University of North Carolina Athletics
Know Your Opponent: Virginia Tech
January 24, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Virginia Tech (HokieSports.com)
Location: Blacksburg, Va.
Rankings: VT - No. 105 KenPom, NR AP; UNC - No. 5 KenPom, No. 2 AP
Records: VT - 12-7, 4-2 ACC; UNC - 17-2, 6-0 ACC
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 65-13 (UNC 68, Virginia Tech 53, Jan. 18, 2015, Smith Center)
Clemson's five-game conference winning streak grabbed most of the underdog-related headlines around the ACC, but Virginia Tech's 4-2 start to league play has certainly been worthy of attention. With wins over North Carolina State, Virginia, Wake Forest and at Georgia Tech, the Hokies enter Sunday's contest just a game out of second place in the league's crowded middle.
The Hokies limped into conference play with an 8-5 record that featured blowout losses to Iowa State and West Virginia as well as an inexplicable home setback to Alabama State in the season opener. But the switch flipped for Buzz Williams' crew to start the new year, with a 24-point loss at Duke standing as the lone poor performance against ACC competition.
Zach LeDay has been the top player for Virginia Tech in his first season in Blacksburg, leading the team in scoring and rebounding while heading an offensive attack that is the nation's best in free throw rate. After two relatively nondescript seasons at South Florida, the junior forward has converted at an 83.3/50.0/62.5 clip (FT/2FG/3FG) in conference play. He is joined by 6-10 freshman Kerry Blackshear, a talented rebounder who has been especially effective on the offensive glass. The loss of Chris Clarke to a broken foot has left the Hokies relatively thin up front, however. Shane Henry, the lone senior on the roster, has started the last six games and scored 11 points in a season-high 20 minutes against Notre Dame on Wednesday.
In the backcourt, sophomore Justin Bibbs is off to a white-hot start from the outside. He has made 44 of his 83 3-point attempts through 19 games (53 percent) to rank sixth in the country in three-point percentage. Maryland transfer Seth Allen gives the Hokies two players who have already attempted more than 100 free throws. By comparison, Brice Johnson leads Carolina in free throw attempts with 83. Sophomore Jalen Hudson, freshman Justin Robinson and junior Devin Wilson round out the regular guard rotation, with Robinson leading the team in assist rate.
Perhaps the biggest difference for the Hokies in ACC play has been their ability to protect the ball. They have committed turnovers on just 13.7 percent of their conference possessions, a mark that trails only Notre Dame. Virginia Tech has also been one of the league's most up-tempo teams in its second season under Williams, so Sunday figures to be the fastest game left on the schedule for UNC.
The rough non-conference start has VT's RPI outside of the top 100 nationally, meaning that even with an above-average finish to the regular season, the Hokies are a major long shot for an NCAA tournament bid. The schedule will provide plenty of opportunities for quality victories, however, and all indications are that Williams will have them back in the at-large discussion sooner than later.
