Hokies Route Syracuse 85-70 Behind Dynamic First Half

By Carter Hill

Staff Writer

January 28, 2023

Virginia Tech's Justyn Mutts came just two assists shy of a triple-double in the 85-70 win over Syracuse. (Virginia Tech Athletics)

BLACKSBURG — Just under three weeks ago inside the cavernous confines of the JMA Wireless Dome, Virginia Tech struggled to muster any sort of offensive rhythm when throwing up shots from outside of the arc.

Shooting just 16.7% (3-of-19) from three in the 82-72 loss, the Hokies failed to connect on a collection of much-needed shots from long-range when they so desperately needed it during the midst of a four-game skid. The absence of Hunter Cattoor notwithstanding, it was a Wednesday night to forget for the maroon and orange inside a building that the Hokies have won in just once in their program history.

Flash forward 17 days later to a rematch between the two teams over eight hours south on Interstate 81, the tables certainly turned for a Tech team seeking to both string together consecutive victories, and to continue to mount a respectable resume towards a potential sixth straight NCAA Tournament berth.

Using 11 first half treys, a 52-point first period performance and a game-high 25 points from Wright State transfer Grant Basile, the Hokies (13-8, 3-7 ACC) shot right through the teeth of the Syracuse zone, riding a dominant opening 20 minutes to a 15-point victory over the visiting Orange (13-9, 6-5 ACC).

“We didn’t make a lot of adjustments [from last time],” fourth-year Tech head coach Mike Young said. “We were insistent on a couple of areas that we had to get to when we were able to puncture it. …I thought we put the ball in good places, and making 11 first half threes is a big deal.”

The Hokies also dished out a season-high 26 assists throughout the duration of the contest, and got another stellar all-around performance from standout forward Justyn Mutts for the second consecutive year against the aforementioned zone.

The sixth-year senior came just two assists shy of his second-career triple-double, putting up 11 points, 12 rebounds and eight dimes to help steer the ship for the maroon and orange to their second consecutive win.

“We needed a great Justyn Mutts, and he’s typically great,” Young said. “He wasn’t great up [in Syracuse], none of us were. I wasn’t great up there. That was a long way from being great.

“Justyn Mutts was great tonight. He was a special man. …he was really, really good.”

Hunter Cattoor’s 20 points also helped spark an offensive surge for the Hokies in the first period of play. The senior sharpshooter buried six triples on 10 tries over the course of the evening, besting a previous 5-of-10 performance from deep in the Monday night triumph over Duke inside Cassell Coliseum.

Forward John Camden came up huge off the bench for Tech when it needed it most against the Orange. The Memphis transfer played a season-best 27 minutes in the double-digit win, totaling eight points, six rebounds and three assists in arguably his strongest performance yet for the maroon and orange.

“He’s got some moxy to him,” Young said. “I think if I had missed my first three shots, I may have crawled in a hole and gone away, but he kept plugging. Got one down in the short corner. Played a whale of a ballgame.”

Camden finished the night going a solid 3-of-8 (37.5%) from the field, knocking down a big-time trey, too, while going 1-of-5 (20%) from three-point range. It was the first time Camden had seen action in a game since the mid-January loss to UVa, and even then, the redshirt freshman had seen playing time in just one of the previous four contests coming into Saturday’s bout.

“He didn’t stick his lip out and pout like a chump,” Young added. “He continued to work. He’s in there every day getting his individual workout in with a coach. He’s going to practice hard, [he] stayed a good teammate.

“Your time’s going to come. And when your time comes, it’s too late to get ready. You better have it dialed up and ready to roll, and he did that.”

Camden’s top-tier play was even more important than probably anticipated. Same could be said for MJ Collins, who scored a career-high 11 points in 34 minutes on the floor.

The reasoning? Star point guard Sean Pedulla played just 17 minutes due to foul trouble, and veteran guard Darius Maddox missed Saturday’s game while dealing with a family matter.

The ability to absorb both hits, and still be able to string together as an impressive of a performance offensively that Hokies have put together in quite some time, seems to serve as a glimmer of hope for a Tech team that both needs, and is capable of going on another run to secure yet another spot in the upcoming Big Dance.

“I just think that speaks to the talent that we have within this team,” Mutts said postgame. “John stepped up really well, MJ doing his thing. I just think we have a lot of really good players, and a lot of really good people, more importantly.”

“It’s like a next man up mentality,” Camden said. “The guys that are veterans and the guys that play a lot of minutes are very inclusive. …We all kind of support each other.

“So just to have their support and having the coaches support, it makes it easy to try and come off the bench and fill the role when I’m needed.”

Defensively, the Hokies were good, too. Tech held standout point guard Joe Girard to just seven points in the second meeting between the two, and forced star center Jesse Edwards into foul trouble early on.

All in all, it was exactly the night that Virginia Tech needed. Though still just 3-7 in ACC play, there’s an opportunity now for the Hokies to pick up some steam and find their way back into the NCAA Tournament picture.

And as last year proved, that’s not always as far-fetched as it possibly may seem.

“Backs are against the wall, man,” Young said. “We’re into the second half of the season. First half wasn’t a lot to write home about, but we’re playing better. We have guys playing good basketball. We’re healthy. …Look forward to what lies ahead for this team. I really do.”