Hokies loss to Florida State a microcosm of topsy-turvy season

Jack Brizendine

Editor In Chief

March 13, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Numbers don’t lie in any sport. Everyone knows it, including Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young.

In the Hokies’ 86-76 second round loss to Florida State on Wednesday at the ACC Tournament, the numbers told the story.

Despite shooting an astounding 16-of-25 (64%) in the first half, they collapsed in the second half, scoring at just a 36% clip. The ‘Noles won the battle on the boards 34-25 and forced Tech to cough the ball up 13 times.

“See the numbers?” Young asked reporters postgame. “These don’t lie. These are right at you, black and white.

“13 [turnovers] is too many. We needed to rebound. We needed to rebound. We out-rebounded them by 14 at our place. They outrebounded us by nine [today]. It’s a pretty easy game… bring me the final stats, and I could tell you the outcome.”

Tech’s red-hot first half featured deadeye shooting from Tech’s backcourt, with Sean Pedulla and MJ Collins combining for 9-of-13 (68%) shooting for 20 of the team’s 37 points, in addition to five assists.

Six players scored in the half for VT — allowing the duo to patiently run the offense instead of playing on its heels.

“I think it’s helped me improve a lot,” Pedulla said about his teammates finding success helping him thrive. “Just being mature down the stretch of the season, when teams are kind of in their full stretch and taking care of the ball more towards the end of the season — hopefully I can take that with me on my next step.”

That same pair finished 4-of-14 in the second half, nearly half of the Hokies’ total baskets to finish the game.

The duality of Tech’s performances in each half is a dolefully fitting representation of its season as a whole. 

Young’s team squashed the Seminoles in Blacksburg to snap a three-game losing streak exactly a month prior to the Wednesday loss. 

Four players finished with double-digits in the scoring column for Tech, while the team had its third-best shooting performance from range this season, netting 48% from behind-the-arc.

Then the Hokies were demolished in Chapel Hill by a juggernaut North Carolina team, 96-81, allowing ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis and All-ACC second-teamer Armando Bacot to carve them up for 45 combined points. All-ACC third-teamer Harrison Ingram recorded a double-double before the buzzer sounded on the first half.

Two days later, Tech outclassed Virginia in Blacksburg, 75-41, who entered the game with a 20-6 record. Naturally.

Flat road performances against Pitt (79-64) and Syracuse (84-71) followed the win over UVa.

“I think our consistency,” Hunter Cattoor said about what kept Tech from being an NCAA tournament team. “We just couldn’t really stack on games, runs of games, together… I just think we weren’t consistent.”

The team’s desired consistency won’t be easy to capture next year, with Cattoor — the team’s anchor on and off the court — wrapping up his final year of eligibility. Key contributor Robbie Beran won’t have any eligibility either. And in the current Rubik’s cube state of college athletics, transfers will inevitably follow.

Tech’s final chance to build some momentum and kindle consistency heading into next year will be to end the year with a redeemable run in the NIT tournament. And the invite is one that Young would gladly accept.

“To play in the postseason? Sign me up. We all want to play in the big one, but to coach these guys again and make a run at that thing, you’re doggone right. I’m never going to be too big for my pants that that won’t be the opportunity to play in the postseason. I don’t care what anybody says. [It’s] not what all of us want to do, but it is still a great tournament, and I’d like to [participate].”