That’s it, folks. The bubble has finally burst for the Virginia Tech Hokies. In first-round action of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte on Tuesday night, the 13th-seeded Wake Forest Demon Deacons defeated the 12th-seeded Hokies 95-89 in overtime.
Where do we begin? The first stroke of bad luck came before tipoff when All-ACC forward Amani Hansberry was in street clothes. He did not play. Head coach Mike Young went with a starting lineup of Tobi Lawal, Christian Gurdak, Ben Hammond, Neoklis Avdalas and Jailen Bedford.
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Wake Forest controlled the entire first half. While it was close throughout, the Hokies never led in the first 20 minutes. In the second half, it appeared the game had turned when Bedford’s layup at the 16-minute mark of the second half gave Virginia Tech a 41-40 lead. Wake responded, and then Avdalas drained a 3-pointer, making it 44-42. Hammond’s 3-pointer at the 13:39 mark gave Tech a 52-47 lead.
However, the theme of the night was VT’s inability to get defensive stops. The Demon Deacons scored seven in a row to retake the lead and the momentum. The Deacs were up 68-61 with around five minutes remaining when Jaden Schutt’s 3-pointer cut the lead to four points. Again, Tech’s defense responded by allowing the Deacs to drill a wide-open three, pushing the lead back to seven. Then, the Hokies went on a 9-0 run to go up 73-71.
Hammond tied the game at 75 with under a minute left, and Wake failed to score on its final possession in regulation. The Hokies had the ball last, and Hammond beat his man into the lane but missed the floater. Bedford was there for the rebound but missed the putback. We went to overtime.
Here’s the brutal final series in regulation.
The Demon Deacons scored the first five in OT and never looked back.
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Wake Forest shot 51% from the field and was red-hot in overtime. Meanwhile, the Hokies shot 41% from the field. While Tech dominated the boards, 45-28, it missed numerous putbacks around the basket. On two straight possessions, Gurdak missed three opportunities right at the rim. Of course, Bedford’s missed putback at the end of regulation is the story of the game.
Hammond led the Hokies with 23 points, while Bedford had 17 and Schutt had 15. Avdalas struggled again, making only two of eight shots from the field for five points, zero assists, one rebound and three turnovers. He barely played over the final 10 minutes of regulation and did not play in overtime.
This loss was a microcosm of Virginia Tech’s season. Disappointing game, failed opportunities and key injuries.
Oh well.
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The NIT awaits.