Three observations, two questions raised, and one prediction after Virginia Tech's 1-4 ACC stretch - and back-to-back losses for the women.
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Three observations
The women have great top-end quality, but it falls off when you reach the depth.
This should come as no surprise. "The starters are better than their backups" is... well, it's obvious. But the fact of the matter is, while Iowa drops off without Caitlin Clark on the floor, or LSU without Angel Reese, the Hokies are less-able to withstand the absence of their stars. We saw that emphasized Thursday evening.
A back-and-forth game - even though Duke seemed to have taken a bit of the upper hand - turned into a laugher in favor of the Blue Devils once Georgia Amoore left the contest with a head injury (she suffered an inadvertent elbow in a loose-ball situation). The Hokies trailed by three points at the time, and ultimately lost by 17.
None of this is to say that her primary backup, Carleigh Wenzel, can't get the job done, or that 2023 Player of the Year finalist Elizabeth Kitley is anything other than the star of the show on a night-to-night basis. But Amoore is the straw that stirs the drink, and without her, good teams are going to give the Hokies trouble.
The good news is that the Hokies' two-game slump puts them just a couple games off the pace - they were undefeated i the league a week ago at this time - and Clemson and Georgia Tech should be a pair of manageable contests, even if the squad is working its way back to health.
- WR
- DT
- WR
- ILB
- WDE
- WR
- RB
- S
- ATH
- ILB