Virginia Tech Basketball: Hokies Fall to Florida State in ACC Quarterfinals

Rebounding, Turnovers plague Hokies in 74-68 loss to the Seminoles

On Wednesday night against Wake Forest, the Hokies played a poor first half and an incredible second half to beat the Demon Deacons, 99-90.

On Thursday night, the script was flipped. The Hokies hit six first half three pointers, while Florida State hit none, helping the Hokies to a narrow 35-33 halftime lead, despite the Seminoles holding a +7 advantage on the glass.

In the second half, the Hokies continued to battle, but when Zach LeDay picked up his fourth foul with just over nine minutes to play, Florida State pounced on the opportunity to take control of the game with Tech’s best offensive player on the bench. The Hokies held a 52-50 lead at the time, but Florida State went on a 13-0 run to take a 63-52 lead with just over six minutes to play.

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After calling a timeout, Buzz Williams’ hand was forced by the Florida State run, as he inserted Zach LeDay back into the action with four fouls. It was a major risk to take, but without him on the floor, the Hokies were rolling with five guards, as Ty Outlaw played the de-facto 5.

Side note here real quick–it’s quite telling that Khadim Sy saw no playing time during this stretch. Buzz Williams still clearly does not trust him in crucial minutes against big lineups, or really, against any lineups at all. Sy only played nine minutes on Thursday night, finishing with two points and one rebound. He’s 6’10”, and that’s all he mustered.

The lack of frontcourt depth and rebounding is the single biggest weakness of this basketball team, as injuries have ravaged through the size, frontcourt athleticism, and rebounding prowess with the losses of Kerry Blackshear, Chris Clarke, and Johnny Hamilton.

With LeDay back in the game, the Hokies outscored Florida State 13-10, but it was too little too late. Tech’s late scoring run was not to be, as Seth Allen drove the lane and appeared to be fouled by Jonathan Isaac with 35 seconds to go. The whistle-happy officials let the obvious foul go, and without the two free throws that would have cut the Florida State lead to three, the Seminoles bled the clock and emerged with a 74-68 victory, advancing to Friday’s ACC Semifinal against Notre Dame.

Zach LeDay’s impact on this game was the sole reason why the Hokies even had a chance in this game. After scoring 31 points and grabbing 15 rebounds on Wednesday against Wake, LeDay scored 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting and pulled down nine rebounds. He was also 10-of-12 from the free throw line. He was the best player on the floor on Thursday, and did all he could to keep the Hokies in it, despite the Seminoles outrebounding Tech as a team by a final margin of 45-31.

Seth Allen was the second-leading scorer for the Hokies on this night as he finished with 17 points. It was not a great game for Allen though, as he inefficiently shot 4-of-13 from the field and had five turnovers.

Justin Robinson turned in a gritty 14-point, six assist performance in 35 minutes of game action after rolling his ankle on Wednesday against Wake Forest. He clearly was not at 100%, but he still made a positive impact on the game. The rest should do him well over the next week of down time before the NCAA Tournament.

For Florida State, Jonathan Isaac finished the game with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Dwayne Bacon scored 17 points and added seven rebounds in the victory.

Next up for the Hokies will be their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2007-08 season. For those of you in Blacksburg, there will be a Selection Sunday Watch Party in Cassell Coliseum, as the team and fans will bring in the excitement of the March Madness schedule together. The Selection Show begins at 5:30, and the doors will open at 4:30. Full details can be found here.