I've got to admit that I almost completely forgot to listen to the Tech women's game against Duke on Tuesday night.  Tuesday is about the only night of the week that I put HokieCentral aside (except for Friday and Saturday, of course) and leave the computer turned off for the evening, so I was kind of out of touch with what was going on with Tech sports that evening.

Fortunately, I remembered a radio commercial I'd heard earlier that day that said, "Tune into the Fox, 101.7 FM, Tuesday night at 7:00, as the (lady) Hokies take on Durham."

(I kid you not.  They actually said that.  It made me wonder if the folks down at "Durham" were looking forward to their game with "Blacksburg.")

I didn't remember though, until about 9:05, and wouldn't you know it, I was just in time to catch the last 13 seconds of action.

What I heard was a hoarse, nearly hysterical Rick Watson call a miss from the free throw line by Amy Wetzel, and Duke rebounded the ball immediately and started upcourt without taking a time out.  Lisa Witherspoon, the gutsiest and perhaps the most important player on the Tech team, batted the ball away when Duke threw a pass near half court, and the Blue Devils retrieved the ball and had to resort to a desperation three pointer that hit the top of the backboard as the buzzer sounded.

72-70, Rick said, the Hokies win ... over #4 Duke.

Wow.  I knew Duke was good, but I didn't know they were ranked that highly (they were actually #6 in the AP poll, and #4 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll).

So I sat and listened to the post game, and I let the win soak in, because a road win over the #4 team in the country is a rarity indeed, one to be enjoyed.

Some of the post game comments were interesting.  I remember three in particular:

1. Coach Bonnie Henrickson said, at one point, "I told the girls before the game I wasn't interested in a moral victory.  I came here to win."
2. She also told another interesting story, and although I missed the details (which is easy with Bonnie, because she talks a mile a minute when she's excited), she essentially said that Duke was holding out one of their best players, and saving her for a subsequent game against a big-name, ranked opponent.  The Hokies caught Duke between big games, and apparently, Duke wasn't going to play one of their players, in the hopes that she would be fresh for the next big game.  Bonnie said something like, "I asked my players how that made them feel, that Duke wasn't even going to give us their best shot."
3. Coach Henrickson also said that late in the game, the new training regimen that the Tech women have under Mike Gentry really paid off, because Duke was getting tired, and the Hokies were able to outmuscle them.  The Tech women, after getting shoved around by Florida in their NCAA loss last year, paid a little visit to Mr. Gentry, who is working them out now.  So chalk another one up for Mike Gentry.

Coach Henrickson and her team continue to impress.  Determined to prove that their A-10 championship and their subsequent NCAA victory were no fluke, the Hokies have now served notice that they are to be taken seriously.  Look for them to appear in both Top 25's next week.

Despite the strong finish last year, and the fact that the nucleus of the team is returning, Tech was picked to finish second in the A-10 West this year ... behind George Washington ... a team the Hokies, I believe, defeated all three times they played last year.

I watched the Hokies during their A-10 tournament run, and I watched the NCAA victory over Wisconsin, and I can tell you that after watching the slugfest that is A-10 men's basketball, Bonnie Henrickson's Hokies are a joy to observe.  In the women's game, where they play below the rim and don't try to mug each other like the men do, the fine arts of, say, passing and shooting free throws are still honored, and are executed well.  Particularly by this team.

A look at the stats from this game tell a simple story:  Tech was outshot from the field, 50% to 39%, and they were outrebounded 34-26.  So why did they win?   Because the Hokies shot 80% from the free throw line (20-25), while Duke clanked their way to 48% (13-27).  Tech also took better care of the ball, turning it over only 14 times to Duke's 19.

For more details, see the links on the Women's Hoops page.

So congratulations once again to Bonnie Henrickson and the crew!  Keep the momentum going!

Now, here's the deal, folks.  The attendance record for Tech women's basketball is somewhere around 5000 fans, and the Hokies want to break that record on Monday, November 30th, when Virginia, who is ranked 14th in the coaches' poll and 8th in the AP poll, visits Cassell Coliseum.

It's Christmas Store night at the Cassell that night, which means that if you bring a new toy for the Montgomery County Christmas Store, you'll receive free admission to the game.  That's all the details I have.  If you want to know more, either call the Tech athletic department, or visit www.hokiesports.com, but either way, your mission is clear.  Be there at 7:00 on November 30th.

I will.

I received a ton of emails concerning my Syracuse game report.  I wanted to thank everyone who emailed me with their thoughts, because I didn't have the chance to respond to many of you personally.

I bring this up because I also wanted to share two of the more interesting emails that I received.  They are emails that provide a different point of view than my game report, as well as offering one reader's opinion on the topic of Beamer's coaching philosophy.

So, without further ado, check out Syracuse Game emails.  This small page is now linked to the bottom of my Syracuse game report, as well.  Those of you who are active on the message board have already seen these, but I wanted to post them here for everyone to share.

Well, time has snuck up on me, and I didn't have a chance to analyze the upcoming game against Rutgers.  All I can tell you is the obvious things - the Scarlet Knights are a vastly improved 5-5, one year after going 0-11.  They haven't beaten a real solid team yet, with their victories coming over Richmond, Army, Pittsburgh, Temple, and Navy, but there is no doubt that they are playing much better as a team.

All I can tell you is what I picked up here and there along the way recently.   Apparently, their quarterback, McMahon (his first name is Mike, not Ed) is really growing into the offense, and although they're still short on talent, they're playing together very well as a team, and they have a lot of confidence in McMahon.

It has been an eternity since the Hokies walloped Rutgers 59-19 in the season opener last year, so expect to see a different Rutgers team.  The WVU Mountaineers were very complimentary of the Scarlet Knights after the 28-14 WVU victory last weekend.  For more details on Rutgers, check out their USA Today page.

I still don't think Rutgers has what it takes to knock the Hokies off in Lane Stadium, but it's a dangerous game, because the crowd will be relatively small (42,000 are expected), it's coming on the heels of an emotional loss, and it's coming before the big Virginia game.

I do think that the Hokie defense will come to play, though, and that will be the big difference in the game.  My prediction:  Hokies 21, Rutgers 9.

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