Virginia Tech meets Miami in ACC 2nd round
Miami (14-17, 6-13) vs. No. 5 seed Virginia Tech (23-7, 12-6)
Atlantic Coast Conference Tourney Second Round, Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina; Wednesday, 1 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Miami and Virginia Tech are set to do battle in the second round of the ACC tournament. Virginia Tech won both of the regular season matchups earlier this season. The teams last played each other on March 8, when the Hokies outshot Miami 49.2 percent to 45.8 percent and made eight more 3-pointers on the way to the 84-70 victory.
SAVVY VETERANS: Each of these teams has relied heavily on their seniors this year. Kerry Blackshear Jr., Justin Robinson, Ahmed Hill and Ty Outlaw have combined to account for 62 percent of Virginia Tech's scoring this season. For Miami, Anthony Lawrence II, Ebuka Izundu and Zach Johnson have combined to score 50 percent of the team's points this year, including 60 percent of all Hurricanes points over their last five.
OFFENSIVE THREAT: Nickeil Alexander-Walker has either made or assisted on 45 percent of all Virginia Tech field goals over the last three games. The sophomore guard has accounted for 16 field goals and 17 assists in those games.
ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Hokies have recently converted buckets via assists more often than the Hurricanes. Virginia Tech has an assist on 42 of 74 field goals (56.8 percent) across its past three matchups while Miami has assists on 43 of 81 field goals (53.1 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Virginia Tech has made 9.7 3-pointers per game this season, which is tops among ACC teams.
