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TechnographHokies won't underestimate Illini
Virginia Tech looks to disrupt Illinois' tempo, half-court defense
By Eric Chima
Posted: 3/14/07 Section: NCAA Tournament Guide 1
When the Illinois men's basketball team opens its eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament on Friday, it will be facing a team making just its eighth tournament appearance ever.
And the Illini will be the underdogs.
Virginia Tech claimed its first tournament bid since 1996 this year, but it is not the typical outsider school sneaking into the Big Dance. The Hokies won 21 games this year and beat top-seeded North Carolina twice en route to a No. 5 seed in the Tournament.
"Our guys were very unemotional when the announcement was made and we saw our name was on the board," Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. "I think they'll be loose. I'm obviously ecstatic to have gotten an invitation, and I think it's well-deserved."
Virginia Tech showed flashes of excellence, but were inconsistent over the course of the season. It lost to teams like Western Michigan, George Washington and Marshall, and its wins over the Tar Heels were tempered by three losses to North Carolina State and three losses in its last four games. Overall, though, the Hokies finished 21-11 and 10-6 in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Hokies are led by senior guard Zabian Dowdell, who comes into the Tournament averaging 18 points per game on the season. Dowdell was named to the all-ACC team, and fellow guard Jamon Gordon was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. In all, four players average over 11 points per game for the Hokies, who like to push the pace and average 72.7 points per game on 47 percent shooting. The Illini, by contrast, average just 64.5 points per game on 43 percent shooting and have only two players that average double figures in points. But it has been the methodical, defensive teams like Illinois that have given Virginia Tech trouble this season.
"We're not really concerned (with the Illini's pace), but at the same time we want to go into the game and change the tempo of the game and make it a tempo that's favorable to us," Dowdell said. "We definitely want to run and get some baskets out in transition."
And the Illini will be the underdogs.
Virginia Tech claimed its first tournament bid since 1996 this year, but it is not the typical outsider school sneaking into the Big Dance. The Hokies won 21 games this year and beat top-seeded North Carolina twice en route to a No. 5 seed in the Tournament.
"Our guys were very unemotional when the announcement was made and we saw our name was on the board," Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. "I think they'll be loose. I'm obviously ecstatic to have gotten an invitation, and I think it's well-deserved."
Virginia Tech showed flashes of excellence, but were inconsistent over the course of the season. It lost to teams like Western Michigan, George Washington and Marshall, and its wins over the Tar Heels were tempered by three losses to North Carolina State and three losses in its last four games. Overall, though, the Hokies finished 21-11 and 10-6 in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Hokies are led by senior guard Zabian Dowdell, who comes into the Tournament averaging 18 points per game on the season. Dowdell was named to the all-ACC team, and fellow guard Jamon Gordon was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. In all, four players average over 11 points per game for the Hokies, who like to push the pace and average 72.7 points per game on 47 percent shooting. The Illini, by contrast, average just 64.5 points per game on 43 percent shooting and have only two players that average double figures in points. But it has been the methodical, defensive teams like Illinois that have given Virginia Tech trouble this season.
"We're not really concerned (with the Illini's pace), but at the same time we want to go into the game and change the tempo of the game and make it a tempo that's favorable to us," Dowdell said. "We definitely want to run and get some baskets out in transition."
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