Game #4 - Virginia Tech

Having already met on the gridiron this year, the Catamounts will play the Hokies on the basketball court as they visit Blacksburg, VA and the Virginia Tech Hokies as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on Friday, November 15th 2013 at 7 pm.

The game will be carried on the Catamount Sports Network, as well as on ESPN3. This will be the fourth meeting between the two teams, with the Hokies winning all three previous meetings with the Catamounts.

In his second season at Va Tech, head coach James Johnson's Hokies are 1-1 on the season, having lost a one point game to the Atlantic Sun Conference's  USC Upstate and winning against West Virginia 87-82.  Both games were played at Va Tech's Cassell Coliseum and were part of this season's Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.    Tech’s top three scorers in their win over West Virginia, freshmen Ben Emelogu (22 pts.) and Devin Wilson (16 pts.), along with sophomore transfer Adam Smith (19 pts.) and  have played a combined total of just six games for Virginia Tech.

The Hokies were picked preseason to finish 15th (last) in the ACC, after a 13-19 (4-14 ACC) record in the 2012-13 basketball season.  Tech return three starters from last season, senior forward Jarell Eddie (25 ppg) and senior forward Cadarian Raines (6.6 ppg), and junior forward C.J. Barksdale. 

However, Virginia Tech has suspended forward C.J. Barksdale the first three games of the season for a violation of team rules. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Barksdale averaged 5.6 points and 4.7 rebounds last season, and has missed games against USC Upstate and West Virginia and will also sit out the Western Carolina game.  Junior guard Marquis Rankin is also expected to miss his third game because of personal reasons..

The loss to graduation of senior Erick Green, who led the nation with 25 ppg and last season's starter Robert Brown to transfer will be almost impossible for Johnson to replace this season.  Freshman Devin Wilson will likely start at point guard, with Marquis Rankin also seeing action there.  “He’s a pass-first point guard,” Johnson said of Wilson. “When you’ve got a pass-first point guard, the guys like playing with him.”

“I want to play faster,” Johnson said. “If we can get the ball up the floor and try to steal a basket before we’ve got to play against a set defense, that’s what we want to do.”




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