MBB: UVA beats VT

[Indoor66]

Is Uncle Festus in trouble?

[ncexnyc]

Scott looked really good for UVA. It would appear that their win against Minnesota wasn't a fluke.

[dball]

Glad to see UVA take this one. Scott looks really good and UVA plays a great team game.

[Duvall]

Is Uncle Festus in trouble?

Greenberg's job probably isn't in danger - it's a football schoool, after all - but Virginia Tech's 2011 season is in serious trouble. They wasted their chances for a strong non-conference record, and now they are wasting their chance for a gaudy conference record. Running out of chances.

[SMO]

Is Uncle Festus in trouble?

He'd be certifiably insane to believe anything less than a 2nd place finish in the ACC gets him into the NCAA tournament at this point.

[SCMatt33]

Is Uncle Festus in trouble?

I think a better question is can UVA actually be legit. They don't have any terrible losses (@Stanford, vs. Wichita St. and Washington in Maui) and now have a very good at @Minny and a good win at Va Tech. If they can sweep the rest of their non-conference, which still has home games against Oregon, LSU, and Iowa St., they could be looking pretty good with a good ACC record.

[Rudy]

I was very impressed with Bennett's preparation of his team in last year's ACC tournament, and that was after Landesburg was out.

[arnie]

I was very impressed with Bennett's preparation of his team in last year's ACC tournament, and that was after Landesburg was out.

Bennett is a far superior coach to the thug at VPI. A less than NIT bid just take care of it.

[BleedsP287]

Many prognosticators have UVA near last in the conference this year. But they are playing like an upper-half-of the-conference team for sure, and I see them ending there.

The rest of the league is so weak, and they have a great young coach in Bennett, not hard to imagine them finishing 3rd or 4th in the conference. They made a good run last year for a while there. I'd love to see them do well and get a tournament bid.

[KaHOOnah]

It's probably a little early to make a prediction like that. This team is exceptionally young and not nearly as athletic as the competition they'll face in the ACC, but they're smart and they haven't been making freshman mistakes. Depth in the frontcourt will probably be a consistent problem this year. After Scott, we don't have much there. If he suffers an injury or finds himself in foul trouble, you'll see a significant dropoff in production.

I think our team will be fun to watch this year because I like watching kids grow up on the court. But if UVa finishes in the top half of the league, it will be because the rest of the league is weak, and not because UVa is particularly strong.

Many prognosticators have UVA near last in the conference this year. But they are playing like an upper-half-of the-conference team for sure, and I see them ending there.

The rest of the league is so weak, and they have a great young coach in Bennett, not hard to imagine them finishing 3rd or 4th in the conference. They made a good run last year for a while there. I'd love to see them do well and get a tournament bid.

[slower]

Is Uncle Festus in trouble?

it's Uncle FESTER

[Nrrrrvous]

it's Uncle FESTER

I caught that, too. Wasn't Festus the town drunk in Gunsmoke?

[Indoor66]

I caught that, too. Wasn't Festus the town drunk in Gunsmoke?

I stand corrected. Festus was a deputy sheriff to Matt Dillon.

[CEF1959]

During a timeout in the first half, Greenberg told the team, "You're not playing together; on offense, you need to help each other be better. You have to play as a team."

On the next possession, Malcolm Delaney gets the ball, dribbles to the top of the key, and hoists a three-point try (clank) with 30 seconds left on the shot clock. "L'equipe, c'est moi." I wonder what Uncle Fester thought about that little not-so-subtle dig at the coach.

He's a very good player, but he's a petulant, selfish hot dog. With VaTech's season headed toward the toilet, I predict this will get much worse, as he treats every remaining game as a personal NBA tryout.

[theAlaskanBear]

I think a better question is can UVA actually be legit. They don't have any terrible losses (@Stanford, vs. Wichita St. and Washington in Maui) and now have a very good at @Minny and a good win at Va Tech. If they can sweep the rest of their non-conference, which still has home games against Oregon, LSU, and Iowa St., they could be looking pretty good with a good ACC record.

Other than Duke, UVa is the only team in the ACC that has impressed me in the least. Most everyone thought UVa to be another bottom feeder, but Bennett has his kids playing smart, disciplined ball.

