Cardiac Hoos strike again
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Also Casey Morsell gets a shout out from me. His numbers the last two games didnāt stand out, but he played with grit and confidence. I donāt think we win either without him.
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A great win. My satellite went out in the second half during a hail storm but came back on with a minute left in the game.
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I got unreasonably excited about a 9 seed scout pegging Casey as a 17% shooter
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@Daniel_G , You are definitely not alone in questioning Kehei. Iāve never see a player get ripped so much and still does. Iāll admit to being frustrated with him myself. I dont anymore. He has the heart of a lion and is getting better and better. Without him we would be lost
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No doubt! Love that guy.
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Itās become chronic condition since the advent of the 52 week season
The only other remedy thatās helped is ever increasing quality and quantities of bourbon
I did not doubt the outcome of this game ever. Not once.
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Absolutely everyone lumped Kihei Clark in with other last-ditch recruits like Marco, Frankie, etc. Seemed like a total afterthought. Career benchwarmer. Insurance policy just in case Ty Jerome got a hangnail. Including me, because Iād never seen him play and just read the ācommitted to UC Davsā¦ blah blahā¦ rated 333 in the countryā¦ 5ā8āā¦ blah blah blah". At the time, Bennett was in pursuit of some top PGs and failed, so this seemed like a really disappointing backup plan.
But thatās just based on the scouting report. If you actually go watch film from when his EYBL play (he was MVP at Peach Jam), it was obvious the scouts were wrong. Well, they were right about his height. Everything else, wrong.
In this video, check 1:20, 1:40, 1:56ā¦ youāll see.
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Kihei is poised for a 30 for 30
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Time for a replay!
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Best PG in ACC
Kihei Clark is the best PG in the ACC. Revisit this in a few months.
ā ty Jerome (@tyjerome_) November 16, 2019
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Yes, I remember when Ty posted this and I have been thinking about it during this last stretch of games
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Same my wife and I were talking about that remark as well
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My man does not seem too happy here MEN'S BASKETBALL: Virginia Tech - Bennett Post Game - YouTube
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I made my annual excursion to Blacksburg. No insights really, other than itās really fun to win there. haha!! The crowd reaction to Morsell and Clarkās threes was priceless.
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Any win against VT is a good one, especially on the road that is a difficult place to play. With three games left in the regular season not much is surprising from the Hoos and last nightās performance was about on par with where this Virginia team stands.
The first half was a bit misleading. UVa played good not great defense and the offense was itās normal pedestrian pace. The difference in the first half was VT was ice-cold from the field. 1-13 from deep and a lot of those looks were open. Several times throughout the game I have to admit I was very impressed with VTās ability to move the ball. They swung it from side-to-side efficiently. However, in the first half they could not connect. That changed in the second half. VT connect on 8-14 from beyond the arc, thatāsā a blistering pace, and outside of an anomaly in Louisville this Virginia team is not built to keep up with that.
Kihei hit the game winner at the end, and major props to him for going full Ty Jerome and being cold blooded. Honestly did not think he had it in him. It was great anticipation and understanding that everyone expected him to drive the hole, and he was smart to anticipate that and use a step back. A move that Iām not sure Iāve seen him go to previously. We also saw some of the bad Kihei behavoir, I believe he got flustered having to keep up with Jalen Cone. Iāve seen this before when an opponent starts to get the best of him on the defensive end Kihei tends to get more flustered on the offensive side of and those sloppy turnovers come in.
Mamadi was an absolute terror in the first half. He was active around the court and it was pretty great to see him find his mid-range game. The second half was a different story he was held to 6 points and limited touches. Iād have to re-watch the film to figure out exactly what happened but Diakite was 8-12 from the field which tells me he was connecting and he just wasnāt getting the ball in good scoring positions. VT was much more aware of him on the court and sent some doubles his way early that forced the ball out of his hands so that didnāt help his cause at all.
I think I know who Casey Morsell reminds me of; Devon Hall. What I mean by that is Hall was a high recruit that was supposed to be the future of UVa but he ended up becoming a glue guy as Brogdon, London and others stepped into the scoring roles. All that said Hall was always a reliable player that CTB could depend on night in and out to make the right decisions and make big plays. Morsell is starting to fill that mold. His game is rounding into shape, but Iām not sure that he will ever be a 13 or 14 pt a game scorer. That said he is showing a mind for how to play the game. His defense has improved as the season progressed (it was already solid) but Iām most impressed with him having no fear in taking big shots despite the shooting woes. Heās playing the system and getting himself into good position and heās not afraid to pull the trigger. Those are intangible traits that you can build on.
This was not Wolentensaeās game. VT was physical with him and stuck to him like glue. That resulted in him getting frustrated and picking up some silly fouls that sent him to the bench. This is where the human chess game comes into play. Tomas made the first move adjusting his game and turning himself into a scoring threat. Now defense are keen and playing him tight and itās up to him to add some new wrinkles to his game to keep improving. I believe he has the skill and the desire to take the necessary steps to make the next move.
It was an odd game because VT went small for the majority of the game and it forced the Hoos to match and that meant limited looks for Caffaro and Huff. They combined for 14 mins 2 pts 2 boards and 2 fouls. While I understand that CTB will always adjust his gameplan to play the match-ups but Iād love to see one of our big men step up and put their mark on the game. If either of them had the ability to truly own the paint Iām sure CTB would find a way to get them more minutes. This will become more important as we move into tournament time and Braxton and Mamadi will need some rest on the tight turnarounds.
Credit to the Hoos for not looking ahead to Saturdayās monster game and taking are of business on the road against a rival. The Hoos have been in tournament mode for a while now, and they need maintain that laser focus. Take care of whatās in front of them and not worry about the rest.
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Great write up Dragon! Just one small correction I noticed.
We still have 3 left, Duke, at Miami, Louisville.
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