC games of the season will take place in Blacksburg, VA on Wednesday night. Virginia Tech meets Boston College in a game that will help shake out the top of the ACC standings. BC whipped an emotionally flat Tech team 80-59 in Boston earlier in the season. The Hokies are capable of playing better, and they'll look to do so at home. more
Wolfpack Ambush Hokies 81-56 February 18, 2007 Virginia Tech has had a lot of success against teams from the state of North Carolina this year, with one major exception. Hot-shooting NC State downed Virginia Tech 81-56 in Raleigh on Sunday afternoon, completing the season sweep of the Hokies. Tech drops to 18-8 overall and 8-4 in the ACC, while the Wolfpack improves to 14-11 overall and 4-8 in conference play. more
2006-07 Basketball Game Preview: #25 Virginia Tech at NC State February 16, 2007 On Sunday afternoon, Virginia Tech will head back to the Tar Heel state to play a game that could potentially put them back in first place in the ACC. However, it's going to be a tough task. NC State beat Virginia Tech back on January 31, handing the Hokies their only loss in Cassell Coliseum this season. If Tech wants to beat the Wolfpack this time, they need to bring more intensity than they did back in January. more
2006-07 Around the ACC: February 15th, 2007 February 15, 2007 Two big road wins in the last two days threw the top of the ACC into a dead heat. Virginia Tech's win at the Dean Dome and Duke's victory at Boston College leave the top four teams in the ACC in a virtual lock, with BC holding down first place by virtue of a half-game lead in the win column. This Saturday's big game sees ESPN's College Gameday paying a visit to BC for a matchup between the Eagles and the UNC Tar Heels. Four days later, on Wednesday night, there are five league games, headlined by Boston College traveling to VT. Yes, it's going to be an interesting week in the ACC. more
Resilient Hokies Pull Off Amazing Win February 14, 2007 This column isn't going to be very long. I've been writing about Hokie sports for almost eleven years, so I recognize moments when no one, not even the most gifted scribe, can do a game justice. Just remember that on February 13, 2007, Virginia Tech basketball went down to Chapel Hill and knocked off North Carolina at home. Every time I think this team has topped itself, they do it again. more
Hokies Win Overtime Thriller in the Dean Dome February 14, 2007 Exactly one month following their upset of then-#1 UNC in Blacksburg, the Hokies did it again. This time they beat the #4 Tar Heels in the Dean Dome 81-80 in an overtime thriller. Virginia Tech is the first team since the 1995-96 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to win in Cameron Indoor Stadium and the Dean Dome in the same season. They are 3-0 against Duke and UNC this season. The victory takes their overall record to 18-7, and their ACC mark stands at 8-3. UNC drops to 22-4 and 8-3. more
2006-07 Basketball Game Preview: #25 Virginia Tech at #4 North Carolina February 13, 2007 Virginia Tech will sail into uncharted waters tonight when they play in North Carolina's Dean Dome for the first time in school history. The #25 Hokies, 15-point underdogs, will try to do the unthinkable -- defeat #4 UNC for the second time this season. That's a tall task, and to do it Tech will have to do the exact same thing they did back on January 13th -- shoot well and take care of the basketball. more
Checking in with '08 recruit Shamarr Bowden February 12, 2007 6-3, 175-pound junior guard Shamarr Bowden, a verbal commitment for Seth Greenberg's 2008 recruiting class, earned all-metro 4A conference honors at Grimsley High School in the 2005/2006 season. That season, he averaged 19.7 points per game while shooting 37-percent from 3-point range. Bowden is playing this year at The Miller School in Albemarle, Virginia, and seems to be having similar success. more
Hokies Hit Their Groove Against Suddenly-Vulnerable Hoos February 10, 2007 For such a long time, Virginia could do no wrong, winning seven ACC games in a row and moving from the bottom quarter of the ACC standings all the way up to first place. But on Saturday in Cassell Coliseum, the Hoos ran into a buzz saw and got smoked by a Hokie team that came to play. If you had told me before the game that (a) Coleman Collins and Zabian Dowdell would score 11 total points; (b) Virginia Tech would win by 27; or (c) both of the above, I never would have picked (c). But it was that kind of day. more
Virginia Tech will take part in their third ACC tournament beginning on Friday night, when they take on the winner of Thursday's Georgia Tech-Wake Forest game. The Hokies are hoping it goes better than their first two ACC tournaments. It certainly can't go any worse. The Hokies have been bounced in their first game the past two seasons, and their conference tournament performance has been poor for over 20 years.
County Player of the Year as a junior at Forest Hills High School (Marshville, N.C.), 6-4, 185-pound guard Dorenzo Hudson felt it was time for a change. The Virginia Tech recruit decided to transfer to Hargrave Military Academy to finish out his prep career and the change has been for the better, as the talented guard feels like an improved player in several ways.
