Three Things To Watch During No. 14 Virginia’s Matchup vs Georgia Tech

Fans should keep an eye on these three things during Virginia's game tonight.

Virginia Cavaliers guard Dallin Hall | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers are now just a few hours away from their matchup against Georgia Tech at 9 p.m. ET. This is their final away game before returning home to Charlottesville, Va., where they will host Miami and NC State on Feb. 21 and 24, respectively.

Tonight, the Cavaliers are hoping to extend their six-game winning streak to seven games. Their last meeting was against Ohio State and resulted in a tight 70-66 victory over the Buckeyes. Will Virginia be able to secure another win and start climbing in the rankings?

Right now, the Cavaliers stand at No. 14 in the AP Top 25, but they land at No. 20 in the KenPom rankings and No. 18 in the NET. This is another chance for UVA to further cement itself as an ACC contender.

With the matchup creeping up, here are three things fans should pay close attention to throughout the game.

How UVA's Defense Responds to Kowacie Reeves Jr., Baye Ndongo

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets forward Kowacie Reeves Jr. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech's Reeves Jr. is averaging 15.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, while shooting 45.8% from the floor. He leads the Yellow Jackets in points, while junior Ndongo leads in rebounds, with an average of 8.3 per game. He's not too far behind Reeves Jr. in points, as he comes in at 12.5 per game.

Virginia has been quite strong on defense in recent weeks, so that momentum needs to remain high in order to fend off this duo.

Can Virginia Pull Ahead Early?

Virginia Cavaliers guard Malik Thomas | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

It's no secret at this point in the season that the Cavaliers tend to wait until the end to start pulling ahead—much of their games have resulted in close victories. However, Georgia Tech is ranked near the bottom of the ACC standings, with an overall record of 11-15 and a conference record of 2-11.

Given that UVA lands at No. 2 in the ACC standings with their stunning records of 22-3 and 10-2, this should be a fairly straightforward matchup for the Hoos. But keeping this in mind, the Cavaliers should not allow complacency to seep in. Losing tonight's matchup could quickly throw them off track.

Will Virginia's Shooting Improve?

Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs De Ridder | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

UVA's field goal percentage (46.2%) places them at No. 8 in the conference rankings for that category. Now, the Yellow Jackets are ranked further down, but that doesn't mean the Cavaliers will be handed a victory with ease. Virginia's top shooter Thijs De Ridder hasn't been as productive at the basket as he typically is, but perhaps he will turn around tonight. As head coach Ryan Odom stated during his media appearance earlier this week:

“Our guys are working hard. You know, they're always in the gym shooting and getting better. We've just got to find, you know, cleaner looks in transition. You know, we've got to begin to leverage, you know, the defense that we've been playing, and turn that into some easier opportunities on the other end. Then also execute at a higher level when we're in our sets or our flow game. There's just a higher level that we can we need to get back to.”