It was the first basket of the game, but to Dorian Finney-Smith, it probably felt like the biggest bucket of his life. And one couldn't blame him if it did.
Finney-Smith's layup to start a 67-65 Atlantic Coast Conference win over Clemson on Feb. 4 snapped a string of 25 straight missed field-goal attempts in a six-game stretch, dating back to a Jan. 10 loss to Florida State.
The most highly-touted recruit of the Seth Greenberg regime, the 6-foot-7, 192-pound Finney-Smith was the centerpiece of a five-man recruiting class which ranked as high as 12th nationally.
Expected to start and star right off the bat, Finney-Smith had three double-doubles in his first five games, including a 16-rebound day against East Tennessee State in the season opener.
But after a 14-point performance in an 84-55 rout of North Florida Dec. 19, Finney-Smith scored 20 points in his next 10 games. That included a stint as a reserve as Greenberg tried to figure out how to get more production out of his prized freshman.
That time came against Clemson, when Finney-Smith canned a couple of 3-pointers, including the Hokies' final field goal with 5:57 remaining. He also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds while playing 35 minutes.
"I think my energy level was up and I was around the ball," Finney-Smith said. "I got some offensive rebounds and hit some layups and got to the rim. The basket then got bigger."
If Finney-Smith can see that same big basket for the season's remainder, it might help Virginia Tech finish strong.
NOTES, QUOTES
--What looked like an easy win over Clemson on Feb. 4 turned into a hair-raising finish as the Hokies were outscored 15-3 over the final 5:57. They needed the Tigers to miss two free throws and a jumper in the last 3.3 seconds to preserve a 67-65 decision. But after losing seven of its last eight games, Tech didn't much care how it won. "It also turned into a typical Tech-Clemson game," coach Seth Greenberg said. "Whoever led the whole game was going to lose. Fortunately for us, we survived."
--Greenberg and his players were less sanguine following a 75-60 home loss to Duke on Feb. 2 in which the Hokies never seriously threatened the No. 5 Blue Devils in the second half. "I'm a little disappointed with how we deal with adversity," Greenberg said. "Today, we didn't play through the adversity at all." PG Erick Green said the team didn't play with any heart.
--Duke's 75 points were the second most allowed by the Hokies this year. North Carolina rang up 82 in a Jan. 19 game. The Blue Devils did it with accuracy, hitting 47 percent from the field and sinking 8 of 18 3-pointers against a defense that was ranked fifth in Division I in 3-point percentage at a miserly 25.9 percent.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I'm really proud of our guys. This hasn't been the easiest three weeks, and I thought their approach and energy was really good." -- Greenberg after the Clemson game.
THIS WEEK'S GAMES
--at Miami, Feb. 9
PG Erick Green vs. PG Durand Scott. Both teams have played below expectations, although it has little to do with point guard play. Green has scored in double figures in 24 straight games, dating back to last season, while Scott is second on the Hurricanes in scoring and boasts an assist-turnover ratio of better than 2-to-1.
--vs. Boston College, Feb. 12
This is a rematch of a 61-59 loss on Jan. 14 in Chestnut Hill, which might have been the Hokies' most disappointing performance of the year. Although they played without Green, they still had more than enough to beat the Eagles and failed to get the job done as they shot 36.2 percent from the floor and committed 17 turnovers.
FUTURES MARKET
Freshman F C.J. Barksdale has become the ninth man in the playing rotation, with his minutes going down to 13 total in last week's games against Duke and Clemson. Barksdale was averaging 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per game through Feb. 4. Although he was shooting only 44 percent from the floor, he was displaying a nice touch from the foul line at 77.4 percent, meaning that if he can take better shots, his percentage should rise.
PLAYER NOTES
--Freshman G Marquis Rankin replaced Robert Brown in the starting lineup for the Duke game as coach Seth Greenberg wanted another ballhandler. Rankin had eight points and an assist in the win over Clemson.
--Senior C Victor Davila tied his career high with 16 points in a Feb. 2 loss to Duke, going 6 of 8 from the field. He had six points and four rebounds in the team's Feb. 4 win against Clemson.
--Senior G Dorenzo Hudson didn't have much impact on either game last week, scoring just six points against Duke and Clemson. Hudson played 27 minutes against Duke and took just three shots while committing three turnovers.
