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Post by motorcitysam on Jul 19, 2017 10:56:48 GMT -5
The Titans get another shot at a Power Five team in November, taking on the Virginia Tech Hokies. I thought the game might warrant a little extra attention. Here's some background:
Virginia Tech is a football school, with a limited basketball history compared to some of the other schools in the ACC, but the game has some buzz. (Pardon the pun.) Buzz Williams, formerly of Marquette, guided the Hokies to the NCAA tournament last season, and the early ACC power rankings put VT in fourth place in the fifteen team ACC.
The Hokies saw some success in the 80s as part of the Metro Conference. The Metro had a TV package that showed their games on Channel 62 in Detroit. so I saw a lot of the Hokies going up against Memphis State, Louisville, Florida State, etc. Virginia Tech stars back then were Al and Perry Young, and Wardell "Del" Curry (father of Steph and Seth Curry of the NBA). Four players have had their numbers retired by VT: Del Curry, Ace Custis, Bimbo Coles, and Allen Bristow. Virginia Tech has made the NCAA tournament nine times, making the Sweet Sixteen in 1967.
The Titans will likely be heavy underdogs on the road in Blacksburg. The Hokies lost their top two scorers, but return six players who averaged double figure minutes, and bring in a good recruiting class. They are a formidable early season test for Detroit.
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Post by larrytitan on Jul 19, 2017 20:16:39 GMT -5
Mention of Allen Bristow brought back distant memories. He was the star player on the Hokie team that won the 1973 NIT, defeating Notre Dame in the final by a single point. MVP was John Shumate.
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Post by motorcitysam on Jul 20, 2017 11:02:53 GMT -5
Mention of Allen Bristow brought back distant memories. He was the star player on the Hokie team that won the 1973 NIT, defeating Notre Dame in the final by a single point. MVP was John Shumate. That John Shumate mention brings back some memories, too. Great college player, and a solid pro before the injuries took him down.
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Post by motorcitysam on Jul 20, 2017 11:45:43 GMT -5
From Twitter: One of the Hokie incoming freshmen is looking good in the summer. Alexander-Walker is a 6-5 shooting guard who was ranked a five star by ESPN.
Jeff Borzello
Virginia Tech freshman Nickeil Alexander-Walker has had a good couple days here in the college games. Looks bigger. Great 3-point stroke.
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Post by motorcitysam on Sept 15, 2017 11:38:27 GMT -5
There are two Hokies that the Titans won't have to face this season.
Khadim Sy is leaving the program. A 6-10 forward/center, Sy started 28 games last year, playing ten minutes per game. He averaged 4 points and three rebounds per game in that limited time, and was second on the team in blocked shots. He was expected to be a contributor this year. No reason has been given for his departure.
Also, senior 6-6 forward Ty Outlaw, who shot 48% from three last year, is out for the season with an injury. Outlaw was expected to be a big part of the rotation for VTU.
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Post by motorcitysam on Nov 5, 2017 4:45:01 GMT -5
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Post by motorcitysam on Nov 6, 2017 2:56:07 GMT -5
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Post by motorcitysam on Nov 9, 2017 2:31:50 GMT -5
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Post by motorcitysam on Nov 12, 2017 7:45:22 GMT -5
The Titans opened up the regular season with a blowout loss to the Hokies, losing 111-79. Detroit briefly led in the first half, 24-23, but a minute later surrendered the lead and never had the advantage again. The score was 52-40 at the half. Kam Chatman played like a guy used to Power Five competition, as he scored 23 points on 9-12 from the floor, 4-4 from three, and 1-1 from the charity strip. Chatman also had two steals, a block, and seven rebounds. Outside of KC (thinking now that if the team ends up being good we can call them KC and the Sunshine Band), the rest of the team was pretty ineffective. JJ Jr. and Corey Allen both cracked double figures, but shot 5-16 and 4-15, respectively, to get there. McFolley and Black combined for 1-9 from the floor. Prince put up nine points and five rebounds, but only played 20 minutes despite not being in foul trouble. Jaleel Hogan only played seven minutes off the bench, shooting 1-3 from the floor, committing four fouls, and racking up goose eggs in the other statistical categories. Not a good start to the season for the Titans. UM-Dearborn is up next, Monday at Calihan Hall. detroittitans.com/news/2017/11/10/mens-basketball-chatman-nets-23-as-titans-drop-season-opener-at-rv-rv-virginia-tech.aspx
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