Virginia Tech delivered its best win of the season earlier this week to build its postseason resume.
Now the Hokies look to avoid a pitfall which would negate that positive momentum when they face Florida State on Saturday in Blacksburg, Va.
Virginia Tech (17-8, 6-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) had lost two straight games and three of four before securing its second ranked win of the season, 76-66, at No. 20 Clemson on Wednesday.
It was an offensive explosion for the Hokies — 52% from the floor and 52.4% from 3-point range — as they shot above 50% for just the second time in 12 ACC games.
Jailen Bedford scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the first half to build a seven-point halftime advantage, and Ben Hammond scored 17 of his 19 in the second to ensure the Hokies never trailed after half.
Virginia Tech delivered the win despite getting just seven points from leading scorer Amani Hansberry (14.9 points per game). It became just the second ACC team this season to score 76 points against the Tigers, who rank second in the ACC in scoring defense (64.6 ppg).
“The season takes a lot of interesting turns. Some good, some bad,” Hokies coach Mike Young said. “(Wednesday) was a great turn. Now let’s make the most of it.”
With the win, the Hokies are now the second team out of the NCAA Tournament in ESPN’s latest projection released Friday.
The Seminoles (11-13, 4-7) nearly pulled off an equally impressive win on Tuesday, leading for over 27 minutes before going cold late in a 61-58 loss to visiting No. 15 Virginia.
Florida State missed its final 11 field-goal attempts and was held scoreless for the final 4:54, resulting in its three-game winning streak being snapped.
Lajae Jones led the upset bid with a team-high 21 points and 13 rebounds. He’s now tied for the team lead in rebounding (5.9 per game) and is averaging significantly more boards in conference play (7.4) than he did in nonconference play (4.6).
“He’s been super impressive,” Seminoles coach Luke Loucks said of Jones. “He’s his harshest critic, which is a sign of a good competitor.”
That’s played a big role in the Seminoles’ defensive turnaround. Since allowing 90-plus points in three straight games between Jan. 3-13, Florida State has allowed more than 80 points just once in its last seven games.
–Field Level Media
