Sean Pedulla praises fans for creating hostile environment in upset over Virginia

Virginia Tech knocked off rival No. 6 Virginia 74-68 at home Saturday afternoon behind Sean Pedulla‘s fourth 20-point game of the season.

Amid a sea of students screaming the lyrics to Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’, Pedulla described the atmostphere inside Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg after the game along with the keys to winning the game.

“It really doesn’t [get any better than this]. It was a great environment against a great team, so it doesn’t,” Pedulla said after the game. He thought his team’s shot selection was the catalyst of the Hokies’ victory. “Trying not to force anything. I think I’m the best when I’m letting the game come to me and trusting my teammates so I thought I did a good job of that today.”

Pedulla said his team embodied the next-man up mentality regarding injuries and everyone stepped up to play a great game wire-to-wire.

He ultimately finsihed the game with a game-high 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting to go along with four assist. He was one of four Hokies to score in double figures in a game where VT shot over 50 percent from the floor and nearly 40 percent from deep.

With the loss, the Cavaliers drop to 9-3 in conference play while the Hokies (14-9, 4-8 ACC) just secured its best resume-building victory of the season. The Hokies are a fringe NCAA Tournament team, and Saturday’s Quad 1 win could sway the committee’s decision come selection Sunday.

The opposite goes for Virginia, as the Cavaliers were working toward a 1-seed in this year’s tournament. The loss marks their fourth of the season — but this one might sting a little more than the others.

VT will look to secure another win this Wednesday on the road against a Georgia Tech team that sits in last place in the ACC standings as of Saturday afternoon. Virginia will host NC State on Tuesday.