Similar Teams: Hokies, Deacs both rely on solid defenses

Credit: AP Photo

Ari Stewart (20) has played a key role for Wake Forest in his freshman season.

By: By Dan Collins | JOURNAL REPORTER
Published: February 16, 2010

Coach Seth Greenberg of Virginia Tech could only wish that it was Dino Gaudio on the NCAA Tournament Selection committee instead of Gaudio's director of athletics at Wake Forest, Ron Wellman.

Greenberg, whose Hokies are 20-4 overall and 7-3 in ACC play, may be sweating out what would be his the second invitation to the NCAA Tournament in his seven seasons as Virginia Tech's head coach.

But in the opinion of Gaudio, whose 23rd-ranked Deacons will play at Virginia Tech tonight at 7, the Hokies are in.

"This is an NCAA Tournament team we're playing (tonight)," Gaudio said. "And it will be a difficult, difficult challenge for us."

The game is important for Wake Forest, which cracked the Top 25 polls this week for the first time this season at 18-5 and 8-3 in ACC play. But the Deacons, whose rating percentage index is as high as No. 11 with a strength of schedule of 22nd hardest in the country, appear in solid, if not enviable, shape for an NCAA Tournament bid.

So the game may be even more important for the Hokies, whose RPI of No. 50 has been undermined by a strength of schedule of 161. A victory over a ranked team would be a giant step for Virginia Tech towards an NCAA Tournament bid. Greenberg recognizes how hard it might be to come by. The Deacons have won four in a row and six of the last seven.

"The team we're playing (tonight) is really, really as talented as any team I've seen this year," Greenberg said. "They've got about 30 feet of post players (in Chas McFarland, Tony Woods, David Weaver and Ty Walker). They've got one of the premier offensive rebounders in the country (Al-Farouq Aminu). They've got a guy who is as quick with the ball as anyone I've seen in a long, long time, in Ish Smith.

"Their freshmen (C.J) Harris and (Ari) Stewart are not afraid, and have made big baskets and big basketball plays. They're just a very good basketball team. They're extremely well-coached, they play hard and they're obviously going to pose a lot of problems for us."

Junior guard Malcolm Delaney leads the ACC with 19.7 points a game, and backcourt running mate Dorenzo Hudson, also a junior, ranks 14th with 13.8 points a game. But baskets don't come easily for the Hokies, who rank seventh in the league with 72 points a game and last with a field-goal percentage of .429.

On the other hand, they're second in the ACC in scoring defense (61.1 points a game) and fifth with a field-goal percentage defense of .389.

"Obviously we're not always esthetically attractive," Greenberg said. "Not everyone plays that way.

"But I think we're competitive. I think we're fairly tough. I think that we've got a number of different guys contributing a lot of different ways."

Gaudio sees his own team in a similar light. The Deacons rank fourth with 75.3 points a game, but are eighth with a field-goal percentage of .454. Wake Forest prides itself in defense and rebounding, and ranks fourth with a field-goal percentage defense of .375 and fourth with a rebounding margin of plus 5.2 a game.

"I told our guys in practice -- and I say this as a compliment -- you have two just junkyard teams," Gaudio said. "It's not the two prettiest teams in the league or the country, but two teams that will just fight you and scratch and claw for everything -- and anything on the floor."

dcollins@wsjournal.com

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