Virginia Tech basketball faces second ranked opponent of the season
Virginia Tech basketball tips off against #19 West Virginia tomorrow at noon.
If the Saint Joseph’s game was any indication of where the Virginia tech basketball team is, tomorrow could be another rough one for he Hokies. However, it could also be a huge opportunity. The Mountaineers are only a 7 point favorite, which I’d say is rather generous, but this is probably the best chance the Hokies are going to have all season to knock off a top 25 team. If you take a look at the Hokies schedule, the remaining top 25 teams are all in the ACC and all looking good so far this season. West Virginia and Virginia Tech are both coming off substantial holiday breaks, so both teams will be rested, but potentially lacking some sharpness.
Dec 22, 2015; Brooklyn , NY, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies guard Devin Wilson (11) keeps Saint Joseph
Now lets take a look at West Virginia.
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The Mountaineers are 10-1, with only one loss on the road to #5 UVA. They led the Wahoos 36-30 at halftime before being outscored 40-18 in the second half. They definitely made UVA sweat though. Besides Hoos they are undefeated, and only had one somewhat close game against Richmond, who they beat by 8. They really haven’t been tested by any unranked opponents, however. The Mountaineers have more depth than the Hokies. They have 9 guys who have played in every game this season, while the Hokies only have 6.
Junior Forward Devin Williams is their leading scorer, almost averaging a double-double every game with 16.1 PPG, and 9.3 rebounds per game. The Hokies Zach LeDay will definitely have his hands full battling it out with Williams, and this will definitely be the matchup to watch. LeDay is averaging 9.5 rebounds per game and 14.9 ppg, so the two players have been putting up very similar numbers. Williams isn’t the only guy that can score for West Virginia, though. The mountaineers have three other players averaging over 10 points per game in Daxter Miles Jr, Jevon Carter, and Jaysean Paige.
Dec 21, 2015; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Devin Williams (41) drives baseline during the second half against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at the WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Based on what I saw against Saint Joseph’s, I have very little faith that Tech is ready to pull off the upset. They gave up an absurd amount of rebounds and turned the ball over more than an acceptable amount, and unfortunately for the Hokies, West Virginia leads the nation in both steals and offensive rebounds. While I did say this could be the best chance the Hokies have to upset a top 25 team, i don’t think they end up within 10 points of West Virginia. It doesn’t help that even though it’s a home game, students are still on break, so they’re probably won’t be nearly the support the Hokies would have if this was later in the season. They’ll need a lot to go their way.
Tip off is noon ET tomorrow in Blacksburg, VA. GO HOKIES!