Virginia Tech's basketball season came to an end on Thursday afternoon with an 80-63 loss to NC State. The Hokies finished with a 13-19 record, going 6-19 after a 7-0 start.
Jarell Eddie and Erick Green switched places on Thursday. It was Eddie who shot the ball well and led the team in scoring, while Green missed a high percentage of his shots. In the end, the final result was the same.
Green finished with just 15 points, only the fourth time this season he has not reached the 20 point mark. He was 5-of-19 from the field, and he also turned the ball over four times (all in the first half). However, he did finish his career with a field goal and an assist on back-to-back possessions before James Johnson took him out of the game for his ovation from the crowd.
Eddie led the Hokies with 21 points and three assists. He was 9-of-14 from the field, and 1-of-5 from three-point range. He missed just one shot from inside the three-point arc, and he looked like the player we saw earlier in the season.
Cadarian Raines added eight points and seven rebounds for Tech. Marquis Rankin scored eight points after scoring 15 in the regular season finale at Wake. He's beginning to look more comfortable driving the basketball to the hoop. However, Robert Brown scored just two points. he was 1-of-6 from the field, and he struggled handling the ball against a very talented NC State team.
Though they weren't particularly good offensively in this game, it was their defense that once again was the issue. NC State shot 52.8% from the field, becoming the third consecutive opponent to shoot over 50% against the Hokies. Richard Howell led the Wolfpack with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
With the loss to NC State, Tech's season has mercifully drawn to a close. After jumping out to a 7-0 start and nearly being ranked in the top 25, the Hokies finished 6-19 after that huge win over then #15 Oklahoma State.
Next year's Tech team will look much different. Though they lose only Erick Green, six new scholarship players will hit the court for the first time. Five freshmen will enroll for the first time, and transfer guard Adam Smith will be eligible.
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