A pair of top-10 teams battle for ACC supremacy on Tuesday night in a contest over the best team in the Old Dominion state as the Virginia Cavaliers host the Virginia Tech Hokies in Charlottesville.
The Cavaliers enter play undefeated and will look to remain that way at home, but the Hokies provide a difficult opponent that’ll be motivated to notch a big road win in this one. While Virginia Tech has a disappointing loss to Penn State on their resume, they’ve otherwise been dominant, including nine straight wins, including their first three conference games.
Can the Hokies be the first to upset the Cavaliers, and remain undefeated or will Virginia continue to boast an undefeated record, cruising to another home victory?
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Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Virginia Cavaliers
Date and Time: Tuesday, January 15, 2019, 8 p.m. ET
Location: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, Virginia
College Basketball Odds: Check Back Later
Hokies vs. Cavaliers TV Coverage: ACC Network
Virginia Tech has climbed into the top-10 thanks to an impressive 14-1 start to the season that includes a nine game winning streak.
The Hokies are a dynamic offensive team with 79 PPG. The team is shooting 50-percent from the floor and an even more impressive 42.3-percent on the outside.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is the team’s leading scorer with 17.8 PPG. He’s one of the bigger outside threats, sinking nearly two shots per game from three-point range. He’s also a prolific shooter that has put up solid numbers in assists and steals as well.
While he’s generally the team’s leading scorer, he is coming off a struggle against Georgia Tech. The normally stout offense for the Hokies managed just 52-points. The team still managed to get the win with an excellent defensive showing, but as a whole the team shot an abysmal 29.8-percent from the floor and was 5-for-27 from three. Alexander-Walker himself was 1-for-13 in that game, including failing to sink a shot from the outside in six attempts.
The struggle against Georgia Tech aside, the Hokies are a powerhouse offense with a deep backcourt. A bit undersized upfront, Kerry Blackshear Jr. is the main threat inside. He’s second on the team with 14.1 PPG and is a good rebounder and solid blocker, but this team is all about the backcourt.
After Alexander-Walker, the team has two other guards scoring at least a dozen per game and while Ty Outlaw only has 7.9 PPG, he’s a reliable outside shot with nearly half of his shots from three going in. He’s also a surprisingly solid rebounder, something most of the players on the court at any time for the Hokies can say as they can compete on the glass despite a smaller lineup.
As far as the team is concerned, this has been one of the more consistent teams in college hoops. Even when their offense struggles, the defense has picked up the slack—save a bad loss to Penn State.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, also boast an impressive record, but without the bad loss.
Virginia has won each of their first 15 games, including their first three in conference, topping Florida State, Boston College and Clemson. This defense is king and has yet to allow more than 56-points in conference.
Overall, Maryland is the only team that’s been able to score more than 70, putting up 71 in a five-point loss in late November. Since then, the team’s allowed more than 56 points just once and has allowed fewer than 50 on four difference occasions.
Virginia plays a very deliberate style of basketball, but the team’s an efficient offensive team, too. They don’t put up points in bunches like some squads, but the team is still shooting a storng 47.4-percent from the floor and nearly 40-percent from deep.
This is a smaller team, like Virginia Tech, featuring plenty of athleticism in players like Kyle Guy, De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome, all shooting very well from outside and putting up north of 13 PPG.
Virginia features a deep roster with seven players seeing at least 18 minutes per game, heling the team stay fresh and the defense stout.
Live Betting
The AP and Coaches Poll vary a bit on just how good the Cavaliers are, but there’s no doubt this is one of the nation’s best teams. Meanwhile, the Hokies are only a few steps behind.
The KenPom ratings place the Hokies five spots behind the Cavs who sit in the No.2 spot just behind Duke. Virginia is neck and neck with the Blue Devils in adjusted efficiency margin. There’s a bit of a cutoff after Virginia’s +32.87. The Hokies are No.7—and third in the ACC—at +24.49.
Offensively, the Hokies have the firepower to compete with Virginia. Their KenPom ratings are comparable and Virginia Tech is averaging five more PGG while shooting better from the floor, especially on the outside.
Watch how well Virginia is able to defend Virginia Tech on the outside. If the Hokies are still sinking 40-percent of their shots outside, look for the upset, but otherwise, there are plenty of live betting opportunities to exploit at BookMaker.eu.
Key Player
With both teams strong on the outside, the ability to push towards the basket and own the paint is crucial, particularly for Virginia Tech who needs to find a way to gain an advantage against a team ranked No.4 in the AP and No.2 in both the Coaches Poll and the KenPom ratings.
With that, Kerry Blackshear Jr. is the key player. Of course, Alexander-Walker bouncing back after his recent struggles is crucial, too, but that seems likely given how he’s played prior to last game. As for Blackshear, he’s the Hokies’ team leader in rebounds and strongest inside shot. Even in a down game for the offense, he scored 14 against Georgie Tech and has 17.4 PPG over his last five contests.
The 6’10” forward from Orlando could be a difference maker in the game if Virginia Tech is to get the upset.
Hokies vs. Cavaliers Live Betting
This should be a very good matchup. Virginia and Duke have stood out as the clear top-two teams in the ACC, but the Hokies have been nearly as impressive save for an early season loss to Penn State.
Look for this game to go down to the wire with the Hokies offense providing a challenge for the Cavs. Virginia will need its offense to play well in this game as well, but look for big games outside for Guy and Hunter.
When it’s all said and done, look for the Cavaliers’ defense to give them the edge at home as they win the battle of the boards and outshoot the Hokies from the free throw line to get the nod.
Check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for Tuesday’s college basketball action.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Virginia 63, Virginia Tech 58
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