Hokies hit the road for clash with top-10 Cavaliers

 

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Virginia Tech Head Coach Mike Young. (Hokiesports.com)

Tech searching for statement conference win on Wednesday night

Hokiesports.com

BLACKSBURG – With a week of rest under their belt, the Hokies head into their first Commonwealth Clash of the season against No. 10 Virginia on Wednesday evening. Dave O’Brien and Jay Bilas will be on the call for ESPNU at 7 p.m., while Zach Mackey and Mike Burnop provide coverage for the Virginia Tech Sports Network.

  • Virginia bested Florida State, 67-58, in Tallahassee last Saturday to move to a 5-2 mark in ACC play. The Cavaliers were led in scoring by senior guard Armaan Franklin, who had 20 points.
  • Protecting the rock is key in Virginia’s system, as the Cavaliers rank fourth nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.67) and fifth in turnovers per game (9.5).
  • Virginia returns all five starters from its lineup last season, which is made up of three graduate students, a senior and a junior.
  • UVA owns a 96-58 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to Feb. 20, 1915.
  • The 2021-22 season series was split with each team winning on its home court.
  • Wednesday night is the first of two meetings scheduled this season between Tech and UVA.
  • A half point is up for grabs in the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash. UVA currently leads, 4.5-1.
  • Tech is seeking back-to-back wins against UVA for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
  • Grant Basile dialed up a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds at Syracuse to record his third double-double of the season.
  • Justyn Mutts ranks third in the ACC in field-goal percentage at 58.1%. Mutts is the only player in the ACC to average at least 13 ppg, 3.5 apg, 1.5 spg and 50% shooting.
  • Tech got the ball in great spots against Syracuse’s 2-3 zone last Wednesday, but only managed to connect on 3 of 19 from beyond the arc.
  • “Didn’t shoot it well, but I thought the ball got in great spots,” Young said after the game. “You’ve got to ring the bell. You’ve got to make shots. That’s just the bottom line.”
  • The trio of Grant Basile, Justyn Mutts and Lynn Kidd combined to shoot 25-37 (67.6%) against the Orange, while the rest of the team shot 4-30 (13.3%).
  • It was the fifth straight game the Hokies failed to make double-digit 3-pointers.