Once again Virginia Tech played a subpar defensive game, this time falling to Clemson 77-70 in Littlejohn Coliseum. The Hokies are now 11-8 overall, and 2-4 in the ACC. Clemson improved to 11-8, with a 3-4 mark in league play.
Clemson entered this game averaging just 57.3 points per game in ACC play, and they were shooting just 30% from three-point range against conference opponents. Against the Hokies, they scored 77 points and were 10-of-21 (47.6%) from the outside.
Tech fell behind 12-0 to start the game, but rallied to tie it at 33 at halftime. The Hokies led 59-58 with 4:43 remaining on a layup by Robert Brown, but couldn't close the game out. Milton Jennings had 28 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks for the Tigers. He came into the game averaging just under 10 points per game.
Erick Green scored 25 points, and he had to earn all of them. Clemson did a very good job of bottling him up for the most part. He was 7-of-16 from the field, and he also dished out five assists and grabbed four rebounds. Jarell Eddie added 19 points for Tech, while Robert Brown had nine.
Virginia Tech's post players were thoroughly beaten in this game. Not only was there major foul trouble, but the Hokies couldn't score in the paint, and they were beaten on the boards 42-33. Here's a quick look at the numbers posted by Tech's bigs...
Cadarian Raines: 1 point, 4 rebounds, 5 fouls, 16 minutes
Joey van Zegeren: 0 points, 1 rebound, 5 fouls, 9 minutes
C.J. Barksdale: 5 points, 6 rebounds, 5 fouls, 25 minutes
Marshall Wood: 0 points, 3 rebounds, 3 fouls, 15 minutes
Christian Beyer: 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 foul, 16 minutes
From a points/rebounds per minute perspective, 6-6, 200lbs walkon Christian Beyer was the most productive frontcourt player for the Hokies, and three of his four points came from three-point range.
The challenge will be greater on Wednesday night when Miami visits Cassell Coliseum. The Hurricanes currently sit atop the ACC standings following their blowout win over Duke this past week. Tipoff is scheduled for 9pm, and the game will be shown on RSN and online on ESPN3.
hokiesports.com box score