It’s so hard to be successful in sports because there are so many factors involved. Virginia Tech is coming off arguably its best season ever, but the Hokies simply don’t have the luxury of the blue bloods of the sport, starting lineups filled with McDonald’s All-Americans and with five-star prospects coming off the bench.
But when a team has the all-too-common injury bug that prevents it from being healthy, expectations have to be tempered and seatbelts have to be buckled for what will be a bumpy ride. That ride is continuing for Mike Young’s crew.
In the 78-68 loss to Virginia on Wednesday night in Charlottesville, it was Tech’s sixth straight defeat, falling to 11-7 on the season and 1-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The team was boosted by the return of injured senior star Hunter Cattoor, who had missed the previous five games, but any chance of momentum took a hit before the contest even started with the news that prized recruit Rodney Rice had broken a finger.
There was no doubt that Tech looked better than it had recently through, converting 12 out of 27 three-pointers and going toe-to-toe with the Cavaliers for a good portion of the evening.
Cattoor started the game and had 11 points, six rebounds and five assists, scoring the most points against the Cavaliers since then No. 1 Houston put up 69 in an eight-point win over UVA in Charlottesville back in December.
“I thought my team fought, and they’re very good,” Tech head coach Mike Young said after the loss. “Proud of our numbers. Nineteen assists in here, only eight turnovers. Those are Virginia Tech numbers … I tell you what, if there are 10 teams out there better than them nationally, I’d like to see them.”
All five starters scored in double figures for the Hokies, and that is a reason for encouragement. Cattoor looked comfortable and healthy in his 34 minutes, and there is no doubt that his return gives everybody a boost.
“Obviously, Hunter’s a great shooter,” Darius Maddox said, per Techsideline.com. “The defense really has to key into him shooting, so they have to kind of not help as much, along with the ball movement … I feel like offensively, we played well.”
MJ Collins was the surprise of the night with his eight points off the bench, something Tech will need to count on moving forward if they are to somehow turn things around.
“[He] did [play well],” Young said of Collins. “Now MJ Collins, do something with it. Play good ball on Saturday. He’s doing it night-in, night-out defensively, but to get those two shots down – I thought he made a big basket … around the lane. Great look about him, he played a good ballgame.
“That effort, that level of basketball. We’re going to be fine. We’re going to figure it out.”
As for Rice, there was no announced timetable for his return.
The Hokies face No. 19 Clemson on the road on Saturday. The Tigers are in first place in the ACC but just suffered their first conference loss, falling to Wake Forest on Tuesday, 87-77
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