Virginia Tech-Virginia Preview (Feb 01, 2017)
After a win over No. 14 Notre Dame on the road and a buzzer-beating loss at No. 1 Villanova catapulted Virginia back into the top 10, the ninth-ranked Cavaliers start a tough final eight games of their Atlantic Coast Conference slate by hosting in-state rival Virginia Tech on Wednesday night.
While the rivalry has been mostly in Virginia's favor over the past decade, the Hokies have shown they can compete with anybody in the conference. Virginia Tech is coming off an 85-79 win over Boston College on Sunday night.
Virginia Tech (16-5, 5-4) and Virginia (16-4, 6-2) have similar lineups. Both teams feature a four-guard lineup at times with veteran guard play from the Cavaliers' London Perrantes and the Hokies' Seth Allen.
Perrantes is coming off of a four-point performance against Villanova in which he struggled from the floor, but he is still averaging a team-high 12 points per game.
Allen enters the game against Virginia averaging 12.4 points per game and is one of five Hokies averaging in double figures.
Virginia Tech, with an offense that is putting up 81 points per game, will challenge Virginia's stout defense.
"This is certainly a big game for us," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. "You always do what you think is best and what the matchup dictates, but Virginia Tech is really good and good in transition."
The Hokies are likely to play the majority of the game in a zone defense which coach Buzz Williams has used a lot this season. They will test Virginia's outside shooting, which is among the best in the ACC but also has struggled at times when the team needed points.
"You have to be sharp at all times," Bennett said when asked about Virginia Tech's zone. "So many teams play different types of basketball and you just never know what you are going to get. The quickness and mobility that Virginia Tech has is tough, they can really pressure you and zone you up."
Virginia got a spark off of the bench in its past two games from freshman Ty Jerome, who had eight points against Notre Dame and a career-high 15 points against Villanova. Jerome is averaging just three points per game but is proving he can come off of the bench and be a solid backup point guard.
"He is just going to continue to get better," Bennett said of his freshman. "He was coming off of hip surgery last year, so we didn't want to rush anything with him."
The Cavaliers are playing their only home game in a five-game stretch that ends Saturday at Syracuse. A win over the Hokies on Wednesday night would catapult Virginia to first place in the ACC, a feat that seemed nearly impossible two weeks ago.
The Hokies, meanwhile, are above .500 at the middle of ACC play for the first time in six seasons.
"It's very encouraging," junior guard Justin Bibbs told the Roanoke (Va.) Times. "Better than last year. Better than the year before. I'll take it."
Williams told the Roanoke Times, "Encouraged (at 5-4), but I also understand what's coming."
