Get The Fluke Out Of Here

Omega already has noted the aberrant nature of the first meeting between these two teams--the Hokies rebounded unusually well at the offensive end, and they got a big game from Marshall Wood, who has an effective field goal percentage south of 40 this season. NC State is partly to blame for facilitating these aberrations, whether it's lazy perimeter defense, or poor rebounding fundamentals. Performances like Wood's--and Virginia Tech's--that day are inevitable for any team over the course of a season and perhaps expedited by a team that struggles on...occasion...with the basics of defense.

Marshall Wood is on scholarship to play sports at a major-conference school; he is good at sports, he just may not be very good relative to his peers. If you leave him wide open for a bunch of jump shots, he's bound to make a few in a row at some point. I feel like our defenders should yell "he's good at sports!" while they close-out three-point shooters in every game from now on. The shooters will end up laughing mid-shot, which will lead to a lot more missed attempts. It would also help our guys remember the purpose of defense. That seems like a foolproof plan to me. But I'm no basketball coach.

Anyway, let's have less aberration this time around, okay guys?

The Pomeroy Predictor likes State by 13.