Mike Scott’s 13 boards helped the Hoos rebound well at VT.

The first meeting between Virginia and Virginia Tech was a battle and matching the emotional tenor from that game seemed like a difficult task for both teams heading into their second contest in Blacksburg. Not only did the two teams match the intensity, they exceeded it in a game that was in doubt until the final 30 seconds. Neither team took a big lead and neither seemed to be able to pull away and take control. I’ll do my best to explore what made this game so tight and the factors that swung the second game toward the Hokies.

Building on a loss

In the first game these two teams played, Virginia played an excellent game for 37 minutes only to struggle for the final 8. The Hoos were unable to match Virginia Tech’s intensity down the stretch and some poor decisions combined with a few breaks for the visitors left UVa with a difficult loss.

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