WBB Scouting Report: Getting to know Virginia Tech
On Monday night, No. 1-seed Virginia Tech defeated Ohio State 84-74, advancing to the programs first Final Four. The Hokies will now meet LSU in Dallas on Friday night at 6 p.m. on ESPN to head to the national championship game on Sunday.
Here’s my scouting report of Virginia Tech and early thoughts roughly 12 hours after the Hokies’ win over Ohio State.
Numbers to know
15: The number of games Virginia Tech has won in a row. Not only is that a streak that spans back to Jan. 29, but it’s a run that also includes 12 wins over teams who made the NCAA Tournament. There are zero questions that this team is playing its best basketball and knows exactly what it need to do to win.
95: The percentage of points that have come from Virginia Tech’s starters this tournament. The Hokies played six players against Ohio State and mostly stick to a six player rotation, sometimes finding spot minutes for a seventh player, but that’s the absolute most. It’s all about the starters.
76.1: The Hokies defensive rebounding percentage this season. It ranks No. 5 in the country and it starts with their forwards. Angel Reese often has a size advantage on the offensive glass, but on Friday it will be a battle to be as productive on the offensive glass as they’ve been this season. The Tigers’ field goal percentage will have to be much better against a solid rebounding team with size at the five.
Personnel scouting report
Elizabeth Kitley – 6-foot-6 senior center
The reigning two-time ACC Player of the Year, Kitley averages 18.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. She’s 55.7 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free throw line, has a nice mid-range jumper she goes to often, and is extremely patient with the ball under the basket.
LaDahzia Williams will spend most of the time guarding her, and while the size is a problem, Kitley is not an incredibly forceful player on the post or on the glass. She’s clearly very skilled and taller than most defenders, but she doesn’t put her head down and force the issue. Similar to Aaliyah Boston, Kitley picks her spots, but to me, her greatest value is on the defensive glass. As I mentioned above, it will be hard for Reese and Williams to get their misses around the rim like they did against Miami.
Georgia Amoore – 5-foot-6 junior guard
An elite ball handler, excellent shooter, and the heartbeat of this Virginia Tech team, averaging 16.3 points and 5.1 assists. Amoore torched Ohio State going for 24 points despite missing some good looks from 3-point range she usually makes. In her last seven games, she’s made 34 3-pointers on 84 attempts (40.4%). She can make 3-pointers off the dribble, on the move, or on the kick out if LSU doubles Kitley.
I assume LSU will start with Poole on Amoore, to try to deny her the ball, but it may be Alexis Morris who is the only player quick enough to stay with her. The combination of Amoore and Kitley is why this Virginia Tech team is one of the best in the country.
Taylor Soule – 5-foot-11 senior forward
An incredibly gritty player, Soule is the glue for this team. She is an undersized forward who can’t shoot, though, which could be a liability against a defense as good as LSU’s. She’s mostly been efficient this year and can take slower posts off the bounce. Soule averages 11.1 points on 51.9 percent shooting, but does not shoot the 3-ball.
She’s scored double digits in four of the last five, but I assume Angel Reese will be guarding her and that’s a huge boost to LSU. Utah was able to space Reese out, away from the rim, but if Reese is able to roam and guard an undersized forward, that’s huge for LSU’s defense.
Cayla King – 6-foot senior guard
Another deadeye shooter, King is much more stationary compared to Amoore, but LSU can not leave her. On the season, King is 37.3 percent from deep and in the last three games, she;s 8-of-19. LSU can close hard because she is a one-dimensional player. Over 90 percent of King’s field goal attempts are 3-pointers and she averages just over one assist per game.
Overall thoughts
Virginia Tech is a much more challenging matchup than Ohio State would have been and is by far the toughest opponent LSU has faced this year other than South Carolina. There’s probably not a more balanced team in the country than the Hokies who are capable of winning games from three and at the rim
The two wins over Tennessee speak volumes because we know how athletic and dangerous the Volunteers are this year. In the Sweet 16 round, Virginia Tech even outrebounded Tennessee. The lack of depth is really the only hole this team has, which maybe could play a factor considering they’ve played so many minutes and have one less day of rest than LSU, but at this point in the year, I’m not banking on a team being tired.
It goes without saying that LSU will have to shoot better than 31 percent to win this game. In Virginia Tech’s four losses this year, all four teams shot over 40 percent and the four teams got to the free throw line on average 18 times per game.
LSU’s defense can keep it in the game, but the offense has to be much better to win this game.
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