The No. 9 Virginia Tech Hokies will get their turn in trying to become the first team to make No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers eat their first loss of the season. That will come this Tuesday, when the Hokies pay Virginia’s campus in Charlottesville. Will the Hokies score a huge upset win? Or will Virginia keep its record immaculate?
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Betting Preview for the Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Virginia Cavaliers College Basketball Game on January 15, 2019
Where: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville
When: Tuesday, January 15, 2019, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Virginia Tech Hokies (odds) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Virginia Tech Hokies (14-1 Overall / 3-0 Conference)
The Hokies remained undefeated in conference play, as they made it past last week with a pair of wins against the Boston College Eagles at home (77-66) and against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (52-49). Unlike in the Eagles game, the win over Georgia Tech had the Hokies bleeding for points. They shot just 29.8 percent from the field and hit only five of their 27 shots from deep. It’s foolish to characterize the Hokies as a bad offensive team based on that single game, though, as they have been lights out from the field for most of the season. In fact, they are averaging 72.9 points per game and are 10th and fifth in the nation in field goal shooting percent (50.1%) and three-point shooting accuracy (42.3%). Their outside sniping will be crucial in their attempt to break down Virginia’s tough defense.
The Hokies are 6-4 against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 games against Virginia as the road team.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (15-0 Overall / 3-0 Conference)
The Cavaliers may very well be the new No.1 team in the nation by the time the next AP Poll rankings come out. In their last game, Tony Bennett’s team silenced yet another challenger, downing the Clemson Tigers on the road with a 63-43 win last Saturday. This won’t come as a surprise to any fan who knows how Virginia operates, but that team held the Tigers to just 25.9 percent shooting from the field. On the flip side, the Cavaliers feasted on the other side of the field, too. They went 40.4 percent from the floor and sank 10 three-points on just 23 attempts. Virginia is like a well-oiled machine right now and it has the tools and the scheme to take the power out of their opponents’ offense. Virginia is tops in the nation with just 51.2 points allowed. It’s also third with opponents making only 36.6 percent of their shots against the Cavs. KenPom has Virginia’s defense second in the nation with 84.9 points allowed per 100 possessions.
Virginia is 3-0 ATS in its last three home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Virginia wins, 74-63.
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