Today at 2:00 p.m. ET, Virginia and Virginia Tech will face off for the 161st time in a basketball game. Currently, Virginia leads the all-time series 99-61. Both teams enter this game with 11 wins, but the Cavaliers have one loss on the season, while the Hokies have two. Virginia Tech has won three of its previous five games against Virginia. The Cavaliers are 8-2 against the Hokies when playing in Blacksburg, Virginia.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Virginia is the -5.5-point favorite for this contest. Here is my preview and best bet for today’s game between the Cavaliers and Hokies.
Virginia vs. Virginia Tech (2:00 p.m. ET)
On KenPom, Virginia is ranked No. 24 while Virginia Tech is 68th. The Hokies have the 77th-best defensive rating and the 74th-best offense rating in the country. The Cavaliers have the 12th-highest rated offense and the 64th-ranked defense.
Virginia’s lone loss of the season came against Butler on November 23, but since then, they have won six consecutive games, all by at least eight points. The Cavaliers have four players scoring double-digit points per game, with Thijs De Ridder leading the way with 16.1. Virginia has a deep backcourt with four players averaging between 9.6 and 11.1 points (Malik Thomas, Chance Mallory, Jacari White, and Sam Lewis). The Cavaliers have scored 86-plus points in seven of 12 games this season and have been very consistent on offense. Even though they have only had one game on the road so far, it was a 19-point victory over the Texas Longhorns.
Virginia Tech enters this game on a five-game winning streak after losing back-to-back games against Saint Mary’s and VCU. Amani Hansberry is their best player, averaging 16.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. Amani Hansberry and Neoklis Avdalas are Virginia Tech’s best two players this season. Since the Hokies have only scored 86-plus points in three of their previous 10 games, they could struggle to keep up with the Cavaliers in this contest. With 10 of Virginia’s 11 wins this season coming by at least six points, I’m backing the Cavaliers to cover the spread of -5.5.
