I love Mike Young but...
This quote from today's Roanoke Times is revealing:
Virginia Tech ranks 15th in the ACC in scoring defense (73.8 ppg) and 14th in field-goal percentage defense (42.7 ppg).
"We're guarding well," Young said. "We haven't been as good in the second half."
VT is not good defensively.
32 Replies
6mo
i think we're good at guarding the 3 point line. ( not recently under 5 seconds though) but good vs Providence or USCe
(In response to this post by NativeBurger)
6mo
(In response to this post by VermontDDS)
6mo
FWIW, that's better than the SMU team that we play tonight.
(In response to this post by NativeBurger)
6mo
• VTO vs. SMUD: 79 to 78
• SMUO vs. VTD: 13 to 63
Defense isn't half bad. But both need to be a bit better.
(In response to this post by Chris Coleman)
6mo
to be in this game.
(In response to this post by David Cunningham)
6mo
We have either won, or been within one possession. Im not sure how much more you can ask for with how disjointed our lineups have been. And I wouldnt say our offense has been overly efficient or carrying us thru those games.
Did we collapse in the Stanford game in terrible fashion, sure, but it was still very much a winnable game, and defense played well for 37-38 of those minutes.
(In response to this post by NativeBurger)
6mo
We know he is a good defender and rebounder, but our offense looked a whole lot smoother when he was playing.
(In response to this post by IB4TECH)
6mo
rebounding fall off a bit late in the game. It is one of those things we are effective at when we are emphasizing it. And I am sure the coaches are emphasizing it going into every game, but as the game wears on, legs are tired and the amount of things you need to focus on continues to increase through the flow of the game, that seems to be the one area that suffers and impacts defensive performance overall.
It also feels like Bedford's minutes trail off late game, in favor of Neo & Hammond, which is better for offense but not as much for defense.
Neo has been great but if I had one area to target improvement, it would be defense & especially later in the game.
(In response to this post by NativeBurger)
6mo
Or 2 of their post players for all but 6 games this season
Expecting that to lead to better than Top 75 in the nation in defensive efficiency (VT is currently 63rd in adjusted defensive efficiency) is just not realistic
The defense (by design) isnt aggressive, and VT doesnt play a lot of possessions so they will never be Top 40 in those metrics. That doesnt mean the defense cant get the job done. It is miles better than last season, and certainly has things to clean up...theres just zero perspective when people try and make this case
(In response to this post by hokiehill1117)
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hokieZ71
6mo
And I’m not saying it’s bad, just that it is behind defensive ratings on several metrics that I look at. And if we can’t really expect defensive efficiency to improve, then offensive efficiency is all that’s left, if we are to improve as a team.
Is it any one glaring issue on offense? Turnovers? Chemistry? Lack of time together due to so many new pieces? Changing lineups due to injury? Players maybe not in their best position?
(In response to this post by GCHokie34)
6mo
Vs what you actually need in order to be where VT needs to be
How many points per possession does VT need to be better in order to be undefeated in the ACC with only 2 losses overall?
VT could do literally nothing fundamentally change who they are as a team and be 4-0 in the ACC...all if a couple shots dont fall
So when we talk about what does VT need to do, it isnt a drastic change between where they are and where they want to be to accomplish their goals
An increase in 0.02 ppp gets them to 3-1 in the ACC. An increase in 0.04 gets them to 4-0
An increase of 0.04 would move them up exactly 2 spots in adjusted efficiency
But they'd be 15-2 (4-0) and likely ranked
So...how far off are they really and how.much do they need to improve?
(In response to this post by hokieZ71)
6mo
to describe Beamer's O philosophy) and to denote an allocation of resources (pick your area of expertise, and lean into it -- it's necessary strategy if you don't get the countries' best recruits consistently and cant be good at all things.)
It's 2 words a lot of people don't like.
** Edited by hokienole at 1/14/2026, 7:45:24 PM
(In response to this post by GCHokie34)
6mo
(In response to this post by hokienole)
6mo
but yes, your point stands. Tilt things toward D and ST if you want...but degree matters. Frank went way too far trying to win with all D and not much O. Agree there..
(In response to this post by NokieHokie)
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2hhoop3
6mo
Herm Edwards voice, YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME! Good coaches understand the resources they have, great coaches understand how best to deploy them to get the win. Both good and great coaches spend very little time stressing over what the recliner coaches think, aside from the occasional tidbit they might find to be food for thought or of some use.
(In response to this post by hokienole)
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Vippie1
6mo
So I would argue the absence of Tobi and Johnson have hurt our interior defense significantly. And we just dont have a lockdown defensive guard . Put those two factors together and the thinness wears us down in the second half.
(In response to this post by NativeBurger)
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2hhoop3
6mo
says otherwise. Why pretend?
(In response to this post by NativeBurger)
6mo
(In response to this post by NativeBurger)
6mo
Stretch. We need Tyler Johnson back. Would help a lot
(In response to this post by VT ChemE 1986)
6mo
(In response to this post by GCHokie34)
6mo
That you actually love MY then...
Whoever they are didnt get the memo
(In response to this post by NativeBurger)
6mo
what is going on with regard to select VT sports. I enjoy your b'ball commnetary but I guess if you knew all the answers you would still be coaching.
(In response to this post by GCHokie34)
6mo
We are still a team getting to know each other and if it is similar to other of CMY's better teams, they will get a lot better in February.
Doesn't help that one of our lock down defenders, Tyler Johnson, has been injured. I expect our defensive stats will improve a lot when he gets back.
(In response to this post by NativeBurger)
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jrc3rd
6mo
few games, no so good.
(In response to this post by NativeBurger)