by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA
Where to watch: ESPNU
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Virginia -7; Virginia -300, Virginia Tech +250: O/U 126.5
FanDuel: NL
BetMGM: Virginia -6.5; O/U 126.5
Caesars: Virginia -7; Virginia -323, Virginia Tech +250; O/U 126.5
Season record
Virginia Tech: 11-6 (1-5 ACC)
No. 10 Virginia: 13-3 (5-2 ACC)
We’re nearing the halfway mark of the college basketball season and it’s been quite the ride so far. Will Rogers is going hard in the last 30 days with a 16-10-1 run, while Kyle Hunter has also had a strong run of form as of late at 28-24-0 (+$1,700). If they’ve been killing it as much as they were in the first half, what does the second half have in store? The only way you’re going to find out is by staying locked on bigal.com and following what our champion handicappers are up to heading into the second half. Trust us, you want to know.
Virginia Tech - Virginia preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
Virginia Tech: lost 82-72 at Syracuse
Virginia: won 67-58 at Florida State
The No. 10 Virginia Cavaliers will be looking for their fourth straight victory when they prepare for an in-state showdown with the Virginia Tech Hokies, who could use a win and a hug right about now, when they meet on Wednesday.
Virginia is coming off a third straight win having knocked off Florida State 67-58 on Saturday in Tallahassee. Armaan Franklin led the way with 20 points and seven rebounds, and Ben Vander Plas added 15 points and seven rebounds. In short, a typical Virginia game where a couple of guys take over and defense wills the way to win.
“Some of the things we’re running offensively fit him better and he’s got a freedom about it,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said of Franklin, who had 13 points at halftime and helped Virginia push to a 20-9 lead in the first half. “When the shot is there, he’s being aggressive and hunting the catches, the shots. And then he’s rebounding well for us, too. I like the opportunities he’s getting in terms of being assertive offensively.”
The Cavaliers have won five of their last six but are just 2-4 against the spread in that run. They were 10-point favorites against FSU, only to fail to cover by one point, and 12-point favorites at home against Syracuse before the Orange made a game out of it. The 3-point loss to Pittsburgh on Jan. 3 also did not help in the matter that they were favored by 6 in that game.
But much to Virginia’s fashion, the Cavaliers have seen the under cash in six of the last 10 games. Virginia is 5-2 in conference play, 1.5 games back of the Clemson Tigers (No. 19) and the No. 17 Miami Hurricanes atop the conference.
“We made it fairly difficult for them to get good shots,” Bennett said. “They made some tough shots, but we didn’t have too many easy ones for them.”
Virginia Tech is looking to end a five-game losing streak that have all come through conference play, and the bulk of the schedule isn’t looking any better with Clemson following on Saturday. But the Hokies are coming off an 82-72 loss at Syracuse, which is the worst loss of this losing streak.
The Hokies lost by five in overtime to Boston College, two at Wake Forest, three at home to Clemson and four at home to North Carolina State. Not a fun time, I’d say.
Grant Basile led the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds for Virginia Tech in the loss, and Justyn Mutts had 2 points and nine rebounds. Outside of that, no one else contributed. The Hokies shot 3 of 19 from 3-point range and shot just 43% from the floor. Syracuse, for what it’s worth, made 8 threes, hence the difference in the game.
Virginia Tech was favored in all of their last five games, which makes this whole scenario with the spread just as hilarious. This is the first time that Virginia Tech will not be favored since Dec. 4. My, how the mighty have fallen.
Prediction
Virginia’s defense usually finds a way to bog down opponents and if Virginia Tech is having a hard time making their long-range shots, this will be a perfect chance for the Cavaliers to make something happen by turning defense into offense. Get ready for another VA Tech loss. Virginia 68, Virginia Tech 55
Betting trends
Virginia is 3-10 ATS as a favorite this season.
Virginia is 1-5 ATS after a conference game this season.
Virginia Tech is 7-6 ATS as an underdog the last three seasons.
Virginia Tech is 20-23 ATS after a conference game the last three seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Virginia Tech:
PG: Sean Pedulla
SG: M.J. Collins
SF: Darius Maddox
PF: Justyn Mutts
C: Grant Basile
Virginia:
PG: Kihei Clark
SG: Reece Blackman
SF: Armaan Franklin
PF: Jayden Gardner
C: Kadin Shedrick
Statistical leaders
Virginia Tech:
Points: Sean Pedulla – 16.8
Rebounds: Justyn Mutts – 7.9
Assists: Sean Pedulla – 4.4
Virginia:
Points: Armaan Franklin – 11.9
Rebounds: Jayden Gardner – 4.9
Assists: Kihei Clark – 6.0
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
