http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/ en Copyright 2007 Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:21:42 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss After the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, the only team left representing the ACC is North Carolina. Boston College, Maryland, and Virginia all had chances to advance while Virginia Tech seemed overmatched against a tough Southern Illinois defense. Had the ball bounced a little differently in a few cases, two or three ACC teams could be moving on. However, it's now down to the Tar Heels who are playing as well as any of the remaining teams in the tournament. http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/unc-carries-the-hopes-of-the-a.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/unc-carries-the-hopes-of-the-a.php Boston College Home March Madness Maryland North Carolina Virginia Virginia Tech Sun, 18 Mar 2007 20:23:24 -0500 By Michael The statistics in this game for each team actually look similar at first glance. Virginia Tech shot 19 of 46 from the field, 8 of 15 from the line, had 28 rebounds with 5 offensive, and only 11 turnovers. Southern Illinois was 19 of 43 from the floor, 13 of 23 from the line, had 29 rebounds with 6 offensive, and only 9 turnovers. The difference was that the Salukis shot 12 of 21 from three point territory and had 11 assists. Virginia Tech, not known as a stellar outside shooting team, only managed 2 of 13 from three point land and recorded an absurdly low 3 assists. The 2 of 13 is not surprising, and the 3 assists are a reflection of the lock-down defense that the Salukis played. TRR has seen the Salukis several times this year and we think their defense today was as good as we've seen them play. Their stellar defense takes opponents out of any flow and degrades the opponent's offense to one on one moves as the shot clock winds down. Southern advances to take on Kansas...and they'll need every break to prevail. Virginia Tech loses Dowdell and Gordon to graduation, but the Hokies managed to secure an excellent group of recruits. The team will look very different next year and Seth Greenberg's challenge will be to keep the momentum going. http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/salukis-advance-frustrate-hoki.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/salukis-advance-frustrate-hoki.php Home March Madness Virginia Tech Sun, 18 Mar 2007 20:03:59 -0500 By Michael Despite a large turnover margin in their favor, Virginia Tech struggled to down shots all evening, They finally found the winning stroke in the final ten minutes, scoring the last 12 points of the game and earning their first NCAA Tournament victory in 11 years. http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/virginia-tech-recovers-late-to.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/virginia-tech-recovers-late-to.php Home March Madness Virginia Tech Sat, 17 Mar 2007 08:54:31 -0500 Today, we begin our preview of ACC teams in the NCAA tournament. http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/ncaa-first-round-preview-virgi.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/ncaa-first-round-preview-virgi.php Home March Madness Virginia Tech Tue, 13 Mar 2007 14:46:59 -0500 that to happen... North Carolina wins a share of the regular season conference title and wins the ACC Tournament outright...and what is their reward? Possible games against Marquette, Texas, and Gerogetown in the toughest regional bracket. Thanks, but don't do us any more favors. That and other thoughts in this post.]]> http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/acc-receives-7-ncaa-tournament.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/acc-receives-7-ncaa-tournament.php Boston College Duke Georgia Tech Home March Madness Maryland North Carolina Virginia Virginia Tech Sun, 11 Mar 2007 22:03:12 -0500 By Michael NC State downed Virginia Tech 72-64, setting up an All-Tobacco Road final in the ACC Conference Tournament. The Wolfpack continue on their magical run, but have been fortunate to face three similar teams. That will change today when they meet North Carolina. http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/nc-state-advances-sets-up-allt.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/nc-state-advances-sets-up-allt.php ACC Conference Tournament Home NC State North Carolina Virginia Tech Sun, 11 Mar 2007 12:46:37 -0500 In this segment of the TRR All-ACC Awards, we offer our selections for the Tobacco Road Report Defensive All-ACC Team and Tobacco Road Report Defensive Player of the Year. http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/tobacco-road-report-allacc-awa-3.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/tobacco-road-report-allacc-awa-3.php Home Maryland North Carolina Virginia Tech Wed, 07 Mar 2007 19:47:12 -0500 1st Annual Tobacco Road Report All-ACC Awards. Today we present our results for the TRR All-ACC Team selections and TRR Player of the Year in the ACC. Congratulations to the winners.]]> http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/tobacco-road-report-allacc-awa.