ATLANTA — Poor Virginia Tech.
The Hokies' season ostensibly started in November with Xavier banking in a halfcourt prayer to beat them in Puerto Rico. Their ACC season ended Friday in Atlanta with A.D. Vassallo's 3-pointer glancing off the rim.
If their season ends in the NIT, and not the NCAA Tournament, the Hokies can thank Tyler Hansbrough and the officials (although not because of the last no-call).
Or they can rewind to other close losses to Wisconsin, Georgia, Florida State and Boston College during this season or go back to the loss in last year's tournament to UNC. (Or Sean Dockery's 3-pointer from 2005, if you want to get historical).
Either way, ends the same for Virginia Tech: another game on the wrong side of a close call.
Hansbrough scored 28 points, including four in the final 36 seconds, and led the Heels to a 79-76 win without Ty Lawson in the lineup.
His sidewinding, initiate-the-contact scoop of a shot with 36.3 seconds left was vintage Psycho T. His defensive help on J.T. Thompson with 5.2 seconds left was more out of character.
Down 77-76, VT had the ball and a chance to win, but when Malcolm Delaney left his feet, he couldn't find A.D. Vassallo, who kept pace with Hansbrough with 26 points. The ball ended up in J.T. Thompson's hands. Thompson bobbled it on the first shot attempt. On the second attempt, Hansbrough tied up Thompson for a jumpball.
There were bad calls in Friday's game, mostly by Brian Dorsey, but that no-call was not one of them.
That Virginia Tech ended up with one more free-throw attempt (11) than Hansbrough (10) was not lost on Hokies coach Seth Greenberg.
"I guess we foul and they don't," Greenberg said.
UNC finished the game with 21 attempts from the free-throw line (hitting 15), while VT finished 8 of 11. It's not like VT took a ton of 3s and the totals were skewed by shot selection.
UNC and VT each took 19 3s.
And don't confuse me here, I'm not saying UNC won because of the officials. Hansbrough was great — actually it was one of his five best games — but the selective enforcement of the contact did affect Tech.
Vassallo's second foul, about 22 feet from the basket on a touch foul defending Bobby Frasor, was questionable at best. Vassallo had to sit out the final 8:19 of the first half after that foul.
That's a long chunk of the game to go without your best player, especially on a team that's a three-man show.
Cue the "Joe hates Carolina" comments. -- J.P. Giglio
Friday, March 13, 2009
Fitting end for hard-luck Hokies
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24 comments:
Spot on
At one point in the 2nd half the foul count was VT:9 UNC:1. Hard to win when you are playing 5 on 8. The ACC will do anything to have a Duke vs. UNC ACC final. Have fun being an NBA bust Tyler.
I tell you what, let's just do away with officials altogether and let each team shoot the same number of foul shots at the end of the game to determine the winner. To continually point to inequality of the foul calls in UNC wins is just asinine. UNC forces the ball inside on every possession and that generates fouls. That's the way Dean coaches, and that's the way Roy coaches. Sportswriters are so stupid.
Anonyous at 8:30...UNC at best will get to Sweet 16, they will find out quickly that not all refs are as biased as ACC refs. For them to be ranked #1 in the nation is a joke...I understand Lawson didn't play, but the amount of whistles they get is uncanny compared to the "average" team.
"the selective enforcement of the contact did affect Tech."
I'd argue how that's not a biased comment, but then again, the "blogger" so cutely added the last comment at the end insinuating that anyone who disagrees believes he hates the Tar Heels. How clever!
That's besides the point. If he had actually paid attention to the game (or the box score), he would have noticed that UNC post players accounted for more than half of the team's field goal attempts, which means the team is pounding the ball inside (and more likely to draw fouls).
He'd also notice that UNC had 11 more rebounds total and almost 20 offensive rebounds, meaning VT had to play defense for longer stretches, which, not surprisingly, also leads to more fouls. But then again, I guess facts don't matter as much as agendas.
10:10...did you really think that UNC would've won this game if it weren't for the refs? Serious question there. I wonder if you watched the game. The ACC will do whatever it takes to get the best ratings/attendance/revenue they can, and that's the truth. Good luck in the NCAA tourney, you will need it.
I agree. The refs are one sided for all UNC/Duke games and it doesn't matter where in the ACC they are playing. Check out YouTube for the replays to confirm.
