Your guide to breaking news, recruiting updates and important offers from TechSideline.com!
 
   Welcome to TSLMail #320- Friday, March 7, 2008    
To Remove Yourself From This Email List:
See the instructions directly to the left.

To Change Your Email Address:
Log onto the TechSideline.com web site (see the instructions directly to the left) and access your "account info" area. Then uncheck the "Check to Receive Free TSLMail" box.

TSL Links
  Home Page
  Football Home
  VT Hokie News
  Football Recruiting
  Message Board

TSL Products
  TSL Pass
  MaroonHelmet.com

TSLMail Archives
  Complete Archives

 

If you wish to remove yourself from our mailing list:
  • Log into TechSideline.com by going here:  TechSideline.com login and entering your email address (the one where you received this email) and your TechSideline.com password.

  • If you can't remember your TechSideline.com password, then use our Password Reset function to set up a new password that you can use to access your account.

  • Once you're logged into the site, find one of the many "account info" links around the site to access your user profile and change the preferences there, including turning TSLMail on and off. Look for the "Check to Receive Free TSLMail" box.

Thanks, and we hope we haven't inconvenienced you.

Will Stewart
General Manager and Managing Editor
TechSideline.com

   Advertise on TechSideline.com!


Advertise Your Business On TechSideline.com!

TechSideline.com has come a long way since its inception in 1996. We are the #1 media source and community covering Virginia Tech athletics, producing an average of 130,000 unique viewers and 10.5 million page views each month. We reach a coveted demographic (you know who you are) 24/7, 12 months out of the year.

Rooting for their team clearly represents one of the big passions in the life of our TechSideline.com community members. This site greatly enhances this never-ending passion through information, analysis and most importantly through communal dialog and networking.

Our advertising approach is different in that we make it abundantly clear in a direct and honest way that your company's commitment of sponsorship dollars is what enables the site to continue existing and improving into the future.

To learn more about advertising on TechSideline.com, please contact [email protected].

TechSideline.com is a vital part of a unique collegiate sports network that reaches nearly 2 million individuals per month. Like TechSideline.com, each site in the SportsWar network is an organically grown community and the emotional home for its fans.

To learn more about SportsWar network sponsorship opportunities, please contact [email protected] or visit our online media guide- http://www.sportswar.com

To view a list of our sponsors, please visit our Sponsors Page.

 CampusEmporium.com, the Official E-commerce Sponsor of TSL



Virginia Tech Scrubs


From $24.99

Those working in the medical field can show their Hokie pride with our high-quality, durable scrubs. Our scrubs are constructed of soft brushed poplin fabric and assembled with a "felling" stitch. Felling is a double-needle stitch that ensures your scrubs will hold up to heavy laundering and repeated wear.

   Our Featured Sponsor


Opportunity is Knocking � Will you Answer?

You can own a Luxury Hotel-Condominium in Blacksburg. Imagine a fully loaded VIP experience when you're in-house and fully taken care of while you're away1. The Collegiate Inn of Blacksburg's Rooms and Amenities include:

  • Custom made Cherry Wood Furniture
  • Professionally designed interiors
  • 42� LCD TV
  • Granite countertops
  • Owners- only pre-game and post-game parties
  • Owners-only shuttle service to football games
  • Over $3,100,000 in planned room and common area improvements
  • On-site restaurant, lounge, banquet facilities, meeting rooms, and extensive parking
  • Large outdoor pool, indoor pool, and fitness room
  • Wireless Internet
  • Located on Prices Fork Road, directly across from the VT Campus and within walking distance to restaurants, shops, and downtown
  • Initial unit offerings from the $120s to $140s

For more information, visit them at http://www.ciblacksburg.com or call (877) 440-4540.

1Ownership may include the opportunity to place your suite in a professional rental management program.

   Tech Sports News


Hokies More Than Just Competitive in ACC Hoops
by Chris Coleman, TechSideline.com

If it seems to you that Virginia Tech has been one of the better basketball teams on average since they joined the ACC, you are correct. The Hokies are one of just four ACC teams with 30 conference wins since the league expanded for the 2004-05 season.

ACC Men's Basketball
Records Since Expansion
Team Record Pct.
UNC 50-13 .794
Duke 46-17 .730
Boston College 25-22 .532
Maryland 33-30 .524
Virginia Tech 31-32 .492
Clemson 28-35 .444
Wake Forest 27-36 .429
Florida State 26-37 .413
Georgia Tech 26-37 .413
Miami 26-37 .413
NC State 26-37 .413
Virginia 26-37 .413


That table proves a couple of things. First, of all, North Carolina and Duke are clearly the most dominant teams in the ACC. They've combined for just 30 losses over the last four seasons. Every other individual team has at least 30 losses over that span, with the exception of Boston College, who has only been in the league for three seasons.

