Defensive issues plaguing Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG - Since he became Virginia Tech's coach in 2003, Seth Greenberg has built the Hokies' identity on defense and toughness. So the frequent and plentiful deficiencies in those areas this season are constantly troubling him, like a bad toothache.

What specific defensive issues would he like to see the Hokies resolve?

"Do you have an hour?" he asked.

Greenberg paused, then offered his distilled wish list: get more consistent ball-screen defense, improve at stopping the ball handler, establish position in the post earlier, finish possessions.

"There are so many areas that I'd like to see us improve in," he said. "It's hard to kind of single out one. We're just not as tough as we need to be at this stage of the season."

With six games remaining in their regular season, including tonight's at Virginia, the Hokies have yet to find the lockdown defender who Greenberg said can relieve pressure on his teammates by occupying an opponent's best player.

Last season, senior Deron Washington filled that role. The Hokies' defensive statistics have dipped in his absence.

Since joining the ACC, Tech steadily climbed the defensive rankings - 10th, ninth, fourth and second last season, when they allowed opponents to shoot 40.7 percent. This season, the Hokies are sixth, at 41.1 percent.

They also plummeted in the defensive efficiency rankings (points allowed per 100 possessions), compiled by statistician Ken Pomeroy. In their first four years in the ACC, they finished 116th, 89th, 75th and 17th last season, with 93.3 points allowed per 100 possessions. This season they are 156th, with 100.3.

For all of Greenberg's concerns, sophomore guard Malcolm Delaney said Tech's defensive problems stem from one thing: "Effort. Losing Deron wasn't a big loss on defense. He took a lot of charges and he was a good defender, but we've got to start bringing effort for 40 minutes. I think sometimes we slack off with effort."

Delaney said getting stops on defense will let the Hokies play to their strength: running in transition. "We can't get in transition unless we get stops," he said.

The Hokies' defense in recent games has been especially poor. In Saturday's loss at Maryland, the Terrapins shot 48.1 percent, including 50 percent in the second half. Two games before that, a win over North Carolina State, the Wolfpack shot 49.1 percent, 58.6 in the first half.

Virginia shot 52.7 percent, the highest Tech has allowed this season, in the teams' first meeting - a 78-75 Tech victory in Blacksburg on Jan. 10. The Cavaliers shot 55.6 percent in the second half and almost won, despite trailing by 10 with 3:41 left.

But sophomore forward Terrell Bell played admirable defense in the second half against Virginia's leading scorer, freshman guard Sylven Landesberg, who finished with 20 points, but just four in the first 17 minutes of the second half.

Defense will be especially critical for Tech tonight - not just because Landesberg is so shifty when he cuts to the hoop, but also because the Hokies' third-leading scorer, forward Jeff Allen, is serving a one-game suspension for flipping his middle finger at Maryland's fans.

Then again, you don't have to remind the Hokies about the importance of defense. They have heard it from Greenberg all season.