In Tuesday's ACC Action, Virginia wrecked Drexel, 89-60, Virginia Tech stopped Coppin State, 88-54, Georgia Tech cruised past Hampton, 75-55, and Boston College kicked off the Luke Murray era with a 76-50 win over Wagner.
In Virginia's win, Thijs De Ridder had 12 points, a rebound and a steal…in the first 2.5 minutes.
One of Drexel's players got sick of it, and threw De Ridder to the court, which nearly started a brawl.
De Ridder ended up with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals.
But it wasn't just De Ridder. Virginia forced 15 turnovers in the first half. Chance Mallory, now starting, had four steals.
It's just one game, and Drexel isn't that much of a challenge, but Virginia was impressive.
Transfer Jaylen Curry led the way for the Hokies against Coppin State, with 19 points, but he also had 6 turnovers to 1 assist, which Mike Young called "disgusting."
Ben Hammond had 7 steals, which is impressive, even against a mediocre team.
The Hokies also outrebounded Coppin State, and held the Eagles to 2-12 from outside. Amani Hansberry finished with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. It was a solid start for Virginia Tech.
On to the new coaches and their programs.
Georgia Tech got 19 offensive rebounds and defended Hampton well, holding the Pirates to 28 percent from the floor.
Cross went with a basic eight-man rotation, which is a little surprising this early, but he knows more than we do.
Anyway, his template seems set: grit, defense, and offensive rebounding.
As for Boston College, Money Williams was on the money with 22 points. BC started a bit slow but got going about halfway through the first half, going from up 21-14 to 32-14. The Eagles took a 15-point lead into halftime and Wagner never got closer than 12.
And importantly, the fans seem to be buying in. The attendance was nearly 4,000, which doesn't sound impressive, but last season, there were games where Conte Forum looked incredibly empty.
Not that this is a surprise, but one of the attendees was Bill Murray, who has avidly followed his son's career.
Only one game on Wednesday, as Cal welcomes Radford to Haas Pavilion.
Wednesday Night's ACC Action
Radford vs. Cal || 9:00 || ACCNX
Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions || Drop us a line