However, Virginia Tech is proving to be one of the best teams in the league not named Duke or North Carolina. The Hokies are one game below .500, but that still gives them a better record than Clemson, Wake Forest, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State and Virginia. The final five teams are tied for the worst record in the ACC since expansion.

Depending on Sunday's game at Clemson, the Hokies will either be right at .500 after four years in the league, or just two games below .500. That includes a painful 4-12 season in 2005-06, which saw Tech lose a high number of games in the final minutes. If the Hokies can secure a bye in the ACC tournament this year, it will be the third time in four years they have achieved that feat.

That winning percentage might be going up over the next few years as well. Tech plays six freshmen this year, and with six freshmen they have already guaranteed themselves a winning record in the ACC this season. They have a chance to have even better records in the future, but of course, there are no guarantees in ACC basketball, and the unbalanced schedules mean strength of schedule can change significantly from year to year.

Boston College has a very good winning percentage in their three years, but it's on the way down. They went 11-5 in their first year, and 10-6 last year, but after losing three seniors from last season's team, they are down to 4-11 this year. They'll recover, but they aren't going to get back up to their Jared Dudley level overnight.

Wake Forest is also being propped up by a 13-3 record in 2004-05. Since then, they've won just three games, four games, and this year six games in conference play. They look to be improving, as they are very young and talented, and they have some very talented recruits coming in next year.

Maryland ranks very high on the list, but you'd think a team with a recent national championship would be a little bit better. Maybe not on the level of UNC or Duke, but it's not unreasonable to expect a few more wins. The Terps have natural recruiting advantages such as a recent national championship, an urban setting in a big-time recruiting area, and a modern new arena. It's not inaccurate to call Maryland underachievers since expansion.

Virginia Tech has defeated every other ACC team at least twice, with the exception of NC State. Here is a look at Tech's record against each ACC school.

Virginia Tech vs. ACC Teams
Team Record
Boston College 3-3
Clemson 2-3
Duke 2-4
Florida State 2-3
Georgia Tech 4-2
Maryland 4-2
Miami 4-2
North Carolina 2-3
NC State 1-6
Virginia 4-5
Wake Forest 4-2


The Hokies have had winning records against Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami and Wake Forest since joining the ACC. The Hokies are .500 against Boston College, and they've actually won three in a row against the Eagles. VT has defeated UNC twice, and is very nearly 3-2 against the Tar Heels. They are 2-4 against Duke, though they probably earned a 3-3 record in those six seasons.

As you can see, the one team that is holding Virginia Tech back from having a winning overall ACC record is NC State. The Wolfpack have defeated the Hokies six straight times after Tech knocked them off on January 19, 2005 for their second ACC win in school history.

Next week in TSLMail we'll combine football and basketball finishes in the ACC since expansion. We'll find out who has been the top overall program in the two revenue sports.

   TechSideline.com Pass - Your Ultimate Ticket to Hokie Sports!


TechSideline Pass - Only $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year!

  • Feature Articles
  • Interviews with recruits
  • Editorials
  • Recruiting updates from Chris Horne, our in-house specialist
  • Recruiting prospect and class evaluations
  • A subscribers-only Recruiting message board (only accessible to subscribers)
  • A subscribers-only message board for general discussion

For more info on TechSideline Pass, and to subscribe, click here.

   TechSideline.com Updates From the Past Week

ACC's Strength May Be Its -- and the Hokies' -- Undoing

March 7, 2008
The ACC is the most tradition-rich, competitive basketball conference in the country. It is to college basketball what the SEC is to college football. All the teams are good, and anyone is capable of knocking off anyone on any given night. However, will that type of parity come back to bite the ACC in the postseason?
more

Gaithersburg's Stanley a Top Target
March 7, 2008
Thirty-seven tackles-for-loss and 16 1/2 sacks in one season certainly draws attention, so it isn't a surprise that 6-2, 245-pound junior defensive lineman Sean Stanley has tallied 10 official Division 1A scholarship offers. The Gaithersburg (MD) star posted those numbers this past season as a junior, and as a result should see many more scholarships come his way in the coming months.
more

Western Branch Speedster Updates Recruitment
March 7, 2008
Western Branch (Chesapeake, VA) cornerback/wide receiver recruit Javanti Sparrow has seen his recruitment pick up within the past month. The 6-1, 190-pound junior claims to have four official scholarship offers in the fold along with two verbal offers.
more

