Hokies take huge step forward, beat Seton Hall in OT

Over a three-game homestand the Virginia Tech basketball team enjoyed leading up to its game with Seton Hall Saturday night, coach Seth Greenberg spoke very highly of his team’s “approach” after every game.

He had no idea how much better the approach could get.

With its best player and leading scorer Malcolm Delaney sidelined with a sprained left ankle, Saturday night was a huge challenge for the rest of the team.

Following the Hokies’ win over Longwood, the game in which Delaney went down a minute in, Dorenzo Hudson said the team needed to “just play ball”.

Easy, right?

Hudson made it looked easy enough; scoring 41 points in a 103-94 overtime win.

Erick Green, while not spectacular, handled the pressure of his first career start in a tough environment with seven points and only three turnovers.

Green battled foul trouble the entire game. He played the final 12 minutes of regulation with four fouls, and made it four minutes into overtime before fouling out.

Jeff Allen, whom coach Greenberg has made it no secret to be the key to how far this team can go in the postseason, turned in his best game of the season. He scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

The biggest play of the game for Allen came early on in overtime, when Allen stole the ball from Robert Mitchell at halfcourt and proceeded to finish on the other end with a rim-rattling two-handed slam.

No matter where the Hokies finish this season, they will look back at this game as their proverbial turning of the corner.

All of the odds were against them: no Delaney, freshman point guard, proven foe from the most powerful conference in the country. Had Seton Hall taken control of this game early and cruised to victory, nobody would have blamed the Hokies.

Instead, Tech seized control of the game early, and though the Pirates continued to fight back and even take the lead on several occasions, the Hokies never lost their composure.

Coach Greenberg can remember this game as the night Malcolm’s sidekicks revealed themselves. Hudson emerged with the best game of his career at the most important time. Clearly, the Hokies can look to someone besides Delaney for guidance when the game matters most.

Tech discovered an important aspect of its team tonight: they can win when Delaney is off the floor. There will be times during the next two months when he may be in foul trouble or, god forbid, be injured again.

This game gives the team confidence that they can step up if that happens.

Manny Atkins had a breakthrough moment, too. Leading by two with a minute to go in overtime, Atkins drained a three-point shot from the left wing. Seton Hall took the ball back down the court, and Jordan Theodore responded with a three of his own.

Immediately after the ball went through the net, Atkins sprinted towards the Hokies’ basket, catching a pass that Tyrod Taylor could not have thrown better, and finished with a right-handed slam that all but sealed the win.

As much as twenty-point runaway wins are nice, the game Saturday was exactly what coach Greenberg needed for his team. Facing the pressure of an overtime game against a team that nearly knocked off fifth-ranked Syracuse earlier in the week, Tech held its own against the experienced foe.

After last season, where they lost seven games in the final seconds, the Hokies are leaving no doubt this season as to who owns the floor.

The first 11 wins of the season for the Hokies were against suspect opponents, and that’s with the generosity of a Salvation Army volunteer. Finally, the Hokies have validated themselves against a worthy opponent, and secured an out-of-conference win that will impress the NCAA Tournament selection committee in March.

How’s that for an approach?

Delaney’s injury overshadows easy win

With all due respect to the hit song by the musical group “The Verve”, Virginia Tech’s 85-50 win over Longwood Wednesday afternoon was a bittersweet symphony.

After only one minute, 22 seconds had elapsed, the Hokies season may have taken a turn for the worse when leading scorer Malcolm Delaney suffered a frightening injury.

Delaney hit the floor hard underneath the Hokies’ basket, rolling on the floor in severe pain for over a minute, even after athletic trainer Chad Hyatt and head coach Seth Greenberg arrived at his side. The injury was diagnosed as a sprained left ankle.

Greenberg summoned seldom-used reserve guard Paul Debnam to assist Hyatt in carrying Delaney off the floor. He was unable to put any weight on the injured ankle, while exiting the floor to a standing ovation from the home crowd.

X-rays on the injured ankle were negative. Greenberg announced Delaney would undergo a precautionary MRI prior to the team’s departure for Cancun Wednesday night.

As Delaney was being attended to on the baseline, junior guard Dorenzo Hudson gathered the team at midcourt.

“I told the guys to just play ball, and we’ll deal with him after the game,” Hudson said.

By stretching the final margin to 35 points, Hudson’s advised appeared to be heeded well.

“Our kids really rallied (after the injury),” Greenberg said.

The rest of the first half played out seemingly unnoticed by much of the Cassell Coliseum crowd, which was more concerned with the situation of the Hokies’ fallen star.

Erick Green replaced Delaney in the lineup. The freshman played a career-high 30 minutes.

“I was nervous, I did not expect to play so early in the game,” Green said.

Despite the unanticipated volume of playing time, Green played well. He finished with 15 points to go with four assists. He did turn the ball over four times as well, however.

Entering the game, the Hokies expected Longwood (3-11) to incorporate a frenzied trapping scheme defensively, which led to many of the Hokies’ 18 turnovers.

“It was uncharacteristic of us,” Greenberg said, “I don’t know that it was because of anything they did, as much as it was the things we did not do.”

The loss of Delaney provides a world of problems for Tech, which faces Seton Hall (9-3) in Cancun on Saturday. That game should prove to be the toughest challenge yet for the Hokies.

“Seton Hall is a really good team; they rebound the ball, are athletic and long, and have a great scorer,” Greenberg said.

When will Delaney return?

“Not until he is ready to play,” Greenberg said, declining to elaborate.

The coach went on to say that Delaney’s rehab will begin immediately, and that all the necessary equipment to do so will accompany the team to Cancun.

The pressure of keeping the team on the right path now falls on the other 11 players on the Tech roster to pick up the slack created by the devastating injury.

Leadership on the court will have to come from other places, but Hudson is confident in his teammates.

“We will just have to step up and play ball.”

Delaney injured, Hokies on cruise control at home

It took only one minute, 22 seconds for the Virginia Tech basketball team's season to be put in serious jeopardy. Malcolm Delaney, the leading scorer in the ACC, was injured with an apparent left ankle sprain after falling hard to the floor underneath the Hokies' basket.

At halftime, Tech leads Longwood (3-10) by a score of 43-21.

The actual game is taking a backstage to the story of Delaney's injury. After injuring the ankle, he rolled around in agonizing pain for nearly a minute, even after athletic trainer Chad Hyatt and head coach Seth Greenberg arrived at his side.

Greenberg summoned seldom-used reserve guard Paul Debnam to assist Hyatt in carrying Delaney off the floor. Delaney was unable to put any weight on the injured ankle, as he exited the floor to a standing ovation from the home crowd.

Late in the first half, Delaney was spotted leaving the floor once again on crutches. He was also wearing a protective boot. The initial report is the injury is only a sprain, with x-ray results revealing there ankle is not broken.

The Hokies' leading scorer is Erick Green, who replaced Delaney in the lineup, with 10 points. Ben Boggs has added six points, all from the foul line.

Hyatt has earned more than the worth of his paycheck already today. Five minutes after Delaney's injury, freshman Manny Atkins limped off the court after rolling his ankle. He would return to action later in the half, however.

Three minutes after Atkins' injury, Erick Green was hit hard while attempting a lay-up. He winced in pain, but continued to play, until moments later he was fouled on a three-point play. He continued to display signs of pain to his abdomen, leaving Greenberg no choice but to replace him in the lineup.

Green also returned late in the first half.

With the game's outcome already decided, the most important thing for Greenberg's squad is to make it through the second half with no more injuries, as a trip to Cancun against Seton Hall is only three days away.