VIRGINIA TECH READY FOR BATTLE IN ACC QUARTERFINAL IN ACC QUARTERFINAL AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA

Chris Hirons

March 11, 2021

GREENSBORO, N.C. — It might take a lucky bounce or two for No. 22 Virginia Tech (15-5, 9-4 ACC) to pull out a win over North Carolina (17-9, 10-6 ACC) on Thursday in the ACC quarterfinals, but Mike Young says his squad is ready for whatever challenge his opponent throws at him.

It’s March, after all, and crazier things have happened. Under normal circumstances, the No. 3-seeded Hokies would be the favorites to pull out a win against the Tar Heels. But like the rest of the 2020-21 season, a wrench was thrown at VT at the worst possible time.

Two separate two-plus week layoffs have halted Tech’s momentum heading into the tournament. First, contact tracing in Florida State’s program after the Hokies’ win 80-76 over Miami on Feb. 6 canceled Tech’s first game against the Seminoles. Then, a positive test in the VT program canceled two more games — one against Florida State, the other against UNC - and postponed a game against Louisville.

Georgia Tech gave Virginia Tech a wake up call in the team’s first game back from its first extended pause on Feb. 23 after forcing 16 turnovers in a 69-53 win. The Hokies followed the loss with a 84-46 beat down over Wake Forest five days later.

And as Louisville arrived in Blacksburg for a makeup of the postponed game on March 3, the plug was pulled on the game just a mere two days before tip-off. Contact tracing protocols forced Tech to cancel its final remaining game against NC State on March 6.

Unlike the team’s first pause, Tech was allowed to practice with its entire roster during its second extended pause, giving Young and his team a fighting chance to avoid an ‘upset’ against No. 6-seeded North Carolina.

But would it really be an upset for the Tar Heels to take down a team that will play its third game in just 33 days? After all, UNC ran through a sneaky-talented Notre Dame team that took down No. 2-seeded Florida State on Saturday.

“[Tech is] a bit of a mystery,” UNC head coach Roy Williams said. “I’ve seen them play some but not nearly as much as I have [seen] the other teams. … I saw [VT’s] game against Virginia and they were off the charts, so good in that game.”

The Hokies and Tar Heels will take to the floor around 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, though with how ACC tournaments have gone in the past, don’t expect to see the team’s warm up until 9:30 p.m.-ish.

“It’s terrible,” Young said after he was selected as the ACC’s coach of the year on Monday. “It’s awful. I’ve had two NCAA tournament games in my career that started at 9:50, and those kick off, you know, at 10:15, 10:20.”

Tech, though, has been fortunate enough to keep the majority of its rotation intact and healthy throughout the season — except for Tyrece Radford’s suspension for a legal matter. He’s since been reinstated and scored 15 points in the win over Wake Forest.

“This has been a connected team,” Young said. “This has been just a great team to coach. They’ll get after you. They’ll chew on you, and I hope that continues on Thursday in Greensboro.”

The Hokies will likely be without key bench contributor Jalen Cone for the entirety of the ACC Tournament, though Young hopes he’ll be ready in time for the NCAA Tournament. Cone injured his ankle early in the first half against Miami on Feb. 6 and has yet to return to the floor to practice.

He’s Tech’s four-leading scorer (9.2 points per game) and leads the team in three-pointers made (37) and attempted (106) despite missing VT’s first few games of the season. Cone also took over for Radford in the starting lineup while he was suspended. Radford has reclaimed his starting role since his suspension was lifted prior to the loss against the Yellow Jackets.

Cone’s absence, however, has led to the emergence of Joe Bamisile, who’s seen consistent minutes for the first time since Tech ended its non-conference schedule in late December. He played 25 minutes against the Hurricanes after Cone’s departure, scoring 11 points in the win, and followed that up with seven points in 15 minutes against Wake Forest.

Tech’s also gotten healthier and added depth down the stretch. Both John Ojiako (knee) and Cordell Pemsl (back) played a large chunk of minutes in Tech’s last regular season game against the Demon Deacons.

Sure, they both got the majority of their minutes in the later stages of the blowout, but it gave Young and his staff a chance to evaluate all of their bench options heading into the tournament.

Whether it takes a miracle or a lucky bounce or two off the rim, Young’s team will be well-rested and ready to counter any punch that UNC throws at them.