COLUMBUS, Ohio — Here lies the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team’s season, ending the only way it could after a frustrating few months: close but not good enough in another loss away from Cassell Coliseum.
Second-seeded Ohio State held off a late push from third-seeded Tech in an 81-73 win in the second round of the NIT at Value City Arena on Saturday night, ending the Hokies’ season with a 19-15 record.
The Buckeyes emerged in a choppy game with a nearly flawless night at the free throw line, making 29 of 32 from the stripe. Jamison Battle shook off a rough shooting effort to go 17-for-18 from the line to pace Ohio State (22-13) with 21 points.
“You can’t foul. You can’t give a team 32 tries at the foul line,” Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said. “And they’re a good shooting team. That costs you. And that’s the game.”
The Hokies chipped away at a 10-point halftime deficit, with Hunter Cattoor and Sean Pedulla heating up with 18 points apiece.
After getting within three with four minutes to play, however, Tech turned the ball over on four of its next five possessions. The Buckeyes pushed the lead back up to eight and put the game away at the line.
It marked the end of a Jekyll-and-Hyde season for the Hokies, who were 15-2 in Cassell Coliseum and 4-13 away from home, with a 2-10 mark in true road games.
“We had a lot of games on the road that were winnable and games that we were in control of,” Pedulla said. “And then we either didn’t play a complete 40-minute game or we just let it slip away. Looking back, those are definitely the games we wish we had back, just because those are the deciding factors going into March.”
Up next is a stressful couple of weeks for Young in managing the transfer portal as he tries to retain and reshape a roster that has higher goals than playing in the NIT, its postseason destination for the last two years.
“We’re based on getting to the NCAA Tournament. That’s the way it is,” Young said. “We’ve been to two. We’ve been to two NITs. The NIT isn’t good enough. That is not a slight on the NIT. … But the job from this second forward is retooling, making those returning better and getting back to the NCAA Tournament.”
Despite a quick 7-0 lead out of the gate Saturday, the Hokies went into the break down 10, 36-26, due to a rough shooting half that saw them go just 2-for-12 from 3-point range.
Tech tightened up defensively in the second half, holding the Buckeyes to just 31 percent shooting, and started to slowly chip away the lead despite foul trouble on all their bigs. Lynn Kidd, Mylyjael Poteat and Robbie Beran each had four personals while Patrick Wessler committed three.
“It was just being more desperate, being the more physical team,” Pedulla said. “That resulted in some fouls at times, but we were definitely not as physical in the first half. They kind of took advantage of us in that regard.”
Cattoor, playing in his final college game, scored 11 points in the second half. He and Pedulla, who started 1-for-7 from the field and missed his first five 3-point attempts, lifted Tech back into the game, scoring 15 points after the break.
“I couldn’t buy a shot in the first half,” Pedulla said. “I wasn’t really forcing anything in the second half. I got a three to go down and the rhythm just kind of picked up after that.
A Pedulla free throw and a three-point play by Kidd, who finished with 13 points, pulled the Hokies within 67-64 with 4:51 left. Tech only got one shot off on its next five possessions, however, turning it over four times, with a couple on errant passes. For the game, it had 15 — eight of which came in the second half.
“Just disappointing execution,” Pedulla said. “The reads were there. And just getting the ball to the other player is what we failed to do.”
Ohio State made sure Tech didn’t get any closer, shooting 90.6 percent from the line. The Buckeyes’ 29 made free throws were the most by a Hokies opponent all season.
The loss marked the end of a college career for a couple of players, including Cattoor, a one-time Wofford commit who followed Young to Blacksburg and played five seasons in the maroon and orange, a rarity in today’s game.
“He’s been ol’ reliable,” Young said. “He’s like just plug him in night in and night out. He’s durable. He’s a great worker. I was just telling those guys, will there be another five-year player in my career? I hope there are a couple more like that young man from Orlando, Florida. He’s been a real treat to coach.”
Cattoor wraps up his Hokies career with 1,523 points, one of 18 players in the program’s history to top the 1,500 mark and the first since Erick Green (2009-13). He played in more games (152) than anybody in Virginia Tech history and holds the school record for 3-pointers with 332.
“Just super grateful, just to play five years,” Cattoor said. “Super blessed. You always hear the saying: Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy it happened. There were so many ups and downs to this career and so many highs, so many things that I’ve got to be grateful for.
“So many teammates and coaches that have been here that I’ve built relationships with. And the people in the community too at Virginia Tech, just a great fan base that’s always had my back. And at the end of the day, I’m leaving an ACC champ. And I’ll be able to hold that forever.”
Box Score: Ohio State 81, Virginia Tech 73