The Cavaliers and Hokies match up in an ACC battle for the state of Virginia with the Cavs ranked No. 5 in the nation and the Hokies searching for the upset at home where they’ve won three straight and are 6-2 SU for the season.
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HOW THE VIRGINIA CAVALIERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
All-ACC players Malcolm Brogdon and Anthony Gill lead the way for this team and senior center Mike Tobey is a solid player down low.
Brogdon leads the team in scoring with 16.5 PPG with Gill behind at 14.5. They provide a top-tier player both in the backcourt and up front making the Cavaliers a dangerous full-court team.
London Perrantes is a key piece in the backcourt. His shooting from the outside gives the Cavs another way to score as he’s shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and 57.6 percent from behind the arc.
He’s only played in nine games this season and he had a slow start to the year, but in his last seven games, he reached double digits six times.
Of course, defense isn’t an issue for the Cavaliers. They’ll dominate the Hokies who are without guards Chris Clarke and Ahmed Hill, minimizing a backcourt that was supposed to be their strength heading into the year.
Virginia is limiting opponents to 59.2 PPG, ranking No. 10 in the nation on defense and the opposition has been terrible rebounding against them with 24.8 RPG, the fewest in the sport.
As a result, the Cavs have been able to dominate the glass in most of their games, averaging 10 more rebounds per game than the opposition.
HOW THE VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Virginia Tech isn’t a complete, well-rounded team, but it’s got plenty to be fearful of particularly in the backcourt with Justin Bibbs and Seth Allen running the show.
The Hokies are scoring 79 PPG and have a respectable shooting percentage from the floor while holding their own both defensively and in the rebounding department.
Bibbs and Allen are second and third on the team in scoring with a combined 27.4 PPG. Allen has put up the numbers in spite of a low shooting percentage, but Bibbs has been accurate in knocking down 55.8 percent of his shots from the floor and 61.5 percent from behind the arc.
In addition to the guards, forward Zach LeDay is a strong presence inside the paint. He’s leading the team in shooting with 14.8 PPG and is tops in rebounds with 9.6 per game and blocks as well with 17.
Their most recent game aside, the Hokies had held the opposition below 54 points in three of their previous four games and are outscoring their competition by 11.5 PPG. Of course, that’s against much lesser opponents than that of the Cavs.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Virginia Tech lacks the consistency and depth that the Cavaliers enjoy and even if the Cavaliers are off their game, they should still pull out the win.
The Cavaliers have the edge in nearly every facet of this matchup. The Hokies have played pretty good basketball this season, producing well, but they’re about to get tested as they head into conference play and Virginia is a much tougher test then they’ve faced so far.
In their last game, the Hokies dropped a 79-62 decision to the St. Joseph Hawks. They were outrebounded and only Allen and LeDay registered double-digits in scoring. Look for a similar result against the Cavs as Virginia figures to be too much for Virginia Tech to handle.
Last season, the Cavs beat the Hokies by 12 points, 69-57, but failed to cover the spread. Look for a bit more offense from Virginia this time around.
Virginia 75, Virginia Tech 59
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Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Virginia Cavaliers and Virginia Tech Hokies square off on Monday, January 4, 2016, at 9 p.m. ET at the Cassell Coliseum. You can watch the game live on ESPN2.
