Virginia Tech races to blowout win against Maryland-Baltimore County

BLACKSBURG, VA. -- Virginia Tech Coach Seth Greenberg has said this is the most difficult time of year in college basketball because the holidays are coming and the players are among the only students still on campus.

With their 71-34 win over Maryland-Baltimore County on Tuesday, the Hokies earned their seventh consecutive win and entered a break period with a emphatic showing against a hapless opponent.

"We just knew getting out of here with a good win would be better than coming out looking bad," said guard Malcolm Delaney, who led the Hokies with 17 points and added four assists. "It's just a good way to leave and go home on break."

With their finest defensive showing of the year, the Hokies (10-1) allowed their fewest points in a game in Greenberg's seven-year tenure in Blacksburg.

The Retrievers (1-10) failed to find any rhythm. They launched air balls, threw errant passes and were called for shot-clock violations. UMBC shot 22.4 percent from the field.

Virginia Tech jumped to a 14-0 lead after UMBC missed its first nine shots. Midway through the second half, Virginia Tech had all four of its freshmen -- Cadarian Raines, Manny Atkins, Erick Green and Ben Boggs -- on the floor at the same time.

"I don't think you'll see them all together against Duke," Greenberg said of the freshmen. "But it was good to give them a chance to play together."

The game got so out of hand that Greenberg, who coaches with bulldog intensity, uncharacteristically took a seat on the bench. Toward the end of the game, he folded his arms while observing alongside his assistants.

"I really liked our approach," Greenberg said. "I challenged them to carry themselves like they're a very good basketball team, and very good basketball teams go out and win these games."

Before the game, Greenberg spoke about playing with "both feet in." By that, he meant he wanted his players to have both feet in Cassell Coliseum, and not one foot in the gym and the other already heading for home.

"Human nature is kind of thinking about getting home and seeing your friends and being with you family," Greenberg said. "I understand human nature, but for the next hour and a half, we've got to have both feet in. We've got to be totally committed to the task at hand."

Now Virginia Tech has a three-day break before convening as a team for practice, and has eight days before hosting Longwood on Dec. 30. The Hokies' meeting with Seton Hall on Jan. 2 in Cancun, Mexico, represents their only remaining nonconference test before opening the Atlantic Coast Conference schedule.

The Hokies nonconference performances have hurt them in March in the past two years, with notable losses to Richmond, Old Dominion and Georgia. But this season, Virginia Tech should be in good shape before playing at North Carolina on Jan. 10.

Virginia Tech has taken care of opponents outside the top 100 of the Rating Percentage Index, and the latest example came on Tuesday. Despite the dull campus, drab weather and impending time away from basketball, the Hokies put on an overwhelming performance against an underwhelming opponent.

"We know what we've got to do to be a good team," Delaney said. "We know that and people feel that and freshmen are even getting that. We want to be somewhere we haven't been the past two years. We want to get back to the tournament."