Nothing exceptional happened Sunday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum. Sure, Chris Clarke stuffed the stat sheet for forty minutes, and granted, Ahmed Hill came up clutch when it mattered most, but nothing exceptional.

And yet, despite a largely forgettable performance against a formidable SEC foe, Buzz Williams' squad notched their eighth win of this young season, withstanding a late Ole Miss run to dispatch a feisty Rebels team with an 80-75 victory.

"I think Ole Miss is tough...They're not gonna go away," said Williams. "They're a good team, and you have to embrace that. I think good teams do...they know how to absorb a run from an opponent when they're ahead and they know how to execute regardless of the circumstance."

Clarke led the way for the Hokies with the definition of a versatile performance, finishing the afternoon with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. The wiry sophomore wing flashed his unlimited potential throughout the game, giving the Rebels headaches on both ends of the floor. Clarke's jump shot still leaves plenty to be desired — an end of shot-clock heave represented just his fourth-career made three — but it was clear how dangerous a 6'6" athlete can be leading the break for a team full of knock-down shooters.

Hill matched his season-high with 20 points, just one shy of Sebastian Saiz' game-high 21 for the Rebels. And most importantly, as Tech's lead evaporated late courtesy of a number of sloppy offensive possessions, Hill buried a short floater before connecting with Zach LeDay for a transition dunk to hold off a furious Ole Miss rally in the game's final minutes.

The aforementioned Saiz proved quite the handful for this undersized Hokies team, his nine rebounds leaving him just one short of yet another double-double. The 6'9" forward forced Khadim Sy into early foul trouble just minutes into the first half, and LeDay provided little in the way of resistance when Saiz received the ball in scoring position. But the Rebels, sporting a guard-laden lineup much like the Hokies, proved stubborn in their efforts from the perimeter, limping to a 8 of 27 clip from behind the arc despite having a force inside who shot nearly 70% from the field.

It was far from pretty early, an Andy Kennedy 1-3-1 zone abruptly halting any semblance of tempo for the latter portion of a choppy first half. The Hokies seemed largely content to hoist up shots from the perimeter against the extended zone, but despite their fair share of decent looks, nothing was falling as Ole Miss climbed back into the game thanks to a stagnant Tech offense.

But Williams and the Hokies went back to the drawing board at halftime, reappearing in the second determined to work the ball inside against a defense that struggles to guard the interior by its very nature. Sy rewarded Tech with six straight points to start the half, lending a desperately needed spark inside that forced Ole Miss to abandon the 1-3-1 that had previously stifled the Hokies' offense.

Unsurprisingly, Tech enjoyed far more success in transition as the Rebels went back to man, building out a double-digit lead midway through the second half as the tempo picked up considerably. The Rebels rallied late, remarkably pulling within one with under 90 seconds to play, but the Hokies regained their poise when they needed it most to earn yet another resume-building win.

A Few Other Thoughts

Balance, Balance, Balance LeDay and Seth Allen, Tech's two leading-scorers from a year ago, were both unspectacular against the Rebels. But Hill and Justin Bibbs were more than ready to pick up the slack, joining forces to knock down six of the Hokies' ten three-pointers. And Khadim Sy, despite a miserable start to the game, rebounded with the biggest six points of the afternoon to start the second half. The point, in short, is the balance and versatility of this team. Gone are the days of watching Erick Green being forced to shoot the basketball 20 times a game. Rather, Buzz's offense is content to take what they're given, eager to share the basketball, and perhaps most importantly, egoless on how it may affect their stat lines.

Free Throw Woes The Hokies went 4 of 11 from the charity stripe in the first half, and despite seeing improvement as the game wore on, finished at just 60% on the afternoon. What to make of the Hokies' struggles from the line? Nothing, really. Sometimes your shots just don't fall. If the Hokies continue to step to the line with confidence, they should be just fine. They're too good of shooters not to be.

Chris Clarke Went Beastmode Chris Clarke was quite literally everywhere against Ole Miss. Whether he was digging down for steals when the ball reached the post or leading the break after pounding the defensive glass, Clarke was the best player on the floor for Tech. He's a matchup nightmare for defenses when he attacks the rim, at one point leaving Saiz gasping for air after a crossover had the Rebels' star forward headed to the floor. Defenses will continue to sag off Clarke until he proves able to knock down open shots, but if that day ever comes, the sky's the limit for the 757 native.

So, This Is What a Resume Looks Like? Don't look now, but the Hokies are quietly building themselves a nice little resume through the season's first month. At 8-1 with quality victories over Nebraska, Michigan, New Mexico and now Ole Miss, Tech boasts their strongest out of conference resume in recent memory. With just three games remaining before ACC play begins — all of which Tech will enter as a heavy favorite — the Hokies should head into their New Year's Eve showdown with Duke sporting an 11-1 record. There's no marquee victories that Tech can point to as of yet, but the lack of a glaring loss — Alabama State, anyone? — could be just as important come March.