VT Hokies cruise in NIT first-round game vs. Bethune-Cookman

BLACKSBURG - As Virginia Tech's men's basketball team prepared for Wednesday night's National Invitation Tournament first round game, Hokies coach Seth Greenberg realized there was a chance his players could care less about the game.

He made sure nobody would just mail it in and coast against Bethune-Cookman. Even if Tech's players and coaches still were stinging after failing to be included in the NCAA tournament field, there were no lingering signs of misery against Bethune-Cookman.

Tech dispatched Bethune-Cookman 79-54 to advance to the second round. Tech, which is a No. 1 seed in the tournament, will play at 11 a.m. Sunday in Blacksburg against No. 4 seed Wichita State, which defeated Nebraska 76-49 on Wednesday.

Recap: Virginia Tech vs. Bethune-Cookman

Jeff Allen scored 19 points as the Virginia Tech Hokies rolled to a 79-54 victory over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats in first-round action of the NIT.

Malcolm Delaney registered 13 points for top-seeded Virginia Tech (22-11), which moves on to the second round to battle fourth-seeded Wichita State. The Hokies also got double-digit scoring performances from Manny Atkins (12 points), Erick Green (11 points, eight assists) and Terrell Bell (10 points).

Garrius Holloman posted 20 points in defeat for eighth-seeded Bethune-Cookman (21-13), which received 10 points and five assists from C.J. Reed.

Father-Son Duo Leads B-CUTo New Heights, Captures Conference’s Top Honors

Bethune-Cookman men's basketball coach Clifford Reed and his son, junior point guard C.J. Reed, have taken the Wildcats to unprecedented heights while achieving what no other father-son combination in MEAC history has achieved.

The elder Reed was voted MEAC Coach of the Year and his son was selected Player of the Year as the Wildcats won their first ever regular-season conference championship and earned their first-ever postseason appearance since moving to Division I. They play Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., in the NIT Wednesday night.

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Today's NIT: Tech, a top seed in NIT for third time, hosts Bethune-Cookman

Bethune Cookman Wildcats (21-12) at Virginia Tech Hokies (21-11)

TELEVISION: 8 p.m. EDT, ESPNU

While Virginia Tech was still trying to come to grips with yet another NCAA Tournament snub Sunday evening, Bethune-Cookman’s players and coaches waited excitedly to find out who they would play in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.

They cheered wildly as ESPNU revealed their matchup with Tech.

The Wildcats (21-12) take on the Hokies (21-11) tonight in Blacksburg in the first round of the NIT. The game tips off at 8 p.m. and will be televised by ESPNU. The winner advances to play the Witchita State-Nebraska winner in the second round.

'Cat has better Reed on game

DAYTONA BEACH -- C.J. Reed doesn't need to glance at the newspaper box scores from the MEAC tournament to recall his rare back-to-back off nights. The league's Player of the Year has every aspect of his struggles memorized.

"Four for 19, four for 17, three free throws in the first game and five in the second," Reed said of his stat lines during two games in Winston-Salem, N.C.

"I know those numbers inside and out. I don't think I made the shots I normally make and didn't get to the line enough. That hurt us in the long run."

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