Virginia
Clemson Basketball Preview: Clemson vs Virginia Tech
Clemson (16-4, 8-1 ACC) vs Virginia Tech (8-11, 3-5 ACC)
Blacksburg Virginia, Cassell Coliseum
Saturday, January 25th, 5 PM
ACC Network
This isn’t a good Virginia Tech team. Mike Young’s squad has struggled all season against any team with a pulse. Their win over NC State on January 15 is their only victory over a team in the KenPom top 100, and NC State is ranked 97th. On top of not beating good teams, they have a few head-scratching losses on their resume, including a home loss to Jacksonville and an away loss to Georgia Tech last time out in a battle of bottom-tier ACC squads.
I will say this for the Hokies: they’ve managed to cobble together three ACC wins over Miami, Cal, and the aforementioned NC State. They are currently on a two-game losing streak, including a nine-point home loss to Wake Forest. If the Hokies are going to salvage anything from this season, knocking off Clemson at home could be the impetus to turn things around during the back half of the ACC schedule.
Turnovers have been one of the primary issues for Virginia Tech. Their turnover percentage of 20.7% ranks 332nd in the country (out of 364 teams). Meanwhile, Clemson’s defensive turnover percentage of 20.5% is good for 48th in the country. Virginia Tech is terrible at holding onto the ball, and Clemson is pretty good at taking it away. If that trend holds, it’s going to be tough for the Hokies to win this game.
Giving a team as efficient on offense as Clemson (currently 26th in the nation in terms of offensive efficiency) extra chances to score is a bad idea. The Hokies lost the turnover battle 17-10 to Georgia Tech in their loss in Atlanta and 14-7 in their home loss to Wake Forest. Forward Tobi Lawal and guard “Little Poppa Pump” Bradon Rechsteiner have both struggled with turnovers this season, coughing the ball up around 2.5 times a game. Look for Clemson’s sticky defense to force Tech to go the long way around on offense. The Tigers are the best team in the nation in terms of forcing opponents to use clock on offense. The longer Tech has the ball and the more passes they attempt, the better it is for Clemson.
Inside scoring is another spot where the Tigers should have a decisive advantage. Tech is allowing teams to shoot 54.8% from two (302nd in the nation) this season. Clemson isn’t great at scoring inside the arc, hitting 51.8% (153rd) from two, but the combination of Ian Schieffelin and Viktor Lakhin should find the going easier against Virginia Tech. Their frontcourt combination of Tobi Lawal (6’8”) at power forward and Mylyjael Poteat (6’9”) at center leaves a lot to be desired in terms of rim protection. Look for the Clemson guards, led by Chase Hunter, to attack the paint all game.
This could also be an opportunity for Ian to polish his post-game ahead of the back half of the ACC schedule.
Virginia Tech is going to need help from Clemson in this game. If the Tigers play anything close to their “B game” on Saturday, I don’t think the Hokies have much of a chance. The Tigers are too good on offense, and Virginia Tech isn’t particularly good on defense.
The only way forward I see for Tech is to play a game similar to the one they played in their win over NC State. They put enough points on the board in that one because they got hot from three, hitting 11-22 from behind the arc, including a 3-3 performance from leading scorer Tobi Lawal and a 3-4 performance from Jaden Schutt.
The three-point line is the one place where Tech could potentially hurt the Tigers. They’re currently hitting 36.2% (70th) of their three-point attempts. That’s not great, but that—along with offensive rebounding (72nd)—are the only two areas where they are ranked in the top 100 in KenPom.
The problem they run into is that Clemson is currently shooting 39.2% (8th) from behind the arc. Still, shooting on the road can be tricky in college basketball and can act as a great equalizer. Clemson shot 33% (8-24) from three in their road loss to Louisville and would need to replicate something similar—both in terms of volume and percentage—to lose on the road in Blacksburg.
As long as they don’t fall in love with a three-point shot that isn’t falling and remember to work inside-out on offense to get quality outside looks, the Tigers should win this game.
Prediction
KenPom
Clemson – 72
Virginia Tech – 63
Confidence – 80%
Drew
Clemson – 77
Virginia Tech – 63
Clemson is the better team and has handled its business on the road against opponents ranked outside of the KenPom top 100 this season. Virginia Tech is ranked 170th and hasn’t exactly been stellar at home this season. The Tigers are too talented and experienced to get drawn into the kind of rock fight Tech needs to win this game.
