Hokies Race By Louisville, Start 1-0 In ACC Play
Carter Hill
Editor-in-Chief
December 3, 2023
MJ Collins' career-high 20 points led Virginia Tech to a conference-opening win over Louisville. (Virginia Tech Athletics)
BLACKSBURG – Coming into its ACC opener in the 2023-24 campaign, Virginia Tech needed a strong showing after two losses in out of conference play.
And after a shaky start, Tech got just that.
Utilizing a career-high 20 points from sophomore guard MJ Collins, the Hokies (6-3, 1-0 ACC) raced by Louisville (4-4, 0-1) on Sunday afternoon inside Cassell Coliseum, allowing Tech to jump out to an early start in ACC action.
“He was 0-for-November from three,” Tech fifth-year head coach Mike Young said when asked about Collins’ performance. “It had affected a couple other parts of his game. [He] suffered a little injury, obviously missed the Auburn game, but we had him back on the floor Friday, Saturday, yesterday, and he looked good, felt like he could go.
“Thank goodness he did. He played a good ballgame.”
Collins suffered a knee injury in the waning moments of the Hokies’ 34-point loss to Florida Atlantic last weekend in Orlando, forcing him to miss Wednesday night’s matchup with the Tigers.
Though not in the starting lineup when available to play for the first time this season, Collins responded well, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the line and hitting all three of his shots from the outside.
“The shots were going in,” Collins said. “It’s just that simple. I was more confident, my teammates were looking for me and I got to the foul line. Shooting seven free throws… those are seven free points right there. Once I hit my first three, I felt real confident. … I wasn’t going to miss anymore.”
Though just 5-of-20 (25%) from three, Tech shot 43.6% (24-of-55) from the field and hit 22-of-27 (81.5%) from the line. That’s winning basketball.
And although the Hokies trailed 29-22 late in the first half, Tech used a 16-2 run that carried over early into the second half to take control of the contest, refusing to look back the rest of the way.
“[That was] big,” Young said. “We cut the thing back. I thought that was a significant part of it. Then the nice start to the second half, [Louisville head coach] Kenny [Payne]’s got to call timeout. … Those little periods like that flip some things.”
Indeed it did, with standout Lynn Kidd serving as a big reason why.
The first-year starter for the maroon and orange continued his impressive play in the calendar year, posting another solid performance on 19 points and four boards.
Not only that, the Clemson transfer scored around the rim on three of the first four possessions to start the second half, helping set the tone for what was to come.
Defensively, Tech stepped up, too.
The Cardinals shot just 37.9% (11-for-29) in the second half of play, going just 2-for-9 (22.2%) from three in the final frame.
“I thought we defended well,” Young said. “I thought we got shots contested after the first five minutes. My gosh, what a horrific start defensively, we were slow to the ball, closing out with our hands down. We never do that.
“We’re not supposed to do that, but after that point, really good. Very good.”
That’s a big step for the Hokies, too.
Putting a big emphasis on the need to defend, Tech’s ebbed and flowed when it comes to their defensive showing. That’s two straight games now in which the Hokies have been at the top of their game, and for the most part in Orlando, it was fairly sharp.
This is a nice win for Virginia Tech. Perfection? Definitely not. But a feel-good win? Sure, after the aforementioned slow start.
You’ll take it if you’re Tech. 1-0 in ACC play for the fourth time in the Young era, and now a little bit of a break before the next crack at conference play.
A three-game stretch of Valparaiso, Vermont and American isn’t exactly the most daunting of tasks, and it serves as a nice tune-up for Wake Forest on Dec. 30 for the resumption of ACC play.
“We needed a shot of confidence,” Young said. “I thought I saw a team that was lacking some confidence and we’ve got really got players. The sun’s going to come up tomorrow. We’ve got a lot to look forward to.
“Let’s get on the stick here and start playing better basketball and doing it with great, great urgency and energy.”