Saturday, June 12, 2010

Season Recap: Wake Forest

2009-2010
Wake Forest: 20-11 (9-7 ACC)

Most ACC teams you could pretty easily categorize in the year being either a success or a failure. With Wake Forest, I don't think that's as clearcut. They came in with pretty high expectations, coming off their best year in quite a while. The Deacs did a decent job to start the season. They did suffer back-to-back losses to William and Mary, and at Purdue. But they came back with a very solid road win at Gonzaga, the start of a 7 game winning streak.

Just like they did last year, Wake started out the conference slate pretty strong. At one point they were up to 8-3 in ACC play. The big key for them in this part of the season was Ish Smith. He was relegated to a backup role the previous year, playing behind Jeff Teague. But once Teague left, that gave the spotlight back to Smith, and he really shined. He and Al-Farouq Aminu turned into a very solid combination.

Unfortunately for Wake, just like the previous year, the wheels came off a bit in the latter part of the season. They went 1-4 in their last five conference games, including a home loss to North Carolina. Then they got blown out in the first round of the ACC Tournament by 12 seed Miami. They were able to put things back together for one game, though. Wake knocked off Texas in the first round of the NCAAs in a very entertaining game that went into overtime. Their season ended with a blowout loss to Kentucky.

Best Win: 81-80 (OT) over Texas (3/18)

There really weren't a lot of expectations for Wake coming into the NCAA Tournament, having lost 5 of 6. And they were facing a Texas team that was one of the most talented teams in the country, once having been ranked #1. Wake played very well, though, and despite blowing a lead late in regulation was able to win this one in overtime. It was a big boost for a team that got embarrassed in the first round of the NCAAs the year before.

Worst Loss: 83-62 to Miami (3/11)

Wake looked absolutely terrible in this ACC Tournament game, getting blown out from the start by a team that was a lot less talented. They couldn't get anything going, and were one of many high seeds to make an early exit from this bizarre ACC Tournament week.

Postseason Play:

As explained above, Wake did not have a long or impressive stay in the ACC Tournament. They got a berth in an 8/9 game in the NCAAs against Texas, and were able to win in overtime. Then, the Deacons had to face a very tough Kentucky squad, and were never really in the game. They lost by 30 points.

What's Ahead:

You have to say that any good feelings Wake fans had at the end of the year have since been erased. In a somewhat surprising move, Wake dumped Coach Dino Gaudio after three seasons in which he made 2 NCAA Tournament appearances. In place of him, they brought in Jeff Bzdelik, an interesting hire. He has spent most of his recent time out west, coaching the Denver Nuggets in the NBA, and then Colorado. At Colorado, his record was 36-58 (ouch!).

What Bzdelik inherits is a team that is losing a lot. Aminu is leaving for the NBA Draft, along with his 15.8 points per game. Second leading scorer Ish Smith is graduating. As are big man Chas McFarland, L.D. Williams and David Weaver. That represents four of their top six scorers from this past year. Wake will have some decent players, like Ari Stewart and C.J. Harris back, but it will probably be a down year in Winston-Salem next year.

Saturday, June 05, 2010

Season Recap: Virginia Tech

2009-2010
Virginia Tech: 25-9 (10-6 ACC)

How successful Virginia Tech was this past season probably depends on your point of view. If you look at the results, it has to be a success. The Hokies were not picked very highly coming into the season. But they were able to get off to a good start. They won road games at Iowa and Penn State, and beat Seton Hall on a neutral court to run out to a 12-1 record. They really didn't slow down much once conference play begun. At one point, Tech won 5 straight conference games, finishing with 10 conference wins and in fourth place.

Tech's success was largely due to their Big Three: Malcolm Delaney, Jeff Allen and Dorenzo Hudson. Hudson especially really stepped up his game this year, finishing with 15.2 points per game. Those three players combined to score 47 points per game, second in the league to Duke's Big Three. Where Tech fans will be disappointed is that they seemingly did everything except make it to the NCAA Tournament. Most people point to their weak out-of-conference schedule as the biggest factor. So for a third year in a row, they had to settle for a high seed in the NIT.

Best Win: 88-82 at Georgia Tech (3/6)

The Hokies were coming into this game squarely on the bubble, having in their last road game been embarrassed against BC. But they came into this game on a mission, and with both teams lighting up the scoreboard were able to lead most of the way. At the time, this looked like a huge road win that would vault them into the NCAA field.

Worst Loss: 70-65 to Miami (3/12)

The good feelings obviously didn't carry into their next game, which was a very disappointing loss to Miami in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. The Hokies seemed to be out of rhythm most of the game, and caught a Miami team that was peaking at that time. This set into motion a three day stretch where Tech went from a virtual lock to on the bubble to out of the NCAA Tournament.

Postseason Play:

As detailed above, Virginia Tech was another of the high seeds to not have a long stay in the ACC Tournament. That ended up sending them to the NIT. They had a decent run in the NIT, but were disappointed to once again not make it to Madison Square Garden. Tech started out with a pretty easy 20 point win over overmatched Quinnipiac. They then got one of their best wins of the year with a come from behind 2 point victory over UConn. They fell in the quarterfinals, though, to Rhode Island, losing at home by 7.

What's Ahead:

The Hokies definitely come into the year as one of the favorites in the conference. The biggest thing for them was Malcolm Delaney's decision to return for his senior season. He will lead a squad that is really not losing much: 2 seniors who had a combined 2.2 points per game last season. They will probably count more on last year's freshman class, which showed some promise. There will be two keys to next season: can the Hokies win some games against top level talent in the non-conference? They have a much more difficult schedule on tap, which should help them get NCAA consideration. And can they perform when they are the hunted? The last time they came in with high expectations, they had a disastrous year.