Spartans Stun Hokies in Blacksburg

UNCG 55 - Virginia Tech 52

UNCG Athletics
Va Tech Athletics

Halftime: UNCG 22 - Virginia Tech 22

UNCG Stats
Leader Points: Cain (18)
Leader Rebounds: Cain (10)
Leader Assists: Potts (4)
Team FG: 19-52 (36.0%)
Team 3 Pt: 3-12 (25.0%)
Team FT: 14-16 (87.5%)
Rebounds: 34
Turnovers: 13

Virginia Tech Stats
Leader Points: Wood (14)
Leader Rebounds: Van Zegeren, Wilson (Tied - 7)
Leader Assists: Wilson (6)
Team FG: 18-50 (36.0%)
Team 3 Pt: 3-15 (20.0%)
Team FT: 13-23 (56.5%)
Rebounds: 34
Turnovers: 15

Thoughts
With about 10 minutes left to go in the game, UNCG had played VT tough in an ugly game similar to the one last Saturday at Wake Forest. The Hokies had just went up by 11 and it was looking like one of those moral victory losses. Then something funny happened. UNCG went on a nice little 23-6 run and sent the home fans home completely stunned.

Kyle Cain was the best player on the court today and it really wasn't even close. When the Spartans needed a basket, they dumped it inside and got a nice post move from Cain or Locke. Wes Miller was the better coach on Saturday. He used his timeouts to nurse his team along. He sensed there was a real opportunity and he didn't want to let it get away like it had with the Demon Deacons. He also did a great job of managing the defense on volume scorer Jerell Eddie. With no Tevon Saddler, it fell to Nicholas Paulos, Tyrone Outlaw and defensive stopper Diante Baldwin. Combined they limited Eddie to 4 points on 1-12 shooting.

This is the biggest win for Wes Miller as coach of UNCG. This is the biggest win for the UNCG program in at least 6 years. With the struggles that this program has fallen into, I am willing to call it the biggest win for UNCG other than the 2 wins that got the Spartans into the NCAA Tournament.

Now it all comes down to what happens from here on out. Can UNCG capitalize on this stretch of good play? Can they Carry it over into SoCon play? There is one more ACC game on Monday and then we'll get to find out if this team is ready to win the conference. Go Spartans !!!

!!!!!!!!!!

Happy dance, happy dance, happy dance, happy dance !!!!!

Go G go !!!

UNCG (6-7) @ Virginia Tech (7-4)

When: Saturday, December 28 12:00 noon
Where: Cassell Coliseum (10,052)
TV: ESPN3

Virginia Tech Athletics

Preseason Preview

UNCG Stats
Last Game: @ Wake Forest (L 51-59) Recap
PPG: 73.5
RPG: 37.2
APG: 13.8
Leader Points: Kyle Cain (16.0)
Leader Rebounds: Kyle cain (8.5)
Leader Assists: Tevon Saddler (3.5)
FG %: 46.0
3 Pt %: 37.1
FT %: 67.2

Virginia Tech Stats
Last Game: VCU (L 52-82) Recap
PPG: 75.3
RPG: 42.0
APG: 12.9
Leader Points: Jarell Eddie (18.6)
Leader Rebounds: Jarell Eddia (6.5)
Leader Assists: Devin Wilson (5.4)
FG %: 44.7
3 Pt %: 44.0
FT %: 69.6

Thoughts
Well, I hope everyone had a great holiday week. Now it's time for basketball once again. The first game back after the Christmas break is always a "crap shoot". Will the home ACC team see UNCG on the schedule and not bother to show up? Will the Spartans be able to focus after a full week layoff? Will there be any defense played? Offense? See, it's all a guessing game.

Last time out, UNCG didn't play particularly well. However, they still pushed Wake Forest all the way to the final 3 minutes before losing by 8. For the second straight game, the Spartans did a good job of taking care of the basketball. Turnovers have been the real key to how well the team has played this season. In games when they've valued the ball, the outcomes have been favorable. Also, over the last 3 halves of basketball, UNCG has really played some solid defense. This is the other major key to this team. If the Spartans can carry over their defensive intensity to the game in Blacksburg, they can compete with the Hokies.

