Virginia Cavaliers (16-9 | 10-5) at Virginia Tech Hokies (15-10 | 7-7)
Winners of four straight games, UVa is now one of the hottest teams in the ACC. But on Monday night, the Hoos will travel to Blacksburg to take on another red-hot team when they take on rival Virginia Tech at Cassell Coliseum (7 pm, ESPN). Monday night’s game is the second meeting between UVa and Tech this season, with the Hoos taking the first meeting 54-52 in Charlottesville last month.
Virginia Tech’s loss in Charlottesville was their third straight defeat, dropping the Hokies to an 0-4 start to league play. Virginia Tech would start 2-7 in ACC games but have gotten hot of late, winning five straight games to get to .500 for the first time this season. The Hokies started the streak with a road win at FSU on January 29th before beating cellar dwellers Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh (twice), followed by a big home win over Syracuse on Saturday.
Monday’s game is pivotal for both teams, who are using their recent winning streaks to work back towards the NCAA bubble conversation. And adding the rivalry component to the equation, Monday night’s game should be a competitive one.