Vermont at Virginia Tech Men's Basketball: How to watch, preview and prediction
By Scott Roche
After seven days in between games, the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team returns to the court Saturday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum in a tough non-conference matchup against the University of Vermont.
The Catamounts are not your typical mid-major team as they have been the team to beat in the America East Conference and are regulars in the NCAA Tournament. They are not going to be pushovers and will make it tough on the Hokies.
How to watch Vermont at Virginia Tech men’s basketball
This game from Blacksburg will be broadcast on the ACC Network and FuboTV.
Vermont comes into the 8-3 after dropping their last game, 77-71, against Cornell, but they own a stunning win over Yale on Dec. 2 when they scored six points in the final three seconds to stun the Bulldogs at home. They made a layup to cut the deficit to 65-62, then got an offensive foul on the inbounds pass, then TJ Long hit a 3-pointer to tie the game, then sank the free throw to win it.
As for Virginia Tech, they come into the game with a big question surrounding point guard Sean Pedulla who missed last Saturday’s win over Valparaiso at home. The junior suffered a foot injury on the final play in the Hokies 75-68 ACC victory over Louisville at home on Dec. 3.
Freshman Brandon Rechsteiner started against Valpo last week in Pedulla’s spot, but head coach Mike Young is hoping to get his starting point guard back against Vermont.
Vermont at Virginia Tech prediction
The Catamounts are going to make this a tough game. It would be surprising to see the Hokies win by 20-plus points as they have in some of their other non-conference games at home. Virginia Tech needs to take advantage of Lynn Kidd on the inside and establish him early and often. Defensively, Virginia Tech is going to have to be patient as Vermont does a nice job of running their offense. This could be a nice win for the Hokies come NCAA Tournament bubble time. I think they get it done, but again, it won’t be easy.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 68, Vermont 62