The No.3-seeded Virginia Tech Hokies play the No.6-seeded Princeton Tigers in the first round of the NIT tournament at Cassell Coliseum. The game begins at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 16 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Hokies lost to Miami (FL) 88-82 in the 3 of the Atlantic Coast tournament. Seth Allen finished with 31 points to lead the game. The Tigers, meanwhile, are coming off a 72-71 win against Penn in their last outing. Pete Miller had a good game for Princeton, registering nine points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks.
Keep tabs on Virginia Tech’s ability to get to the free throw line. They’re ranked second in the nation in FTA rate (49.7), but Princeton is among the best in the nation at keeping opponents away from the charity stripe (ranking 21st by yielding a FTA rate of 29.6).
The Hokies are hoping to build on their records of 19-14 Straight Up (SU) and 18-8-1 Against The Spread (ATS).
In the other locker room, the Tigers have a record of 9-10-1 ATS and 22-6 SU. Most recently, Princeton is 8-2 ATS over the last 10 games. The Tigers are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 47th in Division I at 1.31. Moving on to the Princeton defense, the Tigers allow the fewest opponent three-pointers made in the country with 165 (5.0 per game).
This game marks the first time Virginia Tech and Princeton have played one another in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Prince, ATS Winner – Prince
Notes
“Virginia Tech is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“Virginia Tech is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“Virginia Tech is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Virginia Tech is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games “.
In its last game, Princeton won by a margin of one point. Virginia Tech is 4-3 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. Princeton has a 3-1 record in close games.
The Princeton Tigers rank 32nd for their offensive rating of 114.0. The Virginia Tech Hokies have a defensive rating of 103.3 (ranked 59th).
Princeton has an average field goal percentage of 46.6%. Virginia Tech is a subpar 4-10 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Virginia Tech Hokies rank higher based on their field goal percentage (136th) than their effective field goal percentage (181st). The Princeton Tigers rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (22nd) than their field goal percentage (50th).
Princeton ranks 74th in assists, recording 15.0 per game. Virginia Tech performs worse at 259th with 12.2 assists per game.
Virginia Tech ranks 208th in offensive rebounds, while Princeton ranks 68th in defensive rebounds.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 18.5% when playing Virginia Tech this season. Princeton is undefeated (7-0) when its TO% is 18.5% or higher.
