Virginia Tech cruises against Valparaiso, 71-50

Will Locklin

Staff Writer

December 10, 2023

BLACKSBURG — While it may have been a rainy Saturday afternoon in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech heated up Cassell Coliseum by knocking down 10 3-pointers to propel the Hokies to a 71-50 win over Valparaiso. 

“When you're shooting the ball as we did today…Hunter was terrific, Tyler Nickel was good again, Robbie got those two down,” Tech head coach Mike Young told reporters after the game. “The game is a lot easier when the ball is going in the basket.” 

With no mid-week game, Virginia Tech had nearly an entire week to practice and gear up for its Saturday bout with the Beacons. During that time, Sean Pedulla had to nurse a foot injury that he suffered in the late stages of the Hokies win over Louisville.

“Pedulla will be fine, I feel certain that he will be back on Saturday,” Young said. “He got hurt on the last play of the Louisville game…he’s twisted a little bit, it’s a sprain at the bottom of his foot and we did everything we needed to do to take care of him.”

The news of Pedulla’s injury and absence in the starting lineup against Valparaiso came just over an hour before tipoff Saturday morning. The change from Pedulla to backup freshman point guard Brandon Rechsteiner wasn’t the only change Young made to his first five. 

Tyler Nickel got his third straight starting nod with MJ Collins still working his way back to 100% from his injury against FAU. The final change from the norm was in the starting four position, where Old Dominion transfer Mekhi Long got the bump and Robbie Beran was pushed down to the bench. 

“Mekhi had earned that opportunity and let’s see Robbie coming off the bench,” Young said. “Sometimes guys are more comfortable in that role. You can get a feel for how the game is playing out. Brandon did well, it’s next man up with Sean down. He did some really good things for us, he will typically make some of those shots but didn’t today.”

Perhaps the lineup change worked for both sides as Beran brought a rejuvenated energy to the game once he saw the floor. The Northwestern transfer scored a season high nine points and gave Tech four rebounds, three assists and a block as well. In the starting role, Mekhi Long posted six points and six rebounds.  

“You’ll have those stretches of the season where things won’t go your way,” Beran said. “As a fifth year guy I’ve been around college long enough to know the shooting woes won’t last. Everybody has my back, they’re telling me the next shot will be the best shot and having faith in me to find my shot.”

In the first half, Tech’s offense was red hot from the floor and 3-point range. The Hokies shot 12-for-21 (57%) from the field in the first half and went 6-for-12 from downtown. Three of their first half long balls and four of their 10 threes for the game came from Tyler Nickel. With the shots falling, Tech had a 14-point lead on the Beacons and didn’t look back. 

Even with the hot shooting, the Hokies kept Valparaiso in the game by turning the ball over 11 times in the first half. Tech kept the turnovers to a minimum in the second half, finishing the game with 15 turnovers and only committing one in the first 10 minutes of the second half. 

“It was definitely a big focus coming out of the half,” Nickel said. “We talked about in the locker room how we have to clean it up and limit our turnovers by being more sure handed with the ball. Make the easy play and not try to hit a home run every time we touch the ball.”  

Hunter Cattoor led all scorers with 19 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field, 3-for-6 from distance and a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line. Tech’s reliable big man Lynn Kidd also went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe and finished with 14 points and six rebounds.  

“We were more fluid offensively — still not what I expect from my teams but better precision and timely passing,” Young said. “Discouraged with 15 turnovers for the game, 10 in the first half but this team is like most, they handle the ball well. It was just a tough day in that category.”

Up next for the Hokies is a non-conference matchup against 8-2 Vermont in Cassell Coliseum on Saturday. The game will be a tough test for Tech as the Catamounts are one of the better mid major schools in the country.