Will Sherrill is out for around 6 weeks though. He was a great three point threat, and he is a senior. I will be actively rooting for UVa above all other ACC teams except for Duke of course. (Will also pull for NC State, because Carolina needs more teams than just Duke to give them beat downs).

[Olympic Fan]

Just one sidelight to the game ...

For years (even before they joined the ACC), my Virginia Tech friends have chastized me for calling their school VPI -- they solemnly inform me that the school is no long Virginia Polytenical Institute ... I think the official name now is Virginia Tech University. I thought VPI was still a useful shorthand and I couldn't see where it was meant to be offensive (like calling ECU "ECTC"). Still, I got so many objections that I tried to curtail my use of the useful abbreviation.

Last night, I'm watching Virginia Tech play their 20010-11 ACC home opener and what does their jersey say in big loetters across the front -- VPI!

So I guess it's okay to use again, right?

[94duke]

Just one sidelight to the game ...

For years (even before they joined the ACC), my Virginia Tech friends have chastized me for calling their school VPI -- they solemnly inform me that the school is no long Virginia Polytenical Institute ... I think the official name now is Virginia Tech University. I thought VPI was still a useful shorthand and I couldn't see where it was meant to be offensive (like calling ECU "ECTC"). Still, I got so many objections that I tried to curtail my use of the useful abbreviation.

Last night, I'm watching Virginia Tech play their 20010-11 ACC home opener and what does their jersey say in big loetters across the front -- VPI!

So I guess it's okay to use again, right?

I think it's ok to use VPI. They use it.

see the bottom of their webpage:

© 2010 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

http://www.vt.edu/

[devildeac]

Just one sidelight to the game ...

For years (even before they joined the ACC), my Virginia Tech friends have chastized me for calling their school VPI -- they solemnly inform me that the school is no long Virginia Polytenical Institute ... I think the official name now is Virginia Tech University. I thought VPI was still a useful shorthand and I couldn't see where it was meant to be offensive (like calling ECU "ECTC"). Still, I got so many objections that I tried to curtail my use of the useful abbreviation.

Last night, I'm watching Virginia Tech play their 20010-11 ACC home opener and what does their jersey say in big loetters across the front -- VPI!

So I guess it's okay to use again, right?

Maybe, if their season continues to tank, we can just chant "football school."

[4decadedukie]

but Virginia Tech's 2011 season is in serious trouble. They wasted their chances for a strong non-conference record, and now they are wasting their chance for a gaudy conference record. Running out of chances.

I fully concur. VPI (please note the title I intentionally employ) opted for a "high visibility" early season, to enhance 2011 NCAA Tournament selection probability. With "high visibility" comes "high risk;" VPI's early season losses to solid programs -- and especially yesterday's loss to a likely mediocre UVa team -- does not preclude their inclusion in their "Big Dance," however, they better be a STRONG second or third place ACC finisher.

[Reilly]

Just one sidelight to the game ...

For years (even before they joined the ACC), my Virginia Tech friends have chastized me for calling their school VPI -- they solemnly inform me that the school is no long Virginia Polytenical Institute ... I think the official name now is Virginia Tech University. I thought VPI was still a useful shorthand and I couldn't see where it was meant to be offensive (like calling ECU "ECTC"). Still, I got so many objections that I tried to curtail my use of the useful abbreviation.

Last night, I'm watching Virginia Tech play their 20010-11 ACC home opener and what does their jersey say in big loetters across the front -- VPI!

So I guess it's okay to use again, right?

The official name of the school is "Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University."

They prefer that everyone refer to them now as Virginia Tech. Sort of a branding thing.

They do not like "Virginia Tech University" -- that is not right in any sense. Sometimes, newspapers use that, and its use is just perplexing. Even The Wash Post uses it sometimes, which should know better.

Bob Harris went nuts one time b/c there was a trivia question of something like "name the 4(?) FBS schools that do not have "University" in their name". The service academies (Army, Navy, Air Force) fit that description, and I guess Georgia Tech [Georgia Institute of Technology, right?]. Bob was adamant that Virginia Tech fit it as well, but they don't, as the official name per the Code of Virginia contains the "and State University". [Note: I'm not positive if it is "and State University" or "& State University."] I do recall writing letters to my older sister there, and using the "VPI&SU" address. That was all before they wanted their branding to be simply "Virginia Tech".