Virginia Tech basketball vs. Auburn, how to watch, odds, prediction

Fresh off of winning two out of three games at the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando, the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team will play one more game away from Blacksburg Wednesday night.

The Hokies will play at Auburn in the first ACC/SEC Challenge, looking to bounce back from an 84-50 loss to Florida Atlantic in the championship game Sunday. Mike Young’s team had a pair of wins in the first two games of the tournament over Boise State and Iowa State, two teams that were in the NCAA Tournament last season and are expected to be tournament teams again this upcoming March. Those could end up being wins that will impress the tournament committee if Virginia Tech is a bubble team on selection Sunday.

Virginia Tech at Auburn, Odds

As I write this article, according to DraftKings, Auburn is a 9.5 favorite to beat the Hokies with an over/under of 151.5 points.

Virginia Tech at Auburn, How to Watch

• Date: Wednesday, Nov. 29
• Time: 9:15 p.m.
• Venue: Neville Arena
• TV/Streaming: ESPN2 or FuboTV
• Virginia Tech record: 5-2
• Auburn record: 5-1

Virginia Tech at Auburn prediction

This is another big opportunity for the Hokies to add to their resume with a win on the road against a good opponent in a hostile environment. It is essential that Virginia Tech gets off to a better start than they did against FAU. The backcourt for Young’s team, Sean Pedulla and Hunter Cattoor, need to get off to a better start than they did Sunday against the Owls.

In Virginia Tech’s wins this season, Cattoor has knocked down some 3-pointers early in games and it gave him confidence. He is a streaky shooter and once he gets one to go down, he gets into a nice rhythm. Pedulla has done a nice job getting into the paint this season and setting up Lynn Kidd around the basket and the senior has been a force so far for the Hokies. Keeping the Tigers off the glass and getting stops is going to be key for the Hokies.

Prediction: Auburn 72, Virginia Tech 65