As for Tech, they don't appear to be a great offensive team. However, they do have some very dangerous shooters. Five VT players are shooting +40% (all with 10+ makes) from behind the arc. Best among the group is wing player Jarell Eddie who leads the team in scoring and rebounding while shooting almost 50% from 3 point land. I expect UNCG to run several defenders at Eddie throughout the day. Look for Paulos, Outlaw, Locke and maybe even Saddler to take turns guarding Eddie.

Can UNCG beat Virginia Tech? Of course. Will it happen? Who knows. With all of games at this time of year, it will require UNCG playing well, Tech napping and the Spartans getting some of favorable breaks. I can't wait to see how UNCG responds after having one ACC team on the ropes and then having a week to think about it. I think they can be very competitive. Hope they can bring the "W" back to Greensboro. Go Spartans !!!

Exhibition Results

Exhibition results from future opponents.

SoCon Teams
Lenior-Rhyne 57 - Davidson 108 Recap
North Greenville 61 - Furman 85 Recap
Thomas University 49 - Georgia Southern 88 Recap
Lees-McRae 76 - UNCG 104 Recap
Lynchburg 57 - Elon 100 Recap
Miles College 52 - Samford 90 Recap

OOC Teams
Bridgewater 53 - High Point 96 Recap
Arkansas-Monticello 64 - La Tech 85 Recap
Southern Arkansas 49 - La Tech 100 Recap
UNC-Pembroke 63 - UNC-CH 82 Recap
Caldwell 60 - Rutgers 90 Recap
Philadelphia Univ. 69 - James Madison 73 OT Recap
Brevard 66 - Wake Forest 93 Recap
UNC-Pembroke 85 - NC State 96 Recap
Morehouse 62 - NC State 87 Recap

Preseason Preview: Virginia Tech

Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Virginia Tech)
VS UNCG December 28*
Mascot: Hokies
Location: Blacksburg, VA
Enrollment: 31,087
Conference: ACC
2012-2013 Record: 13-19 (4-14)
Postseason: N/A
Coach: James Johnson (2nd Season)

School Homepage
Athletics Homepage

Losses:
Erick Green G - 36.4 mpg, 25.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.8 apg
Robert Brown G - 27.3 mpg, 8.3 ppg, 2.1 apg
Malik Mueller^ G - 6-3 210

Top Returners:
Jarell Eddie F - 30.3 mpg, 12.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg
Cadarian Raines F - 24.7 mpg, 6.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg

Additions:
Adam Smith G - 6-1 170 (Transfer UNCW)
Ben Emelogu G - 6-5 205
Maurice Kirby F - 6-9 235
Trevor Thompson F - 6-11 210

^ - Incoming freshman declared ineligible

* - Game to be played at Cassell Coliseum on campus of Va Tech

UNCG-VT Highlights

Green & Eddie Help Hokies Survive Spartans

UNCG 87 - Virginia Tech 96

UNCG Athletics
VT Athletics

Halftime: UNCG 41 - Virginia Tech 45

UNCG Stats
Leader Points: Trevis Simpson (25)
Leader Reounds: Kelvin McNeil (12)
Leader Assists: Simpson, Drew Parker (tied - 4)
Team FG: 32-75 (42.7%)
Team 3 Pt: 11-35 (31.4%)
Team FT: 12-17 (70.6%)
Rebounds: 38
Turnovers: 9

Virginia Tech Stats
Leader Points: Jarell Eddie (28)
Leader Rebounds: Marshall Wood (11)
Leader Assists: Eric Green (6)
Team FG: 24-53 (45.3%)
Team 3 Pt: 14-22 (63.6%)
Team FT: 34-42 (81.0%)
Rebounds: 41
Turnovers: 14

Thoughts
- Coming tomorrow ... until then check out David Morrison's article. It's pretty spot on.

UPDATE: UNCG-VT Redux ...

I re-watched the game on ESPN3 replay (something I think everyone at the game should have done by now) and decided to post some of my thoughts.

- First off, I was not as upset about the foul calls during the replay as I was during the actual game. I thought there were definitely some missed calls and a couple that I wish UNCG could have gotten on their end. However, the game didn't seem as out of balance as it did during first watch. Granted it still just seems wrong that in an even contest one team would shoot 42 free throws and the other 17.

