Devin Vassell, Florida State are too much for tech to Handle

Will Copeland

February 2, 2020

BLACKSBURG, VA — A hot-handed Devin Vassell and No. 5 Florida State proved to be too much to tame for Virginia Tech (14-8, 5-6) as he led the Seminoles to a 74-63 victory in Blacksburg on Saturday afternoon.

Vassell, the sophomore guard from Suwanee, Georgia, shot a scorching 7-7 from beyond-the-arc, accounting for 27 of the Seminoles’ points.

“He [Vassell] caught the ball in rhythm and was focused,” Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton said. “His energy was infectious, and it ignited the rest of our players.”

Vassell was the only player in double-digits for Florida State (18-3, 8-2), who average 70.3 points per game.

“That’s kind of who we are,” Hamilton said. “We win games by committee.”

The Hokies felt the sting of Vassell, who dawns the No. 24, and his Mamba-esque performance.

“He was a big difference in the game,” Tech’s defensive juggernaut Tyrece Radford said. “We have to cut off the head of the snake… today, we couldn’t do anything with him.”

Virginia Tech, who’s offense ranks second in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage, shot a measly 23.3% from beyond-the-arc.

Tough defense from the Seminoles forced missed shots from the Hokies, which made it difficult for Tech to keep up. Florida State took the lead with 14:56 remaining in the first half and never looked back.

The Seminoles’ hot hand in the first half eased going into the second, but a slim frontcourt limited Tech’s ability to capitalize.

A visible height difference stifled Tech, who felt full-court pressure from a physical Florida State squad for most of the game.

Freshman guard Hunter Cattoor alluded to one roadblock that Virginia Tech could not remedy.

“Just their length,” Cattoor said, who contributed 10 points off the bench. “They switch everything up top and guard the arc. Once you drive in, you have seven-footers coming down to block your shot.”

Both teams had something to prove coming off defeats on January 28.

The Seminoles fell to 61-56 to an apparent revived Virginia team, while Tech dropped back-to-back games to Boston College and Miami.

First-year head coach Mike Young is not willing to give up yet on his team’s maximum potential, despite the young team’s recent setbacks.

“I told them after the game, we control everything,” said Young, the 2019 Sporting News Coach of the Year. “I think it’s too early to look at that stuff. Play better basketball.”

Looking ahead, Young’s squad faces four teams with losing in-conference records in Georgia Tech, Boston College, Pitt and Miami.

Florida State’s road contains less palm trees than desired, with contests against Cole Anthony and North Carolina, and Duke on the horizon.