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/tobacco-road-report-allacc-awa.php Boston College Clemson Duke Florida State Georgia Tech Home Maryland NC State North Carolina Virginia Virginia Tech Wake Forest Tue, 06 Mar 2007 12:41:27 -0500 We're not sure what to say anymore when it comes to Virginia Tech's penchant to play to the level of their opponent. Tech had something to play for in this game and a share of the conference title would have been a nice cap to a turnaround season. Instead, the Hokies failed to guard the three point line, allowing Rivers and Hammonds to shoot 8 of 14 from three. Clemson then mixed its defenses well and the press was surprisingly effective at rattling the Hokies at several points during the game. The result was that Dowdell couldn't find a second fiddle and the Hokies became much easier to defend. Clemson is hanging onto slim hopes for an NCAA bid. We don't think they're in, but the committee has something to think about now. http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/virginia-tech-falls-to-clemson.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/virginia-tech-falls-to-clemson.php Clemson Home Virginia Tech Mon, 05 Mar 2007 22:37:22 -0500 By Michael Two minutes into this game, TRR scribbled in his notebook,"The defenses are focused on stopping the guard duos and forcing the supporting cast to step up." On this night, Virginia's supporting cast would indeed step up and provide the necessary offensive balance, allowing No. 25 Virginia (20-8) to extract revenge from No. 21 Virginia Tech (20-9) with a 69-56 win on senior night in a rockin' John Paul Jones Arena. What Virginia didn't know at the time was that Georgia Tech would soon take down the mighty Tar Heels, allowing Virginia to slide into first place in the ACC with an 11-4 conference record. North Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Boston College all sit close behind at 10-5. Virginia all alone at the top? Who wouldda thunk it? http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/virginia-rises-to-the-top-slot.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/virginia-rises-to-the-top-slot.php Home Virginia Virginia Tech Fri, 02 Mar 2007 07:42:42 -0500 Is there a better open court finisher in the ACC than Deron Washington? After watching him finish several open opportunities with monster jams, we don't think so. Although he's playing fewer minutes this year, Washington is averaging more points, rebounds, and assists. Our only beef is the free throw shooting. http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/just-a-thought.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/just-a-thought.php Home Virginia Tech Thu, 22 Feb 2007 10:11:18 -0500 by David BC came out flat in their first road game after a disappointing homestand last week against Duke and UNC. Va. Tech reinserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the last weeks of the ACC season. http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/virginia-tech-stomps-eagles.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/virginia-tech-stomps-eagles.php Boston College Home Virginia Tech Thu, 22 Feb 2007 09:35:04 -0500 We have to admit up front that nobody on the TRR staff saw this one. With so many other big games on the schedule this weekend, we had to choose, letting Miami v. Wake and NC State v. Virginia Tech slip through the cracks. However, we have seen enough of the Wolfpack to know that they can get on a roll offensively and when the shots are falling, they're tough to beat. The Wolfpack finished with all five starters in double figures and averaged a stunning 1.35 points per possession. 21 assists on 32 made field goals, or assists on 35 percent of 60 total possessions is outstanding. The Wolfpack also held the defensive glass, gathering a conference-high 76 percent of all defensive rebound opportunities. The outcome of this game didn't materially change things with respect to the NCAA Tournament, but it will make it more difficult for Virginia Tech to win the regular season conference outright. This is why we love ACC play...Virginia Tech beats UNC twice but loses to NC State twice. Welcome to Tobacco Road. http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/nc-state-destroys-virginia-tec.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/nc-state-destroys-virginia-tec.php Home NC State Virginia Tech Mon, 19 Feb 2007 11:05:42 -0500 By Michael Outside of the last ten minutes of the first half, when they were able to combine stops on defense with some open court looks on offense, the Tar Heels looked out of sorts for most of this game. When Virginia Tech is on defensively, and the game is at their pace, they can make opponents look this way. It may not be pretty, but it is effective. The 81-80 overtime win moves Virginia Tech to 18-7 overall and 8-3 in conference, and should help the Hokies improve on their No. 25 ranking. The loss drops No. 4 Carolina to 22-4 overall and 8-3 in conference. The two are now tied with Virginia for second place in conference. http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/virginia-tech-takes-down-carol.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/virginia-tech-takes-down-carol.php Home North Carolina Virginia Tech Tue, 13 Feb 2007 23:05:19 -0500 While watching the UNC - Virginia Tech game tonight, I'm reminded of Sam Cassell saying that Carolina had a "wine and cheese" crowd. These are the No. 2 and 3 teams in conference and Virginia Tech thumped Carolina in their last meeting. I'm really surprised that the crowd isn't into this game. http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/wine-and-cheese.php http://www.tobaccoroadreport.com/home/wine-and-cheese.php Home North Carolina Virginia Tech Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:27:39 -0500