After opening ACC play with three easy wins in which they led by as many as 23 in each, the Wahoos are back at home tonight for one of the season's biggest matchup as No. 4 UVa hosts No. 9 Virginia Tech (8 p.m., Raycom).
As with most any rivalry game, storylines abound tonight as the Cavalier (15-0, 3-0) host the Hokies at John Paul Jones Arena. Not only is this the first meeting between the teams since Tech upset UVa a season ago—the second of only three losses the team suffered all year—but the teams come in tonight among the nation's best in a variety of statistics and metrics.
That it's the first of two Top-10 matchup for the Hoos this week, with a game at No. 1-ranked Duke on Saturday, only adds fuel to what is already going to be among the biggest games in Charlottesville in quite some time.
No. 9 Virginia Tech Hokies (14-1, 3-0 ACC)
Head coach: Buzz Williams, 12th year (241-147 overall, 88-61 in five years at Tech)
Series: UVa leads the all-time series 91-56.
Last Meeting: The Hokies beat the Cavaliers 61-60 in OT in Charlottesville last year.
Three Things We Know
1. According to the metrics, Tech is the best team UVa has played to date.
Tonight’s battle for the Commonwealth will be the first time the Hoos and Hokies have squared off when both were ranked in Top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25. Indeed it will be a historic night in Charlottesville and easily the most hyped matchup between the in-state rivals in the series’ history. UVa comes in undefeated after drubbing three straight ACC teams while the Hokies are also 3-0 in the conference. Their lone setback on the year came at Penn State by a single point in the ACC/B1G Challenge. In conference play, Tech got by Boston College and Notre Dame fairly easily but struggled to put Georgia Tech away, holding on for a 52-49 victory in Atlanta last week. Williams has the Hokies ranked higher than they ever have been before and the metrics seem to agree with the voters. KenPom has the Hokies seventh in its national rankings, thanks to plenty of blowout wins and efficient play on both ends of the court. Virginia has faced a few tough opponents this year but the Hokies will be the highest-rated team the Wahoos have seen.
2. Tech’s offense against UVa’s defense should be a great matchup of elite units.
Virginia’s defense had another impressive 40-minute effort at Clemson, allowing just two points over the first 10 minutes of the game and 43 total in a 20-point ACC road win. In league play, the Hoos have outscored opponents 211-151, allowing just 50 points per game. UVa ranks second nationally in adjusted-defensive efficiency and passed Texas Tech for first nationally in 3-point percentage allowed (24.5 percent). Virginia will be tested tonight by a Tech offense that ranks eighth nationally in adjusted-offensive efficiency. While Tech also ranks fourth nationally in effective field-goal percentage, it's UVa's 3-point defense that will be put to the test: The Hokies are fifth-best in the country in 3-point shooting percentage, making 42.3 percent of their long-ball attempts. The last meeting between UVa and Tech turned into a 3-point shooting contest with the Hokies making 11 of 29 attempts (37.9 percent) and Virginia making 11 of its own but on an astounding 38 attempts.
3. The Hokies have a talented and experienced backcourt and a formidable big man.
Virginia Tech’s elevated expectations this season had a lot to do with the number of experienced players the Hokies had coming back. Despite losing Chris Clarke (discipline) and Landers Nolley (NCAA issues) for the season before it started, the Hokies still have a group that has played a lot of ACC games and has faced the Wahoos plenty over their years in Blacksburg. Tech’s backcourt is led by point guard Justin Robinson, who has become more of a distributor than a scorer this season. He is still averaging 13.1 points per game but leads the team in assists at 5.8 per contest. His backcourt mate Nickeil Alexander-Walker has emerged as the primary scorer and best overall player in his sophomore year following a promising freshman campaign. Alexander-Walker leads the team in scoring at 17.8 points per game, though he comes to JPJ off his worst game of the season, scoring four points in Atlanta last week. His previous low for the season was 11 as he's had seven 20-point games, most recently scoring 25 against Boston College. Senior Ahmed Hill rounds out the backcourt, averaging 12.7 points per game and shooting 44.8 percent from 3. In the frontcourt, Tech big man Kerry Blackshear is one of the team’s top scoring options. He broke Cavalier hearts just before the buzzer in overtime last year and is flourishing in his senior season. Blackshear is averaging 14.2 points and a team-high 6.2 boards per game this season while playing just 25.7 minutes.
