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Virginia Tech forward Coleman Collins (33) blocks North forward Tyler Hansbrough (50) during second-half action in Blacksburg on Saturday. |
While the rest of the college basketball world lavishes praise on Virginia Tech after its victories over then-No. 5 Duke and then-No. 1 North Carolina, Hokies coach Seth Greenberg is trying to keep his players' feet firmly on the ground.
"Obviously, it was a good week. That's probably an understatement in terms of Virginia Tech basketball, but it was also last week and now we're in this week," Greenberg said Monday. "I've done this long enough to understand if you live in the past and don't stay in the present in this league, it will suffocate you."
Virginia Tech (13-4 overall, 3-0 ACC) entered the national polls this week for the first time since the final week of the 1995-96 season. The Hokies are ranked 23rd in the Associated Press poll and 25th in the ESPN/USA Today rankings.
Things don't get any easier for Greenberg's squad, however. Tonight, Virginia Tech travels to Tallahassee, Fla., for a 7 p.m. game against Florida State (12-5, 0-3), a team that beat defending national champion Florida earlier this season and is actually 10 spots ahead of the Hokies in the latest Ratings Percentage Index.
"We just have to try and build on what we were able to do last week, not just winning but how we won--competing on the defensive end and getting the shot we want instead of just taking shots," Greenberg added. "The unpredictability of college basketball is evident each and every weekend. We just have to keep practicing well. Hopefully that will carry over to playing well on the road."
Virginia Tech will have to play well to beat Florida State, which still is looking for its first conference win after losses to Clemson, North Carolina and Georgia Tech.
If last year was any indication, the Seminoles are anything but out of the league race. Boston College started 0-3 in the conference but finished 11-5 and made it all the way to the tournament championship game before losing to Duke.
"I know we're going to turn it around," Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said. "We're more capable than what we've shown, but we have very little room for error. The team we have this year has to play well and be hitting on all cylinders. We don't have the inside strength that we've had in the past with the low post game, so we have to play harder, try to avoid fouls and have an error-free game.
"We haven't had that this year, where we put it all together--at least not enough."
Sudden impact
In a league filled with gifted freshmen, the best may be a guy you've never heard of.
OK, so N.C. State's Brandon Costner technically isn't a true freshman. The former McDonald's All-American played in five games last year before being sidelined with a stress fracture in his leg, an injury that led the NCAA to grant him a medical redshirt.
Regardless, the versatile 6-foot-8 forward is the surprise leader for the ACC's Rookie of the Year award.
Costner has scored in double figures 17 consecutive games for N.C. State (11-6, 1-3). He leads all ACC freshmen in scoring (16.6) and rebounding (7.8), leads the Wolfpack with 28 3-pointers and averages 35 minutes per game--a huge lift for a team that lost big men Cedric Simmons (declared for NBA draft) and Andrew Brackman (focusing on baseball) after last season.
Costner had 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists in N.C. State's 88-74 victory over Wake Forest last Saturday. It was the Wolfpack's first ACC win under first-year coach Sidney Lowe.
"I've been very pleased with Brandon's play," Lowe said. "He's shown that he can help you win ball games a number of ways--rebounding, scoring the basketball inside and outside, and he is a decent ball-handler at his position. He's got a pretty bright future ahead of him."
Foot ails Heels' guard
When North Carolina visits Clemson tonight in a matchup of teams looking to bounce back from weekend losses, the Tar Heels may be missing their backup point guard.
Bobby Frasor, a 6-3 sophomore, limped off the court with an apparent right foot injury late in the first half of North Carolina's game at Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Frasor, who missed six games earlier this season because of a stress reaction in the same foot, didn't practice Monday and UNC coach Roy Williams wouldn't set a timetable for his return.
"It's not broken. That's the only information we have. They looked at it when we returned Saturday night and did the X-ray [Sunday] and it's just sore. We'll just have to back off a little bit and see what happens," Williams said.
Frasor started every game at the point last season before losing the job to freshman Ty Lawson. If Frasor can't go, junior Quentin Thomas will serve as Lawson's backup.
To reach JIM McCONNELL:
Email: jmcconnell@freelancestar.com
