Sitting at 8-6 (0-3 ACC), Virginia Tech men's basketball doesn't have any wiggle room. After starting the season 5-0, the Hokies are 3-6 since.
A gritty win at Maryland and a blowout of St. Bonaventure bookended frustrating losses vs. Wake Forest and at Dayton. Most recently, the Hokies played Duke close until late in Cameron Indoor, and let the game slip away against NC State.
However, as surprising as it might seem, Virginia Tech is still No. 37 in the NET rankings. That's third-best in the ACC behind Duke (13) and North Carolina (36). The team is No. 31 in KenPom, too.
Four of the next five games on the slate are on the road, starting with Wednesday's clash at Virginia. After Notre Dame at home on Saturday, Tech travels to NC State, Boston College and North Carolina in a five-day span.
It's the ACC, so the schedule is only going to get so easy, but the Hokies don't have back-to-back home games until mid-February. For a team trying to right the ship and still seeking its first league win, it's a tough path ahead.
"We understand the situation that we’re in," Tech head coach Mike Young said on Monday's ACC media teleconference. "It’s not ideal, but this is where we are. We make this better one day at a time, one practice at a time. The next game on our schedule, Virginia on Wednesday, the biggest game that we have. Can’t look out here, it has to be a very narrow focus, and certainly coach Bennett’s team, year in and year out, you’ve got your hands full."
After the loss to the Wolfpack last Tuesday, Young said the most important thing the Hokies needed to do was get back in the gym.
Since, Tech's had a week to practice and get things right. That's time to work out the kinks, shore up details and get shots up.
"Yesterday's [Sunday] practice was as good as we’ve had in a while," Young said. "We’ll tweak some things looking ahead to Virginia on Wednesday. Been in the gym consistently, getting a bunch of shots up before and after practice, so exactly what I expected. We practiced well last week before Saturday’s day off. We’re healthy, we’re in good shape, and we’re going to figure this thing out."
Heading into NC State, the Hokies hadn't played in 13 days due to COVID. Games against North Carolina (now rescheduled for Jan. 24) and Pitt were postponed. Tech didn't use fatigue as an excuse; moreover, players like point guard Storm Murphy mentioned that the Wolfpack just outplayed them. Young said NC State was just quicker to the ball, and it showed in the box score: his team allowed 14 offensive boards to Kevin Keatts' bunch.
"Just more connected over a 40-minute period," Young said in response to one central thing Tech needs to improve on. "I thought we had a couple stretches in the second have where we were ready to extend our lead a bit and had a mishandled ball or a missed assignment defensively. Just little things that add up to bigger things as the game wears on. Rebounding, a dip back in the last 10 minutes of that NC State game. Just finishing games and finishing segments."
Against a Virginia team (9-6, 3-2 ACC) that is also trying to find its footing after a 16-point loss to North Carolina over the weekend, it won't be easy to get back on track.
Jayden Gardner, the East Carolina transfer, leads the Cavaliers in scoring with 15 points per game. He's scored in double figures in four of UVa's five league games, including 23 at Clemson, and he's the main guy the Hokies have to stop on Wednesday.
"He’s a load, " Young said of Gardner. "Does a really nice job around the basket. Second shots, gets his body into you. I’m impressed with his ability to shoot the thing from 15... He’s making that shot very consistently. He’s just a really good player. The more I watch, the more I admire him."
Tech will need Keve Aluma to be himself. He's been a dominant force this season, scoring in double figures in all but two games (Maine, Merrimack). The fifth-year senior put up 25 points at Duke and 18 vs. NC State. In addition, the Cavaliers allowed UNC's Armando Bacot to go off - 29 points, 21 rebounds - this past weekend.
He had 29 against UVa last year, and he's likely licking his chops at this opportunity.
"Last year, we didn’t have an answer for him," Virginia head coach Tony Bennett said. "I’m sure he saw what Bacot did to us and is saying, 'mmm,' because he’s a complete player offensively. He’ll shoot the three, he can score in the post, passes, plays out of a bunch of different spots and is experienced, so he’s really good and he’s having a heck of a year."
Wednesday's contest is going to be a slow, methodical game. The two rivals rank 14th (VT) and 15th (UVa) in tempo in the ACC, and they've both been poor on the defensive end as of late. Tech is 15th in adjusted defensive efficiency among league foes, while Virginia is 12th, per KenPom.
Early in the year, the Hokies' defense was the team's backbone. In the last eight games (3-5 record), Tech has held just two opponents - Cornell, St. Bonaventure - under 40% shooting. In ACC play, the numbers bring forth a grimace.
Wake Forest: 63.5%
Duke: 53.7%
NC State: 44.1%
Young's crew needs to get back to its style of basketball, which starts on defense. Forcing turnovers, contesting shots, drawing charges. If there's any hope in righting the ship, it starts on that end of the floor.
"We’ve been really good for the most part, but when it matters most, and certainly the last cluster of games, we have faltered a little bit," Young said of his defense. "And not any one person, but more of our team than anyone else. Thankful to have had the opportunity to practice over the last week and I feel good about our work on the floor."