10:35,
I think the refs were horrible, but it went both ways.
And yes, the Tar Heels would have won "if it weren't for the refs," whatever you're trying to imply there, because Seth Greenberg can't coach his way out of a paper bag. He's easily the most overrated coach in the ACC.
Good luck in the N.I.T. You're going to need it.
Somewhat pathetic lamenting here by Carolina/Duke haters and naysayers. I agree the ACC officials do not call the way they do in the Big East, they don't allow thug play, which VT, BC and Miami specialize in. I watched the game, and I'm a Wake Forest fan, and I think they could've called a ton more fouls on Tech. They play reach and slap defense, and as an official, I'd call the crap more often than they do. Get the crap over it, or rejoin the 20 team Big East. I got plenty of cash to bet on UNC getting past the Sweet 16. Retard.
As a UNC fan can anyone sit there and tell me the play at the end of the game, and you all know what I'm talking about because it was absolutely obviously ridiculous, was a fair call? I'm confident in asking this because I've had two friends that are alums from UNC tell me that was definitely a foul on thompson.
Just seems very redundant and, all too common, when the games on the line and its comin down to crunch time you can predict the ending. I'm no psychic, but its uncanny how many times these endings are becoming so predictable. Be it the traveling duke blue devil, or the perfect game play of 'Unfoulable T'. That guy should put on a clinic of how to go 40 college minutes without gettin a foul....really? A big man, and no fouls?.....really?
goaltending anyone?
refs were far more favorable to thugtech than UNC. get over it. tech just freaking sucks. good luck in the NIT
11:08..where does the thug comment come from? Does "thug" = criminal? http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6189197
10:57 that's uncalled for...but 10:50, please back the "thug" comment up. Why say that? Lawson got arrested for DUI, does that make him a thug? If not, then who on VT is a thug?
Actually Lawson was charged with having alcohol in his blood as a driver under age 21. An offense that did not even exist when the drinking age was 18. Does not even imply impairment. But more interesting still is the whining by Anybody But Carolina fans who now include Anybody But Duke fans. It's kind of fun for Carolina and Duke to be grouped together and it makes sense because they are so far and away the class programs not only of the ACC but of the NCAA.
tech needs to know their role. They were brought into the league to make football money. Now they can't even do that! Without vick there a one trick pony, and now they want basketball respect. Know your role, you play to get in the tourney,we play for championships!
How about the worst call i've ever seen watching basketball for 30 years? A charge in the first half on Dorenzo Hudson, when the UNC player was actually in the air, off his feet, jumping into Hudson.
How in the world does anyone make that call? Seriously...can anyone, anywhere in the world, make an argument about that being a reasonable call?
Slap and reach? Watch UNC's defense the entire game. They slap down on the ball and people's arms on every single possession, jump out off screens and foul with their bodies/hips, and nothing is ever called. It's absolutely ridiculous.
Hansboro's entire offensive game involves charging every time he touches the ball, yet standing with your arms straight up and absorbing the contact results in a foul against the other team. He is going to get dominated at the next level (if he ever gets any playing time). Etan Thomas would absolutely own him.
No doubt about it, the calls favored UNC. I was watching the game with a few neutral observers (non-ACC guys) who played D1 ball and they all agreed that VT got ripped off in this one. I will go a little further than the blogger and say that VT would have definitely won the game given better officiating.
Thug tech? What kind of idiot remark is that??? This type of junk doesn't belong anywhere.
all you couch potatoes can whine about whatever you want, but just get over the fact that basketball, officiating and everybody has his or her own opinon, will not change any outcome of any game.
how can you say that the held ball was a good no call? go back and check out the national player of the year with a nice handle on JT's back. and check out the official on the baseline with a CLEAR view of it.
It's obvious since those players from those two teams mug for the officials. They know that the officials are waiting for an excuse for give them a call even if the UNC/Duke players have to force the contact themselves.
VT ranked 3rd in the ACC for the number of fouls committed (313) - or called against them, if that's how you want to look at it - behind Georgia Tech (333) and Clemson (318) this season.
Va Tech is thug world in all sports. Ever heard of the Vick family ? Your basketball team is NIT at best and your coach is a WHINER. 4 time first team all american with a great supporting cast. Your dude walked before anyone touched him and was out of control. Get a life.
UNC plays today; Va Tech doesn't.
Please remove 10:57's vile comment.
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