After splitting their last two home games, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team will hit the road for a very difficult game at SMU. The Mustangs are one of the top teams in the ACC, but lost their last two games, which means this isn't going to be an easy game for Mike Young's team in Texas.
Virginia Tech has dropped two out of its last three games in conference play after opening with a triple overtime win over Virginia. They lost at Wake Forest, then suffered a brutal loss at home to Stanford last week when they blew a 13-point lead in the final 3:36 to lose, 69-68. They survived California on Saturday afternoon at home to win by three points. The latest bracketology from ESPN on Tuesday did not paint a great picture for the Hokies, who need to start collecting wins. Getting one at SMU will go a long way to helping their tournament résumé.
How to watch Virginia Tech at SMU men's basketball
SMU opened ACC play by blowing out North Carolina, 97-83, then dropped two straight at Clemson, 74-70, and at No. 6 Duke, 82-75. After hosting the Hokies, they get a visit from 16th-ranked Virginia on Saturday afternoon. Virginia Tech should expect a desperate Mustangs team that will be angry about losing two straight games. After this game, the Hokies return to Blacksburg to host Notre Dame on Saturday at Cassell Coliseum.
Players to watch
Virginia Tech
- Amani Hansberry (Forward): 16.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists
- Neoklis Avdalas (Guard): 14.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists
- Tobi Lawal (Forward): 11.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists
- Ben Hammond (Guard): 11.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.5 assists
- Jaden Schutt (Guard): 9.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists
SMU
- Boopie Miller (Guard): 20.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.1 assists
- Jaron Pierre, Jr. (Guard): 17.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists
- B.J. Edwards (Guard): 13.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists
- Corey Washington (Forward): 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists
- Samet Yigitoglu (Center): 10.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists