ESPN's BPI Leans Slightly Towards Virginia in Today's Matchup Against Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech has gotten two improbable wins in a row against two of the best teams in the ACC and now they head on the road to face Virginia in search of another ACC win. The Yellow Jackets are still shorthanded, but are playing gritty basketball right now under Damon Stoudamire.

Virginia (11-12, 4-8 ACC) also comes off a significant road win, a 73-57 triumph at Pittsburgh Monday night. The Cavaliers have won three of their last five games, defeating Boston College (74-56) at home and Miami (82-71) on the road in that stretch with home losses to Notre Dame (74-59) and Virginia Tech (75-74). UVA is 8-5 at home this season, and 2-4 in conference games.

Georgia Tech is a very slight underdog in the betting market today and with ESPN's BPI (Basketball Power Index). BPI is giving Virginia a 60% chance to win today's game.

But what is BPI? Here is how ESPN describes it:

"The Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team's W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections. Numbers update daily."

Tech’s 92-82 overtime win against Virginia on Jan. 27, 2008 remains the Yellow Jackets’ last and only win at John Paul Jones Arena. Tech has lost 10 straight there and is 1-11 all-time in the building. (Many of those losses coincide with the ultra-successful tenure of UVA head coach Tony Bennett, against whom Tech was 2-19.)

Tech is now 2-4 vs. NCAA NET Quad 1 teams this season and 6-11 under head coach Damon Stoudamire. Pittsburgh (47) and Wake Forest (65) are the only Quad 1 opportunities remaining on the Yellow Jackets’ schedule.

Despite Tech’s shorter rotation the last three weeks, the Yellow Jackets’ bench remains one of the more productive in the ACC, ranking sixth in points per game (22.9), and 127th nationally.

This has not been a series that Georgia Tech has had much success in.

Virginia has won the last 12 games in the series, and 20 of the last 22 meetings to move ahead 49-40 in the all-time series, which dates back to 1947. Tech is just 1-11 at John Paul Jones Arena and has lost on its last 10 trips to Charlottesville. The Jackets’ last win on the Cavaliers’ home court was Jan. 27, 2008, a 92-82 overtime decision.

Three Tech players logged more than 52 minutes vs. Clemson, including Naithan George, who played all 55. Baye Ndongo played 52:30, and Lance Terry played 52:16. Tech did not substitute after the 10:17 mark of the second half. That could be key today with Georgia Tech still down players.

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