Jeff Allen committed to Virginia Tech on June 27th, 2005. At the time, he had played his previous season at DeMatha Catholic but would transfer to another prestigious prep institution - Oak Hill Academy - for 2005/2006. He is now at Hargrave Military Academy and all he needs to do is to graduate in order to qualify for Virginia Tech. Presumably, the talented forward will finally be in Blacksburg later this year.
Virginia Tech lost their chance to tie for the ACC regular season championship and earn the #1 seed in the ACC tournament when they were defeated by Clemson 75-74 in Blacksburg on Sunday afternoon. The Hokies drop to 20-10 overall and 10-6 in ACC play, and are still assured a first round bye in the ACC tournament. Clemson improves to 21-9 and 7-9 in conference play.
Sunday afternoon will mark the final home game in the careers of five Virginia Tech seniors, and this will be a big one for them. The Hokies still have a chance to claim the #1 seed in the ACC tournament. Things are still so wide open at the top that Tech could finish anywhere from tied for first to fourth place. However, the only thing they can control is what they do on Sunday against the Clemson Tigers.
It's crunch time. We are now entering the final weekend of ACC regular season play, and there is still a lot to be decided. First and foremost is the ACC Regular Season Championship. UNC, Virginia Tech and Virginia all find themselves tied at the top of the conference standings, and tonight's huge matchup in Charlottesville will help determine who gets the #1 seed in the ACC Tournament.
Twenty wins. An NCAA Tournament bid. An All-ACC First Team candidate and Coach of the Year candidate. A top four finish in the ACC. These are all great accomplishments, and if the season ended today, Hokie fans should be proud. But as the team embarks for a critical road game in Charlottesville Thursday night, it's becoming clearer that success breeds many things. Among them: an appetite for more success.
What were you doing on January 6, 1968? Many of you probably don't remember. Some of you weren't alive. I sure wasn't. Will Stewart was a toddler. LBJ was in the Whitehouse, we hadn't landed on the moon yet, and Lane Stadium and Cassell Coliseum were in their first few years of existence. That's also the last time Virginia Tech won a men's basketball game in Charlottesville.
The Miami Hurricanes venture to Cassell Coliseum on Saturday afternoon fresh off a win over Virginia, and they'll be looking to turn that into a winning streak. Virginia Tech will be looking for their 20th win overall and 10th in the ACC, and if they get it, they'll lock up their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1996.
At 29-0 and ranked the #4 team in the nation by USA Today, Montverde Academy (FL) features one of the top remaining unsigned players in the country in 6-4, 185-pound two-guard Gary Clark. Virginia Tech is just one of many schools showing heavy interest in Clark, who may visit Blacksburg next month.
After six straight losses to BC, the Hokies finally got a hold of the Eagles Wednesday night and shook them like a pit bull shakes a rag doll. The win was nice, in more ways than one, and the Hokies are now a lock to finish in the top four of the ACC. As the season winds down, it's apparent that Virginia Tech has handled the ebb and flow of the ACC schedule a lot better than they did the last time they finished in the top four, in 2004-05.
Virginia Tech's already stellar 2007 basketball recruiting rankings got a boost on Monday, when Rivals.com updated their National Top 150 list. All five Virginia Tech signees are on the list (including Dorenzo Hudson pictured at right, who cracked the top 100), and each one of them moved up. Not only that, but the Hokies are in on a couple of other Top 150 prospects with their final available scholarship.
One of the biggest ACC games of the season will take place in Blacksburg, VA on Wednesday night. Virginia Tech meets Boston College in a game that will help shake out the top of the ACC standings. BC whipped an emotionally flat Tech team 80-59 in Boston earlier in the season. The Hokies are capable of playing better, and they'll look to do so at home.
On Sunday afternoon, Virginia Tech will head back to the Tar Heel state to play a game that could potentially put them back in first place in the ACC. However, it's going to be a tough task. NC State beat Virginia Tech back on January 31, handing the Hokies their only loss in Cassell Coliseum this season. If Tech wants to beat the Wolfpack this time, they need to bring more intensity than they did back in January.
Virginia Tech will sail into uncharted waters tonight when they play in North Carolina's Dean Dome for the first time in school history. The #25 Hokies, 15-point underdogs, will try to do the unthinkable -- defeat #4 UNC for the second time this season. That's a tall task, and to do it Tech will have to do the exact same thing they did back on January 13th -- shoot well and take care of the basketball.
6-3, 175-pound junior guard Shamarr Bowden, a verbal commitment for Seth Greenberg's 2008 recruiting class, earned all-metro 4A conference honors at Grimsley High School in the 2005/2006 season. That season, he averaged 19.7 points per game while shooting 37-percent from 3-point range. Bowden is playing this year at The Miller School in Albemarle, Virginia, and seems to be having similar success.
