In what is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing Virginia-Virginia Tech matchups of the last few years, the eighth-ranked Hoos will travel to Cassell Coliseum on Saturday night to take on the 20th-ranked Hokies. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network at 6:00, and it will carry enough storylines with it to divert the ACCN from its usual segment about Jay Huff’s wood-chopping skills (though I make no promises on that front—the ACCN is overly fond of talking about Huff chopping wood).
Chief among these storylines will be Virginia Tech’s recent suspension of Tyrece Radford. Radford, a starter at the guard position and the Hokies’ second-leading scorer, was arrested on Tuesday for driving under the influence, prompting an indefinite suspension by the school. Someone will have to step up and fill his vacant role if Virginia Tech is to compete.
Among the other interesting stories is the ongoing race for the ACC title. Virginia is right at the center of that conversation as they look to maintain their lead, while Virginia Tech sits on the outside with a chance to break in.
Both teams have been playing good basketball as of late and are entering a pivotal part of the season. This is the time when NCAA Tournament brackets start to get built, when top teams are singled out and mediocre ones are cast aside. Hoos vs Hokies matchups always carry gravity, but this one moreso than usual.
1) Virginia’s three-point shooting
The Hoos have been on fire from three over their last four games, shooting the deep ball at a ridiculous 49%. For the most part, all they’ve done is knock down the open looks that have presented themselves. Yes, Sam Hauser has drilled his fair share of contested treys, but overall it’s just been finding space on the perimeter and hitting shots.
That space might be more difficult to come by against this surprisingly stingy Hokie defense. Mike Young has installed a style of play in which his guards are very active on the ball whilst clogging the lane to deny easy buckets.
Unfortunately for Virginia fans, the absence of Radford has not seemed to throw that defense out of sync. They held Notre Dame to a mere 51 points on Wednesday as the Fighting Irish shot just 17% from three.
Virginia has to be careful against this defense, but they will still get their allotted number of open looks. Whether they knock them down or not will make all the difference.
2) The post battle
Rarely does Virginia get outclassed down low, but Virginia Tech has the firepower to at least make the post battle interesting. Keve Aluma is the best player on the team this season, averaging 12.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in conference play. At 6-9, 235, handling the junior forward is no easy task.
Aluma logged seven consecutive games scoring in double figures at one point this season. That streak finally ended with a five-point game, but he rebounded with 14 in the win over Notre Dame.
Aluma’s bullish strength allows him to back down opponents with ease, though his one drawback is an inability to hit the three ball. Stopping this Virginia Tech offense starts with shutting down Aluma.
Likewise, stopping the Wahoo offense begins by frustrating Jay Huff, something that has become more and more difficult over the course of this season. Huff should be able to win on the opposite end of the court against Aluma and/or teammate Justyn Mutts, the other powerful Virginia Tech forward. Mutts is another threat on the offensive end, but neither he nor Aluma are truly equipped to deal with Huff and the array of ways in which he can score.
On the boards, the Hoos should win out as well, though it certainly won’t be easy. Virginia Tech is far from a great rebounding team, but the tooth-and-nails nature of this rivalry always tends to level the playing field. If this game is close it could very well be won on the glass.
3) Which Virginia Tech team shows up
Are we going to pay witness to the fiery team that beat Villanova, Clemson, and Duke? Or will we be forced to watch the disjointed group that fell by 20 to Penn State and 18 to Syracuse?
Those two losses came mostly as a result of shoddy offense, the Hokies scoring 55 against Penn State and 60 against Syracuse. Needless to say, 60 against Syracuse equates to about 45 when faced with the stifling Pack Line defense.
Pay attention to how Hunter Cattoor and Jalen Cone are shooting the ball for an indication of which Hokie team comes to play. The two are Virginia Tech’s best three-point shooters. Cone has fallen into a slump recently, shooting a dismal two of 17 from deep over his last three games. On the other hand, Cattoor is coming off a four for seven outing from three.
If both heat up, Virginia could be in trouble; if the two go cold, nothing Aluma and Mutts can do will be enough to crack the nut that is Tony Bennett’s defense. In Case A, Virginia Tech keeps it a very close game, in Case B it’s another Virginia win.
Image – Virginia Athletics