A battle of Defense has No. 3 Virginia visiting No. 20 Virginia Tech

The No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers embark on their final multi-game road trip of the season as they tip off against the No. 20 Virginia Tech Hokies at the Cassell Coliseum. Both teams have the same goal in mind for tonight’s game and that is secure a third straight victory. Virginia got the best of Virginia Tech when they met at John Paul Jones Arena in mid-January and it is a 6-point favorite to complete the season sweep with the total Sportsbook at 122 points.

Virginia vs Virginia Tech Game Center

Cavaliers eye their fourth road win in a row

For the second time this season, Virginia has had to reset following a loss to Duke, its only two defeats of the year. In between the Duke games, the Cavs had a four-game winning streak and since the most recent meeting, they have secured back-to-back victories, including a 69-61 win at then-No. 8 North Carolina.

Offensively, the Cavaliers haven’t been too big of a threat, pouring in an average of 72.1 points per game which ranks 172nd in college hoops, and that falls slightly to 70.1 ppg in away games. However, they are a dangerous three-point shooting team as they click at 40 percent from downtown which is the sixth-best percentage in the nation.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, Virginia has been masterful, surrendering just 54.4 points per game which are the fewest in the NCAA. It plays a very slow pace of play that leads to just 52.2 shots against per game ranking 17th and not only does its opponents get a limited amount of looks at the basket, they also only shoot 37.6 percent which is the fourth-lowest percentage. Additionally, the Cavs are a fairly good rebounding team, allowing their foes to secure just 29.8 boards per game.

Hokies can’t seem to get over the ranked-team hump

Virginia Tech has rebounded nicely from its first losing slide of the season. The Hokies had dropped back-to-back games vs then-No. 16 Louisville and then at Clemson five days later in early February, but has picked up two wins in a row heading into tonight’s game. They have had their difficulties with higher-ranked opponents going 0-3 SU and ATS against teams ranked 20th or higher.

Putting points on the board hasn’t come with many difficulties for the Hokies this year as they average 75.4 points per game ranking 90th and that climbs to 81.2 in front of their home fans. They get 40.4 percent of their total offense from downtown which is the 14th-highest percentage in the nation and they shoot 41.8 percent from three-point range, ranking fourth. Additionally, inside the arc, they shoot 54.3 percent which increases to 58.7 percent at home.

The defense has been quite good for Virginia Tech as well, allowing just 61.1 points per game which are the seventh-fewest in the nation, and that falls to 57.5 ppg at the Cassell Coliseum. However, it is a little vulnerable in stopping its opponents from shooting the three-ball as its foes are hitting 34.1 percent from long range which ranks 152nd. Additionally, the Hokies grab the 44th-fewest rebounds per game at 32.1.

Is an OVER in store for tonight’s game?

We have two the best defenses tipping off tonight and Sportsbook has the total Sportsbook at 122 points. The total has gone UNDER in five of Virginia’s last seven games with three of those games going UNDER 122 points.

Conversely, Virginia Tech has gone OVER in four of its last six games with two games going UNDER 122 points. These teams met at John Paul Jones Arena in mid-January and played to a combined score of 140. I think the total is a little too low and I think and OVER is in store for tonight’s game.

My take on Virginia vs Virginia Tech

I like Virginia to cover the 6-point spread. The Cavaliers have been a single-digit favorite seven times this year going 6-1 SU and have failed to cover in just two of those contests, with an average winning margin of 9.67. Additionally, since its first loss to Duke, Virginia is 6-1 SU with an average winning margin of 12.5, with only one game being settled by fewer than six points.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech is 0-3 SU and ATS in its three contests against teams ranked 20th or higher with an average losing margin of 17 and no game being lost by fewer than eight points. The Hokies get 40.4 percent of their total offense from beyond the arc and the Cavaliers rank second in the nation in opponent three-point percentage at 26.7 which drops to 25.9 percent on the road. On the other hand, Virginia Tech’s opponents are shooting 34.1 percent from downtown ranking 152nd, and Virginia hits 40 percent of its three-point attempts ranking fourth.