After a long hiatus, we’re back just in time for the 2022 postseason, hoping to stick to a weekly diet of 5 things, a collection of notables from the past week about WBB in the Commonwealth.
- We didn’t put out any state rankings this season and we doubt we’d get much of an argument about who most would consider the top team in the Commonwealth. It’s been a remarkable year for Virginia Tech — a lofty No. 10 in the latest power rankings. But we see you, Liberty. And we’ve seen you reach 25 wins, the first team in Division I this season to do that.
The Lady Flames are 25-2 with a 59-40 victory over Virginia Tech on Dec. 7. We have no doubt today’s Hokies are better than that, but we’re impressed with how Liberty has quietly vaulted itself into the national discourse. The Lady Flames are already receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and can engineer this storied program’s biggest victory in years Thursday when they host No. 24 Florida Gulf Coast (24-2) in a battle of Atlantic Sun Conference elites. On Jan. 15, the Eagles rallied from a 14-point deficit late in the third quarter to stun Liberty 73-69. The Lady Flames are now 0-9 lifetime against FGCU and 0-35 against Top 25 foes since an 88-79 thumping of No. 16 DePaul on March 22, 2005. But based on what we’ve seen so far, if any Liberty team has the wherewithal to snap such streaks, this seems like that team.
As for FGSU, the Eagles got a huge boost when Kierstan Bell transferred in from Ohio State last year. But the senior who has already declared for the WNBA draft hasn’t played since undergoing surgery for a partially torn meniscus on Jan. 26. While Bell’s prognosis was four to six weeks, she’s suggested on social media she could be cleared this week. Without her, the Eagles looked like they’d be unscathed in the league until they were upset by Stetson on Feb. 12. It was the first loss in 33 ASUN games for FGSU, which shot 7-of-44 from deep. Everybody can shoot the 3 on this team, led by Kendall Spray, who shoots it at a .432 clip; four of the five starters shoot .340 or better from beyond the arc.
The teams enter Thursday’s contest tied atop the ASUN. The first 700 students that night at the Vines Center will receive a free Liberty Flames beanie. They’re also giving one lucky fan the chance to win $50,000 during halftime.
2. Speaking of Virginia Tech, we’ve enjoyed – but are not surprised by – what new JMU Hall-of-Famer Kenny Brooks has delivered in his fifth season in Blacksburg. The Hokies are an ACC contender behind Elizabeth Kitley, Aisha Sheppard and a player in Georgia Amoore who continues Brooks’ pattern of coaching up great point guards. Last week’s 102-53 dismantling of Syracuse was Tech’s program-record 12th ACC victory, and the squad is now back in the AP poll at No. 23. And while they’re a mortal lock to make the NCAA Tournament field, the Hokies even have a shot at hosting NCAA first and second rounds. Third-ranked North Carolina State comes to Cassell on Sunday, providing a huge opportunity to make a statement against one of the powerhouses Tech tends to match up well with. The Hokies lost by only six when these teams met in Raleigh last month, and a year ago, Tech knocked off then-No. 2 N.C. State in overtime when the showdown was in Blacksburg. So Tech fans need to pack Cassell Sunday. They may bear witness to something special.
Get your tix to Tech’s regular-season finale for $2.
3. We’re rooting for Christopher Newport, the top-ranked team in Division III at 22-0. The Captains are the No. 1 seed in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Championship, hosted by UC Santa Cruz. CNU has won 39 straight and 43 of its last 44 games, losing last to Tufts on Dec. 28, 2019 (at the time, Tufts was No. 1 in the nation). FYI: Last year’s season was exhibition only; in 2020 the Captains advanced to the Sweet 16 but the rest of the tournament was canceled due to the pandemic. Four of the Captains’ top five scorers shoot .495 or better, led by junior forward Anava Simmons (.634).
4. Three games, five days, no problem for Longwood, in a three-way tie for first in the Big South. Remember when the Lancers were 3-27, 2-16, 0-15 on the road in 2018-19, the first year for coach Rebecca Tillett.
“When I got here, Longwood was never in the talk across the conference of being in the top five,” said graduate student Tra’Dayja Smith. “To come from the bottom and put ourselves in a position where it’s possible to be number one, it’s really big, and says a lot about every single person in our program.”
“To have such a big jump to be in the position we are in, battling for the first spot it’s so surreal,” said junior guard Kyla McMakin.
Longwood beat Hampton for the first time in five tries on Sunday. The Lancers have a rematch at USC Upstate on Wednesday; Longwood dropped the first meeting at home 76-69 on Jan. 19. They finish the regular season hosting Hampton on Saturday.
5. Kudos to Virginia for breaking its ACC losing streak. After losing their first 13 conference games, the Cavaliers have back-to-back wins, defeating Duke and Pitt. But here’s what is curious to us. Notre Dame was on Virginia’s schedule for Tuesday (today). The Cavaliers were going to host that game at John Paul Jones Arena. Last Friday, the ACC announced Virginia was forfeiting the game. It’s not clear to us why. Virginia hasn’t provided any insight. The forfeit was announced by the ACC and Notre Dame. Virginia’s only reference to it was a sentence buried in its game notes for last Sunday’s game against Pitt. If you’re counting forfeits, this marks the second one for the Cavaliers in the last two weeks. Virginia cited mechanical and aircraft crew staffing issues for not making the trip to Louisville. The Cavaliers conclude their regular season hosting No. 18 North Carolina on Thursday.
Photos courtesy of Liberty Athletics, Virginia Tech Athletics