Virginia Tech 2007 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Virginia Tech Hokies - ACC (21-11, 10-6)

Seed: #5 - West Region

Big Wins: 1/6 at Duke (69-67), 1/13 North Carolina (94-88), 2/13 at North Carolina (81-80)

Bad Losses: 11/23 vs Western Michigan (68-71), 12/30 at Marshall (58-59), 1/31 NC State (59-70)

Last NCAA Appearance: 1996, Second Round loss to Kentucky

Coach: Seth Greenberg (0-2 in 2 NCAA appearances)

Probable Virginia Tech Starters:

• Jamon Gordon, Senior, Guard, 11.3 ppg, 4.6 apg, 2.7 spg

• Zabian Dowdell, Senior, Guard, 18.0 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.2 spg

• Deron Washington, Junior, Guard, 11.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.0 bpg

• Lewis Witcher, Freshman, Forward, 3.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg

• Coleman Collins, Senior, Forward, 7.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.1 rpg

Key Roleplayers for Virginia Tech:

• A.D. Vassallo, Sophomore, Guard, 11.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg

• Nigel Munson, Freshman, Guard, 3.1 ppg, 1.2 apg

• Markus Sailes, Senior, Guard, 2.2 ppg, 1.1 apg

• Cheick Diakite, Sophomore, Forward, 3.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:
There are few things that are more important in March than senior leadership in the backcourt to dictate tempo and control the game. Jamon Gordon and Zabian Dowdell are great passers, rarely turn the ball over and both rank in the top 40 in the nation in steals. Dowdell is a nightmare to guard. The Pahokee, FL native can get to the basket, hit the mid-range jumper and knock down the long ball.

Virginia Tech will not take too many three’s, but they knock them down when they do. Long range shooter A.D. Vassallo hits 44.1% from the long range and thanks to the penetration skills of his backcourt mates, he finds his fair share of open looks.

Why Virginia Tech Can Disappoint:
The quality and experienced guards are great, but there are a couple areas where the Hokies run into trouble. Virginia Tech consistently gets out-rebounded. Giving up a slew of second chance points on offensive rebounds can kill Virginia Tech’s defensive intensity. The other field of concern is at the free-throw line. The team shoots just 66.4% from the charity stripe and Dowdell is the only starter that Hokie fans should have any confidence in at the line.

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Who To Watch:
Wing Deron Washington leads the team with 5.4 rebounds per contest, but forward Coleman Collins is the player that needs to get more aggressive on the glass. The 6-9 senior has seen his rebounding total decrease every year since he peaked at 7.0 as a sophomore. Collins has battled injuries throughout his career and is rarely at 100%, but it is imperative that he at least stops the opposition from grabbing too many offensive boards.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 72.7 (100th in nation, 9th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 64.6 (72, 2)

Field-Goal Percentage: 47.2 (42, 7)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.7 (81, 4)

Free-Throw Percentage: 66.4 (247, 10)

Rebound Margin: -0.1 (185, 11)

Assists Per Game: 13.6 (154, 7)

Turnovers Per Game: 11.0 (6, 1)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Illinois

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