Virginia Tech was playing just the way it wanted to against No. 5 Syracuse. But after a first half that ended with Virginia Tech leading 29-27 – way off the usual offensive numbers the Orange usually put up – the Hokies couldn't keep up when Syracuse used a 17-3 run to take control on the way to 69-58 victory Wednesday in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden. “I thought the first 30 minutes we really did a god job defensively guarding the ball and sticking to what we wanted to do in terms on our game plan,” Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. Syracuse took control with a 17-3 run that was fueled by transition baskets when the Hokies stopped scoring and the Orange were off to the races. “They wore us down. We played a lot of games a lot of minutes,” Greenberg said. Syracuse showed its depth and its ability to take over a game by getting out in transition. “We still have a long way to go and we can become a better team but we're not there for sure,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. Kris Joseph had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Brandon Triche added 18 points for the Orange (5-0), which will play Stanford in the championship game Friday. The Cardinal beat Oklahoma State 82-67 in the semifinals. Reserves C.J. Fair and Dion Waiters combined for 21 points in the second half – 19 more than they had in the opening 20 minutes – to lead Syracuse's rally. Jarrell Eddie had 17 points for the Hokies, while Erick Green added 14 and Dorenzo Hudson 13. The Orange were again without longtime assistant coach Bernie Fine, who is on administrative leave while charges of sexual abuse against him are under investigation. In Columbus, William Buford scored 23 points and Jared Sullinger added 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the No. 3 Ohio State past VMI, pulling away in the second half. Keith Gabriel led VMI (3-2) with 21 points, with Ron Burks adding 19 and Stan Okoye 12. The Keydets were playing their first ranked opponent since a 107-69 loss to then-No. 4 Ohio State on Nov. 10, 2006. That Buckeyes team went on to the national championship game before falling to defending NCAA champion Florida, 84-75. Aaron Craft had 13 points and eight assists, Deshaun Thomas 11 points and J.D. Weatherspoon 10 points for the Buckeyes (5-0), who shot 68 percent from the field. Other results: Kentucky 88, Radford 40; Duke 68, Kansas 61; Goergetown 91, Memphis 88, Baylor 75, Texas-Arlington 65; Alabama 82, Alabama AM 45; Michigan 79, UCLA 63, San Diego St 61, Arizona 57.
