Game Preview: Virginia Basketball at Virginia Tech

Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (16-9, 10-5 ACC) at Virginia Tech Hokies (15-10, 7-7 ACC)

When: Monday, February 14th at 7pm

Where: Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia

How to watch: ESPN

All-time series: Virginia leads 96-57

Last meeting: Virginia defeated Virginia Tech 54-52 on January 12th, 2022 in Charlottesville.

By the Numbers

Virginia	By the Numbers	Virginia Tech
63.4	Points Per Game	70.9
59.6	Opponent PPG	61.9
45.5%	Field Goal %	47.5%
42.6%	Opponent FG %	42.3%
32.8%	Three-Point FG %	41.5%
34.7%	Opponent 3PT FG %	32.7%
+10	Rebounding Margin	+39
+43	Turnover Margin	+31
77th	NET Ranking	38th
85th	RPI	89th

Opponent Breakdown: Virginia Tech

Notable results: Xavier (59-58 L), Maryland (62-58 W), Wake Forest (80-61 L), Duke (76-65 L), NC State (68-63 L), Virginia (54-52 L), Notre Dame (79-73 W), NC State (62-59 W), Miami (78-75 L), Pittsburgh (74-47 W)

After a dreadful start to ACC play, Virginia Tech has won each of the last five games and now sits right behind Virginia in 7th place in the ACC standings with a conference record of 7-7. Most recently, the Hokies crushed Pittsburgh 74-47 and then defeated Syracuse 71-59 on Saturday.

Virginia Tech has progressed significantly on both ends of the floor since the last meeting between these two teams. The Hokies are the best three-point shooting team in the ACC by a wide margin at 41.5% from three and are also third in the ACC in team field goal percentage at 49.1%.

Keve Aluma leads the team, averaging 15.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He had 22 points against Virginia in the first meeting. The Hokies have three other players averaging over ten points per game: Hunter Cattoor, who is shooting 45.7% from three, Nahiem Alleyne (90.7% FT shooter), and Justyn Mutts, who had a triple-double in Virginia Tech's win over Syracuse.

Virginia Tech is still one of the best defensive teams in the ACC as well, yielding an average of 61.9 points per game, second in the ACC behind Virginia.

What to Watch For

A Heated Rematch

This will be the first of three games in a row for the Cavaliers in which they will be facing an opponent they have beaten once already this season (Virginia Tech, Miami, Duke). All three adversaries will be eager to even the score. Virginia survived Virginia Tech back on January 12th at JPJ as Hunter Cattoor and Storm Murphy both missed decent three-point looks in the final seconds and the Cavaliers escaped with a 54-52 win. Expect a hostile environment at Cassell Coliseum and a high-energy ball game on Monday night in Blacksburg.

Keve Aluma vs. Francisco Caffaro

In the first meeting back in early January, Francisco Caffaro was still coming off the bench as Kadin Shedrick remained Virginia's starting center. With Shedrick struggling with foul trouble and UVA's leading scorer Jayden Gardner having an off-night (four points), Caffaro turned in one of his finest performances in a Cavalier uniform, tallying 16 points and nine rebounds to lead UVA to the win. Keve Aluma scored 22 points in the game, but Caffaro came up with a pair of critical stops on him late in the game to help Virginia stay in front. With Caffaro now starting at center for the Hoos, expect Aluma and Caffaro to be the matchup to watch in the paint all game long on Monday night.

Hot Teams Collide for the Commonwealth

Both Virginia and Virginia Tech come into this game riding extended winning streaks. The Cavaliers have won four games in a row, including victories over Miami and Duke last week. The Hokies have won five straight, with four of the five victories coming by a double digit margin. Both teams are looking to make a late push towards the NCAA Tournament, giving this Big Monday matchup some heavy implications, but the Cavaliers and Hokies will care much more about taking down their rivals in the Commonwealth Clash.

See more Virginia sports news and content: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports Illustrated

See more Virginia men's basketball news and content: Virginia Men's Basketball on Sports Illustrated

Game Details

By the Numbers

Opponent Breakdown: Virginia Tech

What to Watch For

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