1. Virginia Tech trailed at halftime 25-23. The 2nd half began with a 17-0 Hokies run and they took a 40-25 lead. A Bernard James dunk finally ended FSU’s drought at the 13:56 mark, and including that dunk the Noles outscored Va Tech 25-7 down the stretch. The Hokies had been running a deliberatley slow offense all night, and Seth Greenberg felt that they had to slow the game down because they were so thin on the bench. But waiting until under :10 seconds on the shot clock to attack an elite defense proved more difficult than planned, and the Hokies made two field goals in the final 14 minutes. It’s hard to 2nd guess the strategy however, as the Hokies very nearly pulled it off.
2. This was a 48-47, 56 possession game. This was the lowest tempo game FSU has played since beating Alabama on 54 possessions in November, 2009. The last time FSU won while scoring less than 50 was against Chicago State in December, 2003. The last time Virginia Tech held an opponent below 50, and lost, was vs William & Mary on November 20, 2000.
3. FSU entered the game a slightly above average FT shooting team, converting 69.5% of their attempts, compared to the NCAA average of 69.1%. On Thursday the Noles made 1 of 8. Bernard James and Jeff Peterson combined to go 0-6 and Xavier Gibson went 1-2.
4. The Seminoles made 7-20 (35%) 3-pt shots for the game. FSU leads the ACC in conference-only games making 38.5% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Number two is North Carolina State at 36.1%. The two teams meet Saturday in Raleigh.
5. Virginia Tech was limited to seven players on Thursday, and they all played at least 18 minutes. The Hokies played without senior forward Victor Davila, who missed the game due to a groin injury and freshman forward C.J. Barksdale, who was out with a sprained ankle. Starting post player, sophomore Cadarian Raines, missed most of the second half with cramps, the same ailment that cost sophomore forward Jarell the final 10 seconds of the game.