- I also didn't realize in person just how much of an effect that Jarell Eddie had on the game in the final few minutes. With UNCG trailing by only 3 Eddie heavily contested a 3 point look by Armstrong and then made an even tougher 3 on the other end to extend the lead to 6 and basically ending UNCG's upset bid. He also pressured the usually sharpshooting Nick Paulos into one of the tougher shooting nights he's had as a Spartan. His length also effected Simpson and Armstrong at times.

It's tough to lose a game against an ACC team that you have on the ropes, but hopefully the Spartans can learn and grow from this loss and close out the next team it has in this position.

Virginia Tech (3-0) @ UNCG (1-2)

When: Monday, November 19 7 pm
Where: Greensboro Coliseum (7,617/23,500)
TV: ESPN3 & Spartan All-Access

VA Tech Athletics

UNCG Stats
Last game: @ East Carolina (L 73-76) Recap
PPG: 75.7
RPG: 38.7
APG: 15.3
Leader Points: Trevis Simpson (21.0)
Leader Rebounds: Kelvin McNeil (5.7)
Leader Assists: Drew Parker (5.7)
FG %: 45.6
3 Pt %: 40.6
FT %: 67.3

Virginia Tech Stats
Last game: VMI (W 95-80) Recap
PPG: 81.3
RPG: 41.0
APG: 16.3
Leader Points: Eric Green (23.0)
Leader Rebounds: Jarell Eddie (8.7)
Leader Assists: Eric Green (5.3)
FG %: 48.6
3 Pt %: 40.0
FT %: 67.9

Thoughts
The good news is this game is at home. The bad news is that UNCG is playing a team that has superior size and depth. With such a quick turnaround, I hope the Spartans have recovered the legs and are able to put a tough loss behind them. I'd hate to see ECU beat UNCG twice.

On the bright side, I think that the Hokies will be more inclined to play UNCG's style and not try to turn this game into a grind. If that's the case then the Spartans at least have a chance. They will have to play two complete halves of basketball, though.

I'm hoping for a good crowd and an electric atmosphere. At this point, there's no reason for anyone to be exceedingly upset about the Spartan';s play. They've played two rough road games and had relatively good showings. It's a shame that they weren't able to pick up the wins in either of those games. However, it's not like anyone in the SoCon has shown themselves to be "world beaters".

So with that being said, I'm going to show up on Monday night optimistic and looking for a good fight from UNCG.

Go Spartans !!!

VA Tech Coming to Greensboro This Season

Just so I can take a break from all of this conference realignment mess for a bit, here's a UNCG basketball related blurb from the Washington Post. Virginia Tech will be making an appearance at the Greensboro Coliseum this coming season.

In addition, the Hokies announced portions of their nonconference schedule, although much of it had already been reported. Virginia Tech will play home games against Iowa, Oklahoma State, Rhode Island and VMI. It will play road games at West Virginia and UNC Greensboro, because the 2013 ACC tournament will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum.

I will post again when a date becomes available.

Turnovers & Hokies Bury the Spartans

UNCG 70 - Virginia Tech 92

News & Record
Roanoke Times
UNCG Athletics
Va Tech Athletics

Positives
Shooting - UNCG shot 56% from the field and 60% from behind the arc. That's a wonderful shooting percentage against a traditionally stingy ACC opponent. If the Spartans can put that shooting percentage together with a much lower turnover number, they will be very successful in the coming games.

Trevis Simpson - The talented freshman made his debut and almost instantly went on an 8-0 run by himself. While Trevis will have to sustain that kind of effort throughout out the game (he went scoreless after his initial 8 points) moving forward, it was a very nice start.

Negatives
Turnovers - I said before the game that UNCG would have to limit its mistakes to compete with a ranked opponent. Instead the Spartans went out gave the ball away 29 times! It is impossible to turn the ball over that many times and win games.

Live ball turnovers - Virginia Tech totalled 20 steals. Thus, 20 times Virginia Tech had the opportunity to have run outs and make easy baskets. This has been a problem through the first few games this season and it needs to get fixed very quickly.

