The No. 7-ranked Virginia Cavaliers (19-4) look to extend their six-game winning streak when they meet the Virginia Tech Hokies (13-11) at John Paul Jones Arena. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 9 and can be seen on EFC and ES3.
The Cavaliers come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, beating Pittsburgh 64-50 on Saturday. Malcolm Brogdon was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points on 6-for-9 shooting. The Hokies, meanwhile, are coming off a 60-57 win over Clemson on Saturday. Zach LeDay had a good game and claimed his eighth double-double of the season, accounting for 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Brogdon has really been playing well as of late for the Cavaliers, averaging 22.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.8 three-pointers over the last five games.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Hokies won the first game 70-68. LeDay was a standout player in the game, producing 22 points, seven rebounds, one assist, two steals, one block, and three three-pointers.
The Cavaliers come into this game 19-4 Straight Up (SU) and 9-12 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-2 ATS over their last 10 games. The Cavaliers are a dangerously accurate shooting team with a .495 field-goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Virginia, which ranks 15th at 1.52. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Virginia’s stingy defense. The Cavaliers are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 60.1 points per game.
On the other side, the Hokies head into the game with records of 10-6-1 ATS and 12-11 SU. Virginia Tech managed to go 7-3 SU over the last 10 games, while only going 3-7 ATS during the same amount of time. Offensively, the Hokies have really sputtered in the last 10 games. Their season average has fallen to 75.3 points per game after averaging only 66.2 during that stretch. The Hokies average 72.8 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 60.7 points per game during that span.
With the Hokies’ last win against Virginia, Virginia Tech moved closer to evening up its record against Virginia. It now stands at 2-8 SU over their most recent meetings. However, Virginia Tech leads the matchup ATS with a record of 5-4-1. Virginia held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five games, while Virginia Tech wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – VaTech, ATS Winner – VaTech
Notes
Virginia Tech scores an average of just 75.3 points per game (ranked 109th). Virginia ranks fourth in points allowed, giving up 60.1 points per game.
In its last game, Virginia Tech won by a margin of three points. Virginia is 2-1 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. Virginia Tech has a 4-3 record in close games.
The Virginia Cavaliers have a defensive rating of 97.7 (ranked 62nd), while the Virginia Tech Hokies have an offensive rating of 106.5 (ranked 156th).
The Virginia Cavaliers have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking eighth in the nation with a FG% of 49.5%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Virginia Tech Hokies have an underachieving 1-5 record.
The Virginia Cavaliers and the Virginia Tech Hokies both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Virginia is 19th and eighth in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Virginia Tech ranks 221st and 153rd in these categories.
The Virginia Cavaliers rank 15th with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.52, while the Virginia Tech Hokies rank outside the top 100 (245th) with an A/TO of .95.
On average, Virginia Tech forces a turnover rate of 18.8%. When Virginia turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a stellar 6-1 record.
