Virginia Tech Basketball: Defense once again fails Hokies in frustrating loss

If there was one area that Virginia Tech men’s basketball coach Mike Young was hoping would improve in 2023-24 from last season, it was his team’s defense. In their season-opening victory, 100-55 win over Coppin State, the veteran coach was happy with his player’s effort.

That likely wasn’t the case Friday night in their second game of the season against South Carolina at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte in the 2023 Hall of Fame Series Classic. The Hokies dug themselves a first-half deficit and were not able to overcome it by getting stops on the defensive end in an early-season loss to a Gamecocks team predicted to struggle this season in the SEC.

A six-and-a-half-minute scoring drought in the first half allowed South Carolina to turn a five-point deficit into a a five-point lead on the strength of their defense and getting hot from beyond the arc. Virginia Tech in the meantime struggles running their offense and to get good looks for Hunter Cattoor and Sean Pedulla.

The Hokies made several runs in the second half on the strength of Pedulla who had 22 points in the final 20 minutes, but again, they were not able to get stops when they needed and the Gamecocks got them and that was the difference.

To sum up the night, the game was tied 77-77 with under 30 seconds left when South Carolina’s B.J. Mack scored in the post, then after a timeout, the Gamecocks forced a turnover with two seconds left to secure the win. South Carolina shot 55% and the Hokies 50%, but the Gamecocks got one more stop than Young’s club. Let’s look at some key takeaways from a loss that drops Tech to 1-1.

Key takeaways from a frustrating Virginia Tech loss

• Midway through the first half, the Gamecocks turned up the defensive pressure and the Hokies couldn’t handle it. They turned the ball over, took tough contested shots, and came up short on some shots. South Carolina was able to their defense into offense to build a 10-point lead.
• South Carolina went 6-for-11 on 3-pointers in the opening half, while the Hokies struggled, to say the least, going 2-for-14.
• The Hokies avoided a major injury when Hunter Cattoor drove to the lane and slipped and went down without any contact. After staying down, he got up and walked off any injury that was bothering him.
• South Carolina, picked to finish last in the SEC in the preseason poll, is going to be a tough team on a lot of nights with the 3-point shot and their athleticism on defense.
• Pedulla was big offensively in the second half scoring 22 of his career-high 26 points, but it was not enough. He finished one rebound shy of his second straight double-double to begin the season.
• Cattoor finished with 13 points and Lynn Kidd also finished in double-figures with 12.
• Virginia Tech got a lot of offense in the paint in the second half, but they relied too much on the 3-ball in the first half when it wasn’t falling.
• Mylyjael Poteat had nine points in 14 minutes for the Hokies.

Virginia Tech is off until Wednesday night when they host Campbell at 6 p.m. at Cassell Coliseum. After that, Young’s former school, Wofford, comes to Blacksburg on Nov. 16 for a 5 p.m. tip.