3 Reasons Why Virginia Tech Lost to Virginia

Feb 18, 2014; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies guard/forward Jarell Eddie (31) reacts after being called for a foul during the first half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

The Virginia Tech Hokies had a valiant effort last night against Virginia as they dominated most of the game and seemed likely to pull off one of the biggest upsets in the ACC in the last few seasons. However, Virginia went on a run at the end of the game and the Hokies lost in what was an absolutely disappointing way to lose what should have been a big upset victory over the Hokies’ top rival Virginia. The Hokies played very well last night against an excellent Virginia team but there were some things that cost the Hokies a big upset victory last night.

1. Poor Shot Selection

This has been one of the biggest issues for the Hokies all season long and it showed up once again against the Wahoos which cost the Hokies. C.J. Barksdale seemed to be overconfident and took some shots that made you wonder what he was thinking including some bad threes. Jarell Eddie also had some questionable shots as his frustrations are probably due to the lack of quality opportunities he has been getting. Experienced players like Eddie and Barksdale both struggled in a big game to make smart decisions and it definitely cost the Hokies.

2. Too many turnovers

Virginia might be known for having one of the best defenses in the country and while the Hokies were expected to have a few turnovers, 14 turnovers is definitely too many. Some of the turnovers were absolutely unacceptable like when Devin Wilson and the Hokies turned it over on a 5-second call after a failure to pass the ball in play on time. Many of those turnovers were due to Virginia double-teaming the Hokies’ big men and their struggles to get out of those double teams. The Hokies were expected to have a few turnovers but 14 is too many.

3. Experienced Players Struggled

Now this is kind of a continuation of the first reason why the Hokies lost but Virginia Tech needed their older players to lead the way especially at the end and it didn’t happen. C.J. Barksdale tried to force shots that didn’t make sense and tried to do a lot more than the Hokies really needed him to do. Jarell Eddie almost fouled out and when he was on the floor, he struggled to get the space he needed for quality shots. Eddie has struggled a lot and his high number of fouls caused him to play only 29 minutes in a game that the Hokies could have used 35 out of him.

Cadarian Raines also failed to make any impact of the bench though Raines wasn’t really utilized very well in the Virginia Tech offense. The Hokies could have used their most experienced players to play well and that is definitely not what happened especially at the end of the game against Virginia.

Follow us on Twitter @FightingGobbler and sign up for our newsletter to get the latest news and analysis on Virginia Tech.