Wrap up
Well, it's a broken record through the first 3 games. There are good things to point out and bad things to point out. Unfortunately, the bad things have outweighed the good ones enough to make sure UNCG came up on the losing side of things.

The Spartans have played some very tough competition up until this point. While the competition will continue to be strong, the next 4 games will be against teams from outside the power 6 conferences. Hopefully, the team has learned some lessons from those first games that will allow them to be successful in the coming ones.

There is definitely time to right the ship. It's early. I'm expecting UNCG the come back strong after Thanksgiving.

Go Spartans !!!

#24 Virginia Tech (1-1) @ UNCG (0-2)

When: Sunday, November 21 1 pm
Where: Greensboro Coliseum (7,617/23,500)
TV: Comcast SportsNet/ NESN

Va Tech Athletics
Tech Hoops

Spartan Notes:
- Last time out, UNCG was blitzed by Florida State's press in a game that was basically lost over an 8 minute span the covered some of the 1st and 2nd halves. The Seminoles defeated UNCG 97-73. David Williams led 3 Spartans in double figures
- For the second straight year, UNCG has opened up the season 0-2. Last season the Spartans started 0-3 before defeating USC-Upstate in their 4th game.
- Returning starter Kyle Randall saw his first action against FSU, although it was in a backup role. Randall did not play in the opening game at VCU for unknown reasons. Randall is the leading returning scorer for UNCG.
- Freshman Trevis Simpson (shoulder) and redshirt freshman Taylor Hoffer (ankle) have yet to play this season due to injuries.
- Sunday's game will be the second of 7 UNCG contests against ACC competition. The Spartans still only have 1 win against the ACC (@ Ga Tech 11/9/07).
- Last season, Va Tech needed a late second half charge to defeat UNCG 59-46 in Blacksburg. Kyle Randall led UNCG with 10 points.
- So far this season, Brandon Evans leads the team in scoring (15.5) and David Williams leads the team rebounding (6.5). Drew Parker leads the team in assists (5.5).
- UNCG is shooting 42.2% from the field, 35.5% from behind the arc and 71.4% from the free throw line.

Hokie Notes:
- On Tuesday, #3 Kansas State used an 8-0 run midway through the second half to create some separation from the #21 Hokies. Kansas State went on to win the game 73-57. Malcolm Delaney led VT with 22 points in a game that saw the Hokies shoot only 34.5%.
- Virginia Tech was picked to finish second in the preseason ACC poll by the media. Delaney was selected to the all-ACC 1st team.
- Last season, Delaney led the ACC in scoring and was named to the All-ACC 1st team. He was picked as a 4th team All-American and was named to ths year's watch list for the Wooden Award (given to the best player in the nation).
- For their first 2 games (Kansas State and Campbell) Va Tech is averaging just 12 assists against 18 turnovers.
- Currently, Delaney (21.0 pts and 3.5 assists) and Dorenzo Hudson (11.0 pts) are the only Virginia Tech players averaging in double figures. Jeff Allen leads the team in rebounding (9.5) and assists (4.0).
- For the season, Va Tech is shooting 38.3% from the field, 27.8% from behind the arc and 67.3% from the free throw line.

My Thoughts
Sunday's game will match up 2 teams that have show an inability to take care of the basketball. UNCG is averaging 24 turnovers a game and VT is averaging 18. The only thing the Spartans can say is that the two teams they have played thus far have trapped and pressed all game long. However, UNCG must do a better job of taking care of the ball. They also must force Virginia Tech to make substantial mistakes.

UNCG played the Hokies tough in Blacksburg last season and have showed stretches of promise this season. The defense will need to get better to play with ACC competition. The best chance UNCG has tomorrow is to get Va Tech into a sloppy and fast paced game. The Spartans have been solid on the offensive end when they have been in situations that allowed their athleticism to shine.

As with all quality opponents from the power 6 conferences, UNCG will have to play mistake free basketball to have a chance. I think the quicker pace, coupled with some fortunate boounces, gives the Spartans their best chance to get the program's second win against an ACC opponent.

Go Spartans !!!

UNCG's "Secret Scrimmages"

According to Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports, The Spartans will be holding "Secret Scrimmages" against UNC and Radford. Find his entire list is here ...

