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Hokie Freshmen Logging Big Minutes
by Chris Coleman, TechSideline.com

It's well-known that Virginia Tech is playing a lot of freshmen this season. Six freshmen are playing significant minutes for the Hokies. If it seems to you that Tech is playing more freshmen than any other team out there, you are correct. In the ACC, it's not even close.

Take a look at the following table. As you can see, no one is approaching Virginia Tech when it comes to freshmen getting playing time.

Over half of the minutes played at Virginia Tech have been played by freshmen. It's not uncommon to look on the court and see a lineup of four freshmen. It's impressive that the Hokies are 4-3 and alone in third place in the ACC.

There are a number of impact freshmen across the ACC this year. In college basketball, it's common to see a freshman step up and play a lot of minutes. In the ACC, seven freshmen have played over 500 minutes this year.

Jeff Allen is averaging 27.4 minutes per game this year. If he had played 27 minutes per game in the two games he was suspended, he would have 574 minutes this year, tops amongst freshmen in the ACC. That would give the Hokies two of the top four freshmen in the ACC in minutes played, had Allen not been suspended. As it stands now, they've still got two of the top seven, with Malcolm Delaney a strong third overall.

Hank Thorns is very close to being included. There are three more freshmen that have played between 400 and 500 minutes this year. They are: Biko Paris of BC (419 minutes), Demontez Stitt from Clemson (465 minutes) and Hank Thorns of VT (478 minutes). Thorns is very close to that 500 minute mark, and as it stands now the Hokies have three of the top eight freshmen in the conference in minutes played.

J.T. Thompson is only fourth in minutes played by freshmen at Virginia Tech (327 minutes), but that's still more minutes than any freshman who plays for UNC, Miami, Florida State, Virginia and Georgia Tech. He would be second in minutes played for Duke, Maryland and NC State.

Some of Virginia Tech's freshmen have some impressive individual accomplishments this year as well.

• Jeff Allen is 23rd in scoring (12.5 ppg) and 5th in rebounding (7.9 rpg) in the ACC. He is also 4th in steals (2.11 spg).
• Allen is 4th in the ACC in field goal percentage (51.6%, min. of 5 made field goals per game)
• Allen is 3rd in defensive rebounds, averaging 5.63 per game.
• Malcolm Delaney is 10th in the ACC in assists per game (3.29 apg). He is 4th in the ACC in free throw shooting in conference games (25-of-28, 89.3%)
• Delaney is also shooting 47.4% from three-point range in ACC play.
• Hank Thorns is 5th in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.81). Delaney is 9th with a mark of 1.60.
• The Hokies have had five freshmen score in double figures in at least one ACC game (Thorns, Delaney, Allen, Thompson, Hudson). Terrell Bell just missed being included with a nine-point performance against Duke.