ACC Tourney: Cal Beats Virginia Tech 82-73 in 2OT Thriller

Six overtimes in two games as Cal advances to face Stanford tomorrow

Coach Madsen checking on Jovan Blacksher Jr., after Blacksher’s game saving play at the end of regulation.

On January 11th, Virginia Tech visited Haas Pavilion and eked out a 71-68 win. In that game, Cal played inconsistent basketball for the first twenty-five minutes and found themselves down 22 points early in the second half. Cal rallied late and forced a tie with just under 6 minutes left. The Hokies asserted themselves once again to recapture the lead and hung on for the 3-point win. All season long, Cal has had extended stretches of inconsistent basketball. After the 4OT game on Saturday, all eyes were on what type of energy and rhythm Cal would bring to this game.

Cal suffered no energy letdown today. Andrej Stojakovic nailed two early 3-point baskets as Cal took the fight directly to the Hokies. The Bears maintained a small lead through most of the first half before the Hokies closed strong to take a 3-point lead into halftime, 34-31. Stokajovic was unstoppable in the half, hitting 5-of-6 shots (including a perfect 3-for-3 from long range) to be leading the Bears with 13 first-half points. No other Bear was shooting well, as the rest of the team combined for 5-of-22 shooting. The Hokies shot 54% for the half, but were only 1-of-9 from 3-point range.

Jeremiah Wilkinson opened the scoring in the second half with a 3-pointer, as Cal started the half on an 8-0 run to reclaim the lead 39-34 at the 15-minute mark. Virginia Tech stayed close, never letting Cal’s lead grow larger than 5 points. Hokies guard Brandon Rechsteiner averaged nearly 7 points a game for the season. Against Cal in January, he scored 12. Today, Rechsteiner scored 19 points on high-volume shooting and hit several key shots to keep the Hokies close.

Andrej Stojakovic continued to be the best player on the floor, adding 9 points in the second half while the rest of the Bear’s shooting struggles continued. Cal led 59-55 with 3:10 left in the game. From there, it almost all fell apart.

Cal would miss their next five shots from the field and two free throws. A Brandon Rechsteiner 3-pointer with 27 second left gave Virginia Tech the 60-59 lead. It was the Hokies’ first lead since halftime. What happens next was wild;

:16 - Jeremiah Wilkinson drives between two defenders. As he approaches the basket and goes up for the layup, Tech’s Tobi Lawal comes from the weakside and blocks the shot out of bounds.

:11 - Cal inbounds to Wilkinson. He wasted no time in going towards the basket. Multiple Tech defenders are waiting for him. Wilkinson puts up a low percentage shot that misses. In the fight for the rebound, the ball goes off Mady Sissoko’s arms, giving VA Tech the ball back underneath the rim.

:08 - Jovan Blacksher deflects the inbounds pass, and DJ Campbell collects the loose ball and appears to have a layup. Tech’s Ben Burnham fouls Campbell, preventing the basket and sending Campbell to the free throw line for 2 shots and a chance to take the lead(more on this play later).

:05 - DJ Campbell misses his first shot. After a couple deep breaths, he sinks the second one, tying the game at 60-60.

:05 - Tech’s Brandon Rechsteiner is pressured in the backcourt, and can only advance the gall to just past midcourt. His last second shot is off. On to overtime.

Andrej Stojakovic had carried the Bears up to this point. Blacksher and Campbell saved the game with their last second defense and free throw to force the game into overtime. It was time for other team members to step up. The first overtime was Rytis Petraitis’ time to shine. At the beginning of the extra period, Cal’s shooting woes continued. Tech had opened up a 4-point lead before Petraitis sunk two free throw to close the gap. On the next Cal possession, Cal was on an 0-of-9 shooting streak before Petraitis flashed inside to collect a pass from Andrej Stojakovic and convert the short basket and provide a spark. Suddenly the game was tied again at 65-all. After two free throws by Andrej Stojakovic tied the game at 67-67 with twenty seven seconds left, VA Tech turned the ball over on an errant pass as time wound down. Cal’s last second heave was well off the mark. On to five more minutes of basketball.

The second overtime was all Cal. Mady Sissoko observes Ramadan, and did not eat or drink anything for the duration of the game. Playing with 4 fouls, he dominated the second overtime with 4 points, 3 rebounds, and a steal. He and Stojakovic combined for an early 8-0 Cal run as Cal jumped out to a 75-67 lead and was never contested from there. Jovan Blacksher hurt his ankle at the end of regulation, so DJ Campbell played the bulk of both overtime periods. He sunk six straight free throws as Cal held on for the 82-73 win.

Andrej Stojakovic led Cal with 29 points on 11-of-20 shooting. This was the best he has looked since early conference play in December and January. Mady Sissoko added 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Rytis Petraitis added 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Cal shot poorly as a team, shooting 35% from the field, including only 19% from 3-point range. They outrebounded the Hokies 46-41. Cal’s occasional full court pressure defense was effective. The Hokies committed 18 turnovers which led to 19 Cal points. Cal committed 11 turnovers, which resulted in 10 point for Virginia Tech. The Hokies did not shoot the ball well, either. Virginia Tech shot 41% for the game, but was only 3-for-25 from 3-point range.

The Last Play to Force OT

I’ve watched the last play multiple times, and am fascinated by the schematics of it. If you have the opportunity to catch a replay, I encourage you to go watch the last 10 seconds and see how Blacksher and Campbell are setting up for that last play. Coming out of the timeout, Blacksher appears to be assigned to Brandon Rechsteiner. He allows Rechsteiner to run free to the corner, and camps out near the three point line. In the image below on the inbound positioning, see how Blacksher is hiding behind the taller Lawal, and how Campbell is playing defensive back on the outlet pass. Everyone else is clamped down on defense, baiting the inbounds pass to Lawal near the free throw line.

It’s the one area of the court you usually want to avoid (the pass made announcer Jim Boeheim upset), but Lawal appears wide open and Cal has successfully executed corner traps earlier in the game. Blacksher times his jump perfectly, jumping in front of Lawal to deflect the pass before absorbing full contact from the bigger and taller Hokie. Campbell is engaged enough to get the loose ball and attack the rim.

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Last year, the #7 seed Cal faced #10 seed Stanford in the first round of the PAC-12 tournament. Stanford was able to pull of the upset before falling in the next round to Washington State. This year, Cal will be the underdog when they face #7 seed Stanford. In his postgame comments, Andrej Stojakovic described the game as “bringing the West Coast rivalry to the ACC.” Cal lost both games to Stanford this season. Coach Madsen is 1-4 in all matchups against his alma mater. Let’s hope Coach Madsen’s team will earn some revenge tomorrow.