I've got to admit that the performance of the men's basketball team against Xavier Wednesday night wasn't the horror show I was prepared for.  As a matter of fact, if the guys had held onto the ball a little better (23 turnovers) and canned just a few more free throws (13-19, which isn't too horrible), they might have turned out on the right end of the 80-67 loss.

Although Tech hung in there valiantly, the turnovers, including a whopping ten by starting point guard Brendan Dunlop, did the Hokies in, along with the timely hot shooting of Xavier guard Lenny Brown.

As usual, a key reason for the loss was that Rolan Roberts picked up two fouls early in the first half, with twelve minutes to go, and took a seat on the bench for the remainder of the half.  And once again, when the final buzzer sounded, Rolan finished with four fouls and 26 minutes, leaving Hokie fans to wonder how many minutes he could have played if coach Bobby Hussey would just leave him in after he picks up his customary two fouls.

This is one area of strategy where I (and most Hokie fans, actually) disagree vehemently with Coach Hussey's strategy.  Time and again, Rolan rides the pine when he picks up two fouls, and he almost never plays the maximum number of minutes, often finishing the game with three or four fouls and under 30 minutes.

Coach Hussey knows the game better than I do, but in my opinion, sitting Rolan with two fouls is like holstering your best six shooter after the first two shots, using another gun, and then losing the shootout with a few bullets left in your prize six-shooter.   I say, let the guy play until he's got three fouls, and then sit him.  We're not beating anybody outside of Big South teams, anyway.

Thus begins a tough January schedule and A-10 play for the Hokies.  It's possible that Tech might not reach double-digit wins this season.  The A-10 is a tough league, and past doormat LaSalle, once good for two easy wins a year, appears to have a leg up on the Hokies.  The Explorers hung two L's on Tech last year, and of all the teams I saw Tech play last year, only Duquesne was truly pathetic, and perhaps Fordham will afford a win.

Tech, a good defensive and rebounding team, has one big flaw.  When the Hokies play at the top of their game, they still lack a scorer who can break down his man one-on-one and put the ball in the hole when the shot clock is winding down.

Despite all of this, I thought they played much better against Xavier than I have seen at other times in the season.  If the team that played Xavier to a near stand-still had shown up against ETSU and other teams earlier this year, they might not be 5-6 and staring down the barrel of the Atlantic 10.

But on the other hand, if they can bring the same level of effort to the game for the next two months, getting double-digit wins won't be a problem.

Hang on, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Don't forget, the Tech women play at George Washington this Sunday, at 11:00 a.m., on ESPN2.  This is a critical game for the Hokies.  Though GW is struggling a bit right now, they're the toughest team in the A-10 besides Tech and will present a stiff challenge.  GW is ranked 29th and 32nd in the two polls (coaches and AP).

What makes the game doubly difficult is that the Hokies have a night game Friday night in Pittsburgh against Duquesne.  This means the Hokies will have to play that game, spend the night in Pittsburgh, head down the highway Saturday, and get up early Sunday morning to tip it off against a well-rested GW team.

So it's time to show up in force, Northern Virginia Hokie fans, because the team needs you.  Here's the deal, as relayed to me by the folks at Tech:  GW is selling tickets to the game for $2, which is dirt cheap for the entertainment value.   Not only that, but the tickets are buy one, get one free!

So if you live in Northern Virginia and you're a Hokie fan, lay off the beer Saturday night, get up early on Sunday morning, head down to GW, and cheer the Hokies on to victory.  Take a friend, and you can see the game for a buck apiece!  Can't beat that!

Sources say that Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster will interview for the vacant defensive coordinator position at Florida this weekend.  This is big for the Tech football team, because losing Bud Foster would deal a blow to the great season the Hokies are anticipating next year.

The decision of whether to take the job at UF or stay at Tech is a complicated one for Bud, and I have analyzed it in a column I wrote for the HokieCentral Columnists portion of the Members Only area.

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