The Hokies did a lot of things last night in Hooville: They picked up their first ACC road win of the season, moved above .500 in conference play for the first time, beat their rival on its home floor for the second time in three years and proved their resiliency. Tech mounted a furious comeback late in the game only to see the Hoos hit a late three to send the game into OT. The Hokies owned the extra frame and take a lot of momentum into Sunday's game at Miami.
It was a big win all-around for the Hokies, who were without Jeff Allen after he was ejected in the second half for throwing an elbow. Some think it's a big deal the Hokies were able to win without Allen, but this wasn't the first time he's disappeared down the stretch. It's just the first time he wasn't allowed to be on the court when the game mattered.
Malcolm Delaney didn't shoot very well but was able to get to the line (a very nice consolation in my opinion) and scored 28 points to lead the Hokies. And once again someone stepped up and provided secondary scoring. This time it was J.T. Thompson, who scored 17 points and grabbed a team-high three offensive rebounds. In the last few games Thompson, Dorenzo Hudson and Terrell Bell have shown their capable of stepping up. That will help the Hokies as they get into the meat of their conference schedule. For the first time in a while I'm confident that someone on this team will step up and provide scoring when to complement Delaney.
Let's hear what everyone's saying about this game as well as take a trip around the ACC.
Beat Writers
Tech downs UVA in OT (Nathan "Tommie Frazier" Warters)
"There’s something about this Virginia Tech men’s basketball team. Something intangible. Something incredible. The Hokies don’t always play particularly well, but they find ways to win. They did it again Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena, overcoming two double-digit deficits in a 76-71 overtime victory over in-state rival Virginia."
No Allen? No biggie (Aaron McFarling)
"They won without Jeff Allen. That's the story. The comeback itself was riveting. The overtime shots were stirring. The fact that it happened here, on the rival's home floor, was thrilling. But for the Virginia Tech Hokies, there's more to Thursday night's 76-71 OT victory over Virginia than all that."
Will Jeff Allen be suspended? (Darryl Slater)
"This much we know: Jeff Allen will not be automatically suspended for Virginia Tech’s next game, Sunday at Miami. The key word there is "automatically." Allen, a junior power forward and Virginia Tech’s third-leading scorer, was ejected from tonight’s 76-71 overtime win at Virginia after he threw an elbow that caught Jeff Jones in the face with 13:41 left in regulation."
After U-Va. win, Hokies last team in? (Mark Viera)
"Just how big was Virginia Tech's win over Virginia on Thursday night? For now, it was the victory that put them into the NCAA tournament. The Post's Eric Prisbell offered his latest bracket projection, and the Hokies were the final team in the field of 65."
Virginia Tech rallies past Virginia in overtime (Dave Fairbank)
"No way Virginia Tech wins this game. Not the way the Hokies played on offense for extended stretches. Not with forward Jeff Allen ejected for the final 18:41 for a flagrant foul. Not trailing by 10 points with less than three minutes remaining — in Virginia's building, no less."
True classic reveals how Hokies can gut out win (David Teel)
"It was, without question, the most memorable encounter between the state rivals since January 1989 at Richmond Coliseum, when the Cavaliers prevailed 113-106 in overtime despite 43 points by Hokies guard Bimbo Coles. Thursday night's game had no such signature performance. But Tech's Malcolm Delaney, J.T. Thompson and Dorenzo Hudson were gallant. Ditto Virginia's Mike Scott and Sylven Landesberg."
Hokies respond in overtime to defeat resilient Cavaliers (Collegiate Times)
"In a game where the Hokies had every right to believe they had been beaten, they simply didn’t quit Thursday night, and they were rewarded with an Atlantic Coast Conference road win over in-state rival Virginia, 76-71."
Bloggers
Hokies 76, boohoos 71 OT (Tech Hoops)
"The Hokies won for the second time in their last three visits to the port-a-john (both went an extra session) with an amazing 5 point victory in overtime over uva, 76-71. The Hokies trailed 62-52 with less than 3 minutes to play and then went on a 13-0 run to take the lead with 30 seconds to go. Tech played great defense in the final possession, but sammy zeslenski hit a desperation 3 with 1.3 seconds to send the game into overtime."
Hokies Overcome Adversity to Beat UVA in Overtime (Tech Sideline)
""Overtime is our time." That's the message that Seth Greenberg preaches to his team whenever a game goes into the extra frame, and it paid off yet again on Thursday night as Tech beat UVA 76-71 in overtime. The Hokies are now 16-3 overall and 3-2 in the ACC, while the Hoos dropped to 12-6 and 3-2."
Hokies Shock Wahoos with Late Comeback (Fight for Old DC)
"For the majority of Thursday's game in Charlottesville, the Hokies looked like the team that was dead last in the ACC in shooting percentage. Then, after the final media timeout, Tech mounted a furious 10-point comeback only to see UVA's Sammy Zeglinski nail an improbable three-pointer to send the game into overtime.
