The doldrums of a dreary season haven't taken the wind out of Erick Green's sails.
Green, Virginia Tech's junior point guard from Winchester, will carry a 23-game streak of double-digit offense — the longest such streak among active ACC players — into today's 4 p.m. home game against the Clemson Tigers.
He extended his streak with a 17-point performance in Wednesday's 75-60 loss to Duke.
Call it leading by example. Green, a proud and fiery competitor, scolded his teammates for their lackluster approach to Tech's recent 73-69 loss to Maryland.
"It starts with leadership, and the main thing is getting these guys amped up," Green told The Washington Post after that game. "At the same time, when you step on the court, you should already be fired up. Someone shouldn't have to tell you: 'Get up. This is a big game.' It should just come natural."
Yes, Green conceded, the Hokies are very young.
"I'm not gonna use that as an excuse. But these young guys don't really know what it's like right now. So we got to get them ready."
Green missed the season-opening win over East Tennessee State this year with a strained Achilles' tendon and did not play at Boston College because of a knee injury. When healthy, he is averaging 16 points and 3.0 assists.
He has emerged as one of the Hokies' few bright spots this season. He is the only player in the ACC in the top 10 in scoring, assists and steals.
The Hokies (12-10, 1-6) hold a 12-11 advantage against Clemson (11-10, 3-4) in the teams' all-time series. Tech lost the most recent meeting 69-60 in Littlejohn Coliseum in the final regular-season game of the 2010-11 season.
Tech is 7-4 against the Tigers in Cassell Coliseum. The Hokies rang up a 70-59 triumph when they played host to Clemson two years ago.
Drama seems a safe bet. Eight of the 10 ACC games played between Virginia Tech and Clemson have been decided by five or fewer points.
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