By TOM BONE
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Seth Greenberg gave out an unusual “assist” award in postgame comments Saturday — to the workers for the Virginia Department of Transportation.
“There are a lot of people who worked really, really hard to enable people to come to the game today,” said the Virginia Tech head coach. “Those people need to be appreciated, because they’ve had a very tough last two weeks. They probably had to work through the night.
“It was safe to get here. That helped us win. Those people had a big hand in it, those people who got these roads (ready) so that people could find a way here. That was a big part in it. They get an assist.”
With snow blanketing the New River Valley, the Hokies still drew an announced crowd of 9,847 to Cassell Coliseum, where the Virginia Tech men (18-4) are now 12-0 this season.
They played a factor as the Hokies took Clemson apart in the second half, winning 70-59, after trailing most of the first half.
“What a great crowd,” Greenberg said. “They found the means and the way to get here. ... That was a great environment. As bad as we were in the first eight minutes, they would not quit on us.”
The home squad misfired on its first nine shots and trailed 9-1 before figuring out how to deal with a closely-officiated game, which featured 54 fouls.
“Offensively, we had no ability to get into any rhythm in the first half,” Greenberg said. “Getting into our offense, just the process, was pretty ugly.”
It translated into a 15.4 percent success rate on field goals prior to halftime, but Tech led 29-27 at the break after making 20 of 25 free throws.
Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said, “I thought we did a very good job defensively in the first half ... . Apparently they adjusted to the officiating better than we did. Foul trouble was a problem for us.”
Clemson (16-7) got seven points from 240-pound senior Trevor Booker, who was averaging 15.8 points per game.
Talking about a halftime adjustment, Greenberg said, “We wanted to close down angles for Booker to just catch it and go on us. We did a pretty good job on that.”
Booker was in and out of the lineup in the second half after picking up his third and fourth personal fouls in the first seven minutes after intermission.
“Guarding him for 23 minutes is sure better than guarding him for 40, because he’s a beast,” Greenberg said.
Tech used Booker’s absence to good effect, going on a 7-0 run to secure the lead for good.
Purnell said, “It clearly was an issue today.”
Greenberg said the game “was not very attractive, but obviously we showed great intensity, and a great sense of urgency on the defensive end.”
Virginia Tech was playing only 43 hours after defeating defending NCAA champion North Carolina 74-70. Tech officials decided to admit students free on Saturday, swelling the crowd and adding noise and emotion to the proceedings.
Greenberg noted that, and expressed his gratitude to season-ticket holders who made the snowy journey to Blacksburg.
“That means a lot to us,” he said.
Since Virginia Tech joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004, the Hokies and Tigers had played eight times. Five of those games were decided by one or two points or in overtime. The largest margin of victory had been five (Clemson won 86-81 in March 2006).
Malcolm Delaney, who led Virginia Tech Saturday with 30 points, was asked about the reason for the defensive effort, holding Clemson to under 60 points.
“We played hard,” the all-ACC junior guard said. “We contested shots. They got a couple of open looks, but we never let them get that same shot over again.”
He said the span between the North Carolina and Clemson games was “a quick turnaround, (but) we adjusted very well.”
“I’m pretty sure we were tired, but we don’t use excuses,” he said. “We’re a tough team. No matter who we face, we’re going to play hard. And that’s what we did — people diving on the floor, a bunch of us having another game on the boards, taking charges.
“We just do all the small stuff that a lot of teams don’t do.”
Delaney said, “We stick together. We know we can beat anything in the ACC, as long as we come to play.”
Greenberg added, “This team is pretty resilient. We play hard and take care of the ball. ... We’ve got a lot of different guys that can step up. They really like each other, and that serves a lot for your team.”
“We’re a long way from being good, but we’re a tough team,” the coach said. “We’ve got to get better. That’s just a reality.”
The last month of the regular season starts Wednesday night in Raleigh, taking on North Carolina State (14-10), followed by a visit to Blacksburg by Virginia (14-7) on Saturday night.
Greenberg said, “This week has a small margin of error, (and) then we’ve got to figure out the weather. We might have to leave (for Raleigh) Monday. This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”
— Contact Tom Bone at
tbone@bdtonline.com
