Yet another example ...
... of why ACC basketball is go great and why sometimes I'm an idiot. After droning on in my pre-game blog entry about why this game just wasn't getting me energized, State goes out and delivers one of the highest levels of play you'll ever see for 20 minutes.
It's funny how much matchups and confidence can affect things. This same Virginia Tech squad that does well against UNC and looked so calm in the Dean Dome, doesn't faze the Wolfpack at all. State ran its offense like it was in practice and buried shots at a similar rate - 69.2 percent for the half. In a way, it waas even better than State's second half against UNC, because the Pack turned the ball over so rarely - just four times.
45-33 at the half. You can't expect State to keep up this pace, but hey, did anyone expect what they did in the first 20 minutes?
Here's the thing to keep an eye on the second half: State kept Atsur away from Dowdell and on Gordon in the first half, so naturally the Hokies got the ball to Gordon quite a bit. He responded with 11 points and 4 assists. Essentially, State's dealt with its defensive vulnerability by just outscoring the Hokies. Heck, Va Tech has shot 57 percent and only turned the ball over 4 times - yet the Hokies trail by 12. Go figure.
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