WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Preview: #5 Virginia Tech (21-11) vs. #12 Illinois (23-11)

By Barry Jacobs

Mar 15, 2007

No present member of the ACC had suffered a longer exclusion from NCAA play than Virginia Tech, which joined the league three seasons ago. Clemson and Florida State have not been invited since 1998; both are in this year’s NIT along with N.C. State. The Hokies’ drought extended to 1997, but ended thanks to a sterling senior backcourt, careful handling of the ball, aggressive defense, and key wins over North Carolina (twice), Virginia, Maryland and Duke.

Any discussion of Seth Greenberg’s club must start with its guards, All-ACC performer Zabian Dowdell and league steal leader Jamon Gordon (2.7 per game).

Dowdell is fifth in the ACC with an 18.3-point average and second only to Gordon in steals. Gordon also averages in double figures (11.3) and is third in the ACC in assist:turnover ratio, and seventh in assists, virtually matching UVa leader Sean Singletary. Rarely are both off their game at the same time, and each has shown himself capable of carrying the load alone when necessary.

There are plenty of other options, anyway, particularly at wing, where the Hokies have a pair of superior athletes in Deron Washington (11.8 points, a team-high 5.6 rebounds) and A.D. Vassallo (11.4), a 44.1 percent shooter from 3-point range.

Virginia Tech, much like Boston College, plays a well-modulated game. Greenberg’s group does a good job of inhibiting opponents’ shooting (.417) and limiting its own mistakes. No ACC team has a better turnover margin, and only North Carolina has a better ratio of assists to turnovers. The Hokies had only two turnovers in their ACC Tournament quarterfinal victory against Wake Forest, a record for the event in the era of the shot clock.

Where the Blacksburg bunch is most vulnerable is inside, and at the foul line. They make a shade under two-thirds of their free throws (.664), a flaw evident as they went 17-of-36 at the line in the ACC Tournament. Virginia Tech also is prone to getting outrebounded by opponents, in part because starting big man Coleman Collins lacks the presence and confidence he once possessed.

Such flaws can be overcome against first round opponent Illinois, which squeaked into the NCAAs. The Fighting Illini finished tied for fourth in the Big 10 and lost during the season to nonconference opponents Maryland, Arizona and Xavier, all NCAA teams.

Coach Bruce Weber’s club rallied to win six of its last eight regular season games, but just when the coast looked clear got bounced 53-41 by Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament. That was Illinois’ lowest scoring output of the season. The body of work, and the conference’s overall prowess, got the program its eighth consecutive NCAA bid, anyway.

Illinois is strong inside where Virginia Tech is weak, and weakest on the perimeter where Virginia Tech is strongest. The leading Illini scorers are frontcourt players, senior forward Warren Carter (13.4) and junior post player Shaun Pruitt (11.6 points). The 6-10 Pruitt is the top rebounder (7.6) on a team that controls the boards (+4.6 margin) and holds opponents to 40.3 percent shooting and a modest 57.1 points.

The Illini also rely on the leadership of senior guard Rick McBride, who served a four-game suspension early in the season after being convicted of driving under the influence. More recent DUI charges are pending against a second player, Jamar Smith. He’s off the squad after crashing into a tree and leaving the scene of an accident, thinking he had killed teammate Brian Carlwell, who spent four days in the hospital with a severe concussion.

This is a game Virginia Tech should win, assuming its guards play with their usual élan. The Hokies could easily slip into the Sweet 16 and, if things break right, go farther.