*I've listed other SoCon games and other teams of interest.

SECRET SCRIMMAGES

Fri., Oct. 29
Samford at Kennesaw State

Sat., Oct. 30
Clemson at Georgia
Virginia Tech vs. Georgetown
Wake Forest at College of Charleston
George Mason at Richmond
VCU at La Salle
High Point at East Carolina

Sun., Oct. 31
UNC at UNC Greensboro
UT Chattanooga at Ole Miss
Wofford vs. Belmont at Maryville College

Fri., Nov. 5
Radford at UNC Greensboro

Sat., Nov. 6
Charlotte at Virginia Tech
Liberty at Appalachian State

UNCG on TV Seven times

Spartan basketball will have 7 games shown on various television networks. This is the most ever for UNCG men's basketball. Below, I have listed the game and network ...

11/14 FSU @ UNCG FSN-South & FSN-Florida
11/21 Va Tech @ UNCG Comcast SportsNet & NESN
12/8 UNCG @ Maryland Comcast SportsNet
12/15 UNCG @ Wake Forest ESPNU
12/19 UNCG @ Clemson FSN-South
12/29 Duke @ UNCG ESPNU
2/19 UNCG @ Elon SportsSouth

UNCG Offering 5-Game Ticket Plan

UNCG is offering ticket plans (called "Gimme 5") for this season in men's basketball. It's an option for people who might not want a whole season ticket package. Here's how it works ...

Everyone gets:
- Duke

Blue Game (pick 1):
- FSU
- Miami
- Virginia Tech

Yellow Game (pick 3):
- NC A&T
- Furman
- Richmond
- Samford
- Chattanooga
- Elon
- Davidson
- Ga Southern
- App State
- Citadel
- Western Carolina

The prices are $45 (upper level) and $65 (lower level) per seat.

New Schedule Released

UNCG has released it's 2010-2011 basketball schedule. There are 15 home games including restarting a rivalry with a crosstown rival. Times haven't been finalized and and I'm sure that TV can move dates if needed. Also, tomorrow is the last day to renew season tickets (which, sorry guys, the new baby is keeping me from doing this year). Single game tickets go on sale October 22 through Ticketmaster.

Nov. 12 @ VCU
Nov. 14 Florida State
Nov. 21 Va Tech
Nov. 27 @ ECU
Nov 29 NC A&T
Dec. 2 @ Wofford
Dec. 6 Furman
Dec. 8 @ Maryland
Dec. 15 @ Wake Forest
Dec. 18 @ Clemson
Dec. 22 Richmond
Dec. 29 Duke
Jan. 6 Samford
Jan. 8 Chattanooga
Jan. 10 Elon
Jan. 13 @ App State
Jan. 17 Davidson
Jan. 20 Ga Southern
Jan. 27 @ Chattanooga
Jan. 29 @ Samford
Feb. 2 App State
Feb. 5 @ Western Carolina
Feb. 7 Citadel
Feb. 12 @ College of Charleston
Feb. 15 Miami (FL)
Feb. 19 @ Elon
Feb. 21 Western Carolina
Feb. 24 @ Ga Southern
Feb. 26 @ Davidson
March 4-7 SoCon Tournament*

* Chattanooga, TN

Spartans Fall Short in Blacksburg

UNCG 46- Virginia Tech 59

News & Record
Roanoke Times
UNCG Athletics
Va Tech Athletics

There were four lead changes and the score was tied 8 times last night. However, an 11-0 Virginia Tech run midway through the second half sealed the Spartans fate. A good first half that saw UNCG head to the locker room tied at 26, was follow by a not-so-good second half that saw UNCG struggle to score 20 points.

Positives
- Big D --- UNCG played tremendous defense throughout the evening. Their zone defense forced the Hokies to jack up a lot of 3's and only hit 1 (1-13, 7.7%).
- Mikko --- After a super quiet game in Durham on Friday night, Mikko Koivisto had a solid game. His 2 first half 3's sparked UNCG.
- Rebounding --- UNCG out rebounded Virginia Tech 38-37.
- Road toughness --- For the second straight game, UNCG showed some toughness and moxie by playing hard (and in this case being very competitive) in a tough environment.

