19 North Carolina at Virginia Tech Preview and Prediction
By Tim Thomas
Feb 8, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies forward Jarell Eddie (31) handles the ball as Pittsburgh Panthers guard James Robinson (0) defends during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Pittsburgh won 62-57 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
It’s senior day for the Virginia Tech Hokies today in their last home game of the season but they have an extremely tough challenge against the 19th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels that haven’t lost since January 20th at Virginia. This is likely Virginia Tech’s last chance to get a signature wins with games at Maryland and Georgia Tech not having the same interest as this game at home against North Carolina. The Hokies have a chance today to pull off the massive upset but it will be very difficult.
Devin Wilson has developed a lot over the course of this season but Wilson will have a very tough matchup today against Marcus Paige. Paige is one of the best shooting point guards in college basketball and his ability to be lethal from beyond the arc is something that won’t be easy for Wilson to stop. Paige also averages 1.6 steals per game and while Wilson will limit his turnovers playing at Cassell Coliseum, Wilson will have about 3 turnovers today. Wilson will have a solid game but Marcus Paige and the Tar Heels have a big advantage at the point.
Jarell Eddie will be playing his final home game of his Virginia Tech career and Eddie will look to have a big game. Eddie will have one of the best games of his career today despite the fact that he will be going against a very good North Carolina team. Leslie McDonald and J.P Tokato will likely be the two players that will be on Eddie the most and while both are good players, Eddie will play well in his final home game in Blacksburg.
Feb 25, 2014; Durham, NC, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies forward Trevor Thompson (32) blocks the shot of Duke Blue Devils forward Jabari Parker (1) at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
James Michael McAdoo has developed into a very good power forward that is a very good athlete. Trevor Thompson is also a very good athlete and Thompson will likely be assigned to covering McAdoo a lot in this game. Thompson will have some struggles today against McAdoo and while Thompson will not have a bad game, he won’t play as well as he has recently. If Thompson does slow down McAdoo significantly, the Hokies will have a realy good chance to pull off the upset.
Adam Smith and Ben Emelogu are both likely to be out today and the lack of backcourt depth could be a big issue for the Hokies today. The Hokies have the frontcourt depth with Thompson, Joey Van Zegeren, C.J. Barksdale, and Cadarian Raines to do some damage and make this interesting. Virginia Tech will have a strong game and really challenge the North Carolina Tar Heels but Jarell Eddie and company will not be able to pull off the upset.
Prediction: 19 North Carolina 76, Virginia Tech 67
Who do you think will win, will the Hokies pull off the upset or will North Carolina get the win?
Follow us on Twitter @GobblerFighting and sign up for our newsletter for news and analysis on the Hokies.