Top Ten Plays of the 2007 Football Season
March 6, 2008
The 2007 football season was a great one for Virginia Tech, producing 11 wins and an ACC championship. We sat down at TSL to come up with the top ten plays of the season, and we had a number of deserving nominees that didn't make the cut. The ones that did make it are certainly worth a second look ... and a third look ... and a fourth look.
more

Phoebus Star QB Talks Recruiting
March 6, 2008
With ten Division 1A scholarship offers, 6-2, 200-pound junior quarterback Tajh Boyd has become one of the most highly recruited players in the state of Virginia. The Phoebus (Hampton, VA) standout, who has visited several schools to this point in his recruiting process, has his sights set on narrowing his list of schools to five by July.
more

TSL Audio: Chris Coleman, ESPN Radio
March 6, 2008
Wednesday evening, TSL's Chris Coleman joined new ESPN Radio host George Hunsicker to talk Hokie sports. George and Chris talked about Tech's big basketball win over Wake Forest and tried to look into their crystal ball and talk about ACC tournament matchups and possibilities (WMA format, compatible with Windows Media Player and MP3 players, 2.7 MB, 11:32).
more

David Wang Impressing This Offseason
March 5, 2008
First, there was winning the state championship title as a member of the Stone Bridge Bulldogs (Ashburn, VA) varsity football squad. Then, there was being name first-team all-state offensive lineman by the Virginia High School Coaches Association. And recently, David Wang came away as one of the top performers at the Nike Combine in Pittsburgh.
more

Checking in on Oscar Smith's Junior Class
March 5, 2008
Oscar Smith's (Chesapeake, VA) standout junior class is highlighted by four potential Division 1A prospects. So far, head coach Rich Morgan says that two of the four prospects currently boast Division 1A scholarship offers. Leading the way is 6-0, 215-pound linebacker Jerod Askew, who tallied 126 tackles including 25 tackles for loss and 13 sacks last season.
more

Hokies Stomp Wake, Help NCAA Tournament Chances
March 4, 2008
In a game that was expected to be tight, Deron Washington led Virginia Tech to an 80-58 blowout victory over Wake Forest on his Senior Night, strengthening the Hokies' chances for an NCAA tournament berth. Tech improved to 18-11 overall and 9-6 in the ACC with the win. Wake Forest dropped to 16-12 overall and 6-9 in conference play. Their NCAA tournament hopes are virtually gone.
more

Hokie Hotline Notes for 3/3/08
March 4, 2008
Presented by Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech: Monday night, head men's basketball coach Seth Greenberg talked about preparations for tonight's Wake Forest game, and he discussed the status of the team as they await the game, including J.T. Thompson's ankle and a new injury to Cheick Diakite.
more

Is VT in the Race for Jeffery?
March 4, 2008
Safe to say, Columbia High School's Damario Jeffery has had an interesting recruitment so far. The 6-3, 211-pound South Carolina standout committed to Clemson last month, but reneged just a day or two later. He has listed several favorites in the past months, including Clemson, South Carolina and Virginia Tech. For now, though, the talented safety prospect is hoping to wait quite a while before making a final decision.
more

Basketball Game Preview: Virginia Tech vs. Wake Forest
March 4, 2008
Tonight's battle between Virginia Tech and Wake Forest will feature two of the youngest and most surprising basketball teams in the country. The Hokies are battling for an NCAA tournament berth, while Wake still has an extreme outside shot at making the Big Dance, if they can win both remaining regular season games and get a win in the ACC tournament. We should see maximum effort from both teams, which means great ACC basketball is in store.
more

Around the ACC: March 3rd, 2008
March 3, 2008
What do Sean Singletary and Tyrese Rice have in common? They both scored over 40 points on Saturday and walked off the court with a loss. Their games, as well as two eye-catching performances by Clemson, highlight this week's Around the ACC.
more

Women's Track and Field Wins ACC Indoor Championship
March 3, 2008
The Virginia Tech women's track and field team dominated their opponents last week, and repeated as ACC Indoor Champions. The Hokies were ranked #11 in the nation heading into the event. They scored a total of 138 points, which was a whopping 49.5 ahead of second place UNC and Florida State.
Also: Football Strength and Conditioning info.
more

Hunter Getting Looks to Play QB
March 3, 2008
Quintin Hunter's first season as Orange Fighting Hornets starting quarterback has impressed some college coaches enough to recruit the athletic prospect to play quarterback. A second-team all-region selection as a signal caller, Hunter's outstanding junior year included a 514-yard performance (361 yards passing, 153 yards rushing) in a loss to Monticello.
more
 
    TSLMail is a trademark of TechSideline.com - Copyright © 2008 - All Rights Reserved