As long as Clemson breaks 70, they should be bringing a dub back home to Tiger Town. I think they put up 77 and force Tech’s offense into an unsustainable number of turnovers.
Of course, I could also be totally wrong.
A manhunt is underway in Virginia for a suspect accused of killing a sheriff’s deputy while he was conducting a welfare check, law enforcement officials said.
Deputy Logan Utt was fatally shot after police received a request from a family member to do a welfare check at the location, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said.
A man at the home opened fire on the two deputies who responded to the location, according to the sheriff’s office. The deputies returned fire, the sheriff’s office said, and both were hit by gunfire. Utt was pronounced dead, while the second deputy was struck in his ballistic vest. That deputy is currently receiving medical evaluation and is reported to be in stable condition, officials said.
“Deputy Utt was a devoted husband, loving father, cherished family member, friend, and respected member of our law enforcement family. His service, courage, and dedication will not be forgotten,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Utt joined the sheriff’s office in 2023, after serving in the military.
A search is underway for the suspect. He should be considered armed and extremely dangerous, law enforcement officials said.
“My office is closely monitoring this tragic incident,” Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger wrote on social media. “I encourage anyone with information on the suspect’s whereabouts to contact Virginia State Police. My thoughts are with the deputy’s family and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office as we work through this awful situation.”
“I didn’t know I could go that fast,” Richard Delcid, the general manager of a Domino’s Pizza in Manassas, told WTOP.
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‘I didn’t know I could go that fast’: Virginia pizza maker breaks record
A general manager of a Domino’s Pizza in Manassas, Virginia, won the chain’s “World’s Fastest Pizza Maker” competition this month.
Richard Delcid prepared a pepperoni pizza, mushroom pizza and cheese pizza for the oven in 31.22 seconds.
“I didn’t know I could go that fast,” Delcid told WTOP.
“Eight seconds better than the previous record,” Robert Donner, one of the owners of the Domino’s on Centreville Road, said.
The competitors at the May 13 Las Vegas event came from Domino’s locations around the world, and Donner said the competition is about more than speed.
“They’re judged by weight, they’re judged by portion, and they’re judged on whether they’re sellable to a customer,” Donner said.
When Delcid first started working for Domino’s in 2012, he was a teenager. He was much slower then, he joked.
As with anything, practice makes perfect.
“We record ourselves during practices,” Delcid said. “We dissect videos, we look at body movement, hand movement, everything.”
Delcid was not alone in Vegas. Donner, who is part owner of more than 30 Domino’s Pizza locations in Virginia and Maryland, brought dozens of employees to the event.
Coming in second at the competition was another member of Donner’s team.
Joe Burr, who is known as “Domino Joe,” is the local director of training, and calls himself the Dan Marino of the Domino’s World’s Fastest Pizza Maker competition.
“I’ve won third place a couple times, I’ve won second place like three or four times,” Burr said. “So I’m like always a bridesmaid, but never a bride.”
Don’t let Burr’s jokes fool you — he has known Delcid for a long time and is very proud of him.
“I like to say it’s not the sculptor, it’s the clay. Richard is the best clay,” Burr said.
Along with a championship belt and a trophy, Delcid’s record‑breaking performance earned him $5,000 from Domino’s Pizza corporate, and his local bosses kicked in another $5,000.
Virginia
Netflix casting Central Virginia singles for “Love on the Spectrum” after Danville man joins show
DANVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Netflix is searching for singles in Central Virginia to appear on its documentary-style dating series “Love on the Spectrum,” after a Danville man was cast for an upcoming season and producers are now looking to find his match.
The series follows adults on the autism spectrum as they navigate dating.
Monica Karavanic, executive director of The Arc of Southside in Danville, said the person cast has ties to her organization.
SEE ALSO: City leaders tour $100M Lynchburg CSO tunnel aimed at improving Lynchburg waterways
“This show has been loved by millions internationally and so for it to come to Danville is pretty awesome and we’re just really excited and hoping to make it work,” Karavanic said.
Casting is focused on singles ages 25 to 40, of any gender, who live near Danville or Lynchburg and would be interested in going on a date with a man on the spectrum. Producers say the time commitment could be as little as half a day.
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For more information on how to apply, you’re asked to email: production@northernpictures.com.au
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