Hokies aim for fast start against Blue Devils

There has been an energy shortage at the beginning of games recently for the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team.

That’s one of the big reasons the Hokies got off the slow starts in close losses to BYU and Maryland in their last two games. They’ll try to reverse that trend tonight against No. 7 Duke at Cassell Coliseum.

“It’s at our place, and hopefully the Cassell will get packed and give us some energy to get us going for this game,” said guard Erick Green, who leads the Hokies with a 15.9 scoring average.

“Duke’s a good team. They’re always a good team. They’re well-coached, and we’ve just got to come out and play with some energy like we had in the second half [of our last two games] instead of waiting to play just one half.”

Tech scored 50 points in the second half against Maryland. It may take an offensive outburst to hang with the Blue Devils.

Duke’s balanced scoring attack is one of the best in the country, which is why it has been able to overcome some glaring defensive shortcomings.

The Blue Devils (18-3, 5-1 ACC), who are tied for first in the ACC standings, lead the conference in field goal offense (48.9 percent) and are second in points per game (80.3), but they rank dead last in field goal defense (43.9 percent) and next to last in points allowed per game (69.1).

“We’re not inherently a defensive team. [That’s not] the mentality of these kids,” Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “They’re more offensive players. But they’ve shown that they can play really good defense, and we just have to get it going for longer periods of time.”

The Hokies toppled then-No. 1 Duke the last time they faced off on Tech’s home court. Tech prevailed not only because of its experience, but also because it matched Duke’s intensity.

The Hokies (12-9, 1-5) need to find that energy again. They have fallen all the way to 11^th in the ACC standings after losing six of their seven conference games.

“We have a philosophy on how to play them,” Hokies coach Seth Greenberg said. “But then it’s tough to go out and execute it. You’ve got to match their intensity. When you play Duke, first and foremost, you’ve got to match their intensity. They’re going to draw a line in the sand and compete each and every play.”

Tech got off to a sluggish start at Maryland in its last game. It shot 24 percent in the first half and stormed back at the end only to see its rally fall short. Last Wednesday, the Hokies followed a similar path in their loss to BYU. They rallied after missing their first 16 field goal attempts, and then missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.

After the Terps loss, Tech’s players were trying to find answers to their early-game struggles.

“I think it starts with leadership. The main thing is getting these guys amped up, but sometimes I think when you step on the court, you should be already fired up. You should be ready to play. Someone shouldn’t have to tell you to get up, this is a big game and things like that,” Green said.

“We’re young, and I’m not going to use that as an excuse, but these young guys really don’t know what it’s like right now. We’ve got to get them ready.”

The Hokies are looking for better floor leadership and better play from their younger players. They know what it takes to knock off the mighty Blue Devils. They just have to play well enough to pull it off. 

“I know our guys will be excited,” Greenberg said. “We’ve had great games against Duke, and hopefully we’ll have another great one against them.”