Negatives
- Turnovers - 23 turnovers leading to 27 points. A lot of the turnovers weren't really forced ones either. Unfortunately, UNCG will see a lot of pressure defense on Friday when Clemson pays a trip to the coliseum. Hopefully, Coach Dement can get the guys to clean up that problem quickly.
- Opposition offensive rebounds --- While UNCG did a good job out rebound Va Tech, they did give up a bunch of offensive rebounds (18). This was a problem in game #1 and was a problem again last night.
- Offense --- The Spartans shot 35.3% (29.2% in the second half) in Blacksburg and 40% last Friday night at Duke. At some point the offense needs to come alive. Now, I'm sure that playing ACC competition has an awful lot to do with the low production numbers. Maybe getting to shoot in a familiar gym will help with the percentages in the coming games.

UNCG (0-1) @ Virginia Tech (1-0)

When: Tuesday, Nov 17 7 pm
Where: Cassell Coliseum (10,052)
TV: None

Virginia Tech Athletics
Virginia Tech Forum - Rivals
Virginia Tech Forum - Scout
Tech Sideline Forum
Tech Hoops

UNCG Athletics Preview

Spartan Notes:
- Last time out, UNCG fell to Duke 96-62 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Ben Stywall led the Spartan with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Freshman Kyle Randall led the Spartans with 4 assists.
- UNCG had 9 players play double digit minutes in the season opener.
- UNCG shot 40% from the field, 33% from behind the arc and 55.6% from the free throw line in the opener.
- Elhanan Bone is questionable for this game.

Hokies Notes:
- Last time out, Virginia Tech defeated Brown 69-55. Malcom Delaney led the Hokies with 21 points.
- Virginia did a great job of taking care of the ball in its opener. Virginia Tech only turned the ball over 8 times and dished out 15 assists (1.9-to-1 Assists to TO ratio).
- Virginia Tech lost its leading scorer from a year ago to graduation. A.D. Vassallo averaged 19.1 points last season. However, the leading rebounder (Jeff Allen) and leading assists man (Delaney) did return for this season.
- In the season opener, Virginia Tech shot 46.4% from the field, 41.2% from behind the arc and 55.6% from the free throw line.

My Thoughts:
UNCG has never played well against Virginia Tech. However, their height advantage doesn't even get close to the advantage that Duke held over the Spartans. Cassell Coliseum is a tough place to play. Again, though, the Spartans played in an even tougher place on Friday.

UNCG's freshmen played well at times against Duke and left fans with reason to feel optimistic. It will be interesting to see how they follow up that performance. At a glance, UNCG didn't appear competitive with Duke. But those of us that actually watched know it was a 16 point game with about 10 minutes left before the Blue Devils went on one of their patented runs to bury UNCG.

Virginia Tech didn't overwhelm their first opponent this year. The Spartans might have a chance to catch the Hokies sleepwalking. However, to beat an ACC team on the road, UNCG will have to play an almost perfect game. Hopefully the guys can build on the good things they did on Friday and surprise the Hokies.

Go Spartans !!!

UPDATE: Channelsurfing.net is listing this game as being shown @ 7.

Links & OOC Scheduling

Now that I have some free time for the next couple of months, I'm going to try to exchange links with a few more college basketball websites. Feel free to send me sites that you think I should check out. I'm going to start by contacting websites of teams that UNCG is playing this upcoming season.

Which brings me to my to my next point. I'm adding a new space for confirmed out of conference opponents. I'll use this post to point out where I found these teams from. Hopefully by the time the real schedule comes out, we'll already have a good portion of it figured out. If anyone comes across a link or knows something that they'd like to share, email me.

- NC State, ECU & Princeton - We've known about these 3 for a while. All three games will be at the Greensboro Coliseum.
- Duke, Clemson, Maryland, Virginia Tech & Wake Forest - The article points out that the Duke game is in Cameron (11/14). Other than that game, it's unknown where the rest of these will be played.
- NC A&T (rumored) - I'm going to leave this one off the list because the article only vaguely says that the series will be restarted.
- Richmond, VCU & Charlotte (rumored) - The article just says Barakat is working on these teams. I also believe these are the same teams he mentioned at the press conference in December.