I stated after the Villanova win that this tean will have nights where their lack of comfort within the system will show up in a glaring way. There are 6 new players in the system and 6 others who have only spent 1 year in it. Everyone except Keve is brand new to the system.

That goes both ways...defensively VT plays ball screens differently than most. They string out the ball handler from side to side rather than hedging, "downing" or trapping. This means the players away from the ball also have to play it differently. And that takes time.

Villanova exploited it the same way, they just didnt do it enough and late in the game their short bench bit them and they got too tired.

The fix isnt to change the system or come up with a new press offense or drastically change your lineup...the fix is to get older. There isnt a time machine, so youll just have to take the lumps as they come until they get more comfortable.

One thing I used to get frustrated with the VT fan base for was how they seemed to always apply football principles to basketball. Football has one game each week. You can be a bad team for 13 days and only lose 1 game. A bad stretch in basketball like that can cost you 4 or 5 games. But you also play 30+. One loss in early December isnt a sign that something needs to be changed. Everything needs to be refined. There are definite teaching points. This will be good to watch on film. Im certain that the coaches have been harping on the little things in practice, but then you go 4-0, beat Villanova and become a top 15 team and the players think "well what I have been doing got us to 15th in the nation"...so you relax and try to play how youve played up to that point. That isnt good enough, you always have to judge yourself compared to the finish line. Every other team in America is trying to get better too. Villanova is getting better. PSU got better after a loss to Seton Hall.

Losing happens. Panicking now only illustrates why its bad to panic when things go bad during the course of a game.

VT is fine. They are exactly where they should be on this 3 year build-up, if not a little ahead. Changing things now only resets the knowledge of your players. VT can put in a new press offense, but then youll just watch a crappy press offense next game that looks a little different.

Spoiler alert:

VT will lose more games this season. Probably by the same margin or greater. Theyll look crappy from the FT line. Theyll look crappy defending the 3. Theyll look stagnant and turn the ball over some games. But the end goal isnt to beat PSU in early December. The goal is to be the best possible team you can be by the end of the year. The longer goal is to compete for an ACC title with a veteran group for 2 years after this season. Changing things now only resets all of those goals.

Continue to build. Continue to teach. Continue to learn.

Stop. Panicking.