ACC Tournament: Final Score Predictions For Virginia Tech Basketball vs California
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The 2025 ACC Tournament officially begins today and the Virginia Tech Hokies begin their journey in Charlotte with a matchup with California, who they beat in the only matchup between the two programs this season.
Tech is set to meet Cal for the third time in program history Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in the Golden Bears’ first-ever ACC tournament game.
The Hokies are 1-1 all-time against the Golden Bears after holding on for 71-68 win at Cal on Jan. 11 earlier this season. Tyler Johnson notched his first collegiate double-double in that contest with 11 points and 12 rebounds to secure the Hokies’ first of five road wins on the season. Jaydon Young chipped in a team-best 14 points, while Brandon Rechsteiner and Mylyjael Poteat added 12 apiece. Cal’s Andrej Stojakovic scored a game-high 24 points and Jeremiah Wilkinson had 14. Tech led by as many as 22 points with 15:01 remaining in the game, but Cal stormed back to eventually tie it at 58 with 6:03 to go. Before their Jan. 11 meeting, the two sides last played on Nov. 30, 1991 in the Central Fidelity Tournament in Richmond, Va., where Cal prevailed 68-59.
Tech committed 23 turnovers at No. 11 Clemson On Saturday, its the third game of 20-plus turnovers on the season.
“That’s been a sore spot for my team all year,” Mike Young said afterward. “We don’t handle the ball worth a damn, we don’t pass very well, and if you don’t take care of the ball – we had 14 turnovers at the half – just unconscionable numbers for Virginia Tech team. That’s kept me up at night.”
The Hokies have gotten extraordinary contributions from their reserves this season. They average 26.7 bench points per game. Tech has combined for 185 bench points in its last five games. VT is on pace to record its best bench points average since 2016-17 (28.6).
The Hokies enter as the No. 10 seed for the third time in their ACC tournament history. The last time Tech was the 10th seed came in 2012 when the tournament was in Atlanta, Georgia and Seth Greenberg was Tech’s head coach. The Hokies are 1-2 as the No. 10 seed.
Tech is 15-19 all-time in its 34 conference tournament games. The Hokies are 5-4 in first round games with their last appearance coming in 2023 – a 67-64 win over Notre Dame. With a win Tuesday, Mike Young would tie Seth Greenberg for the most ACC tournament wins by a VT head coach in program history.
Odds
According to Fanduel Sportsbook, Cal is a 2.5 point favorite in this game today and the over/under is set at 139.5.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Prediction
Virginia Tech won the only matchup between the two teams this season 71-68, but one thing about the bottom half of this ACC bracket, there is not a huge difference between the teams that finished 8-15. I think Virginia Tech holds an advantage with coaching, as Mike Young has gotten the most out of this team and I think the Hokies have a win in them this week. Hokies move on to face Stanford.
Final Score: Virginia Tech 78, Cal 74
Related links
Predicting Every Matchup In the ACC Tournament Bracket: Who Wins in Charlotte?
What Does A Successful ACC Tournament Look Like For Virginia Tech?
2025 ACC Tournament Preview: Virginia Tech vs Cal
Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell
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