No. 2 Virginia at Georgia Tech, 8 p.m. ACC Network
The Cavaliers kept up their hot start to ACC play on Sunday by beating N.C. State, 68-51. It was UVa's eighth straight win as it moved to 16-1 and 5-0 in the ACC. Virginia got out to a 10-2 led and never looked back, building a 20-point lead and cruising from there as the Wolfpack never got the deficit back into single digits. It was the most ho-hum dominating victory of the ACC schedule thus far, with the exception of the demolition of Virginia Tech on the road.
Devon Hall had a career night with 25 points as he continues his outstanding senior season. He made 4 of his 5 3-pointers and added three rebounds and two assists. Hall is now averaging 12.7 ppg, not too far behind Kyle Guy's team-leading 15.7. Against State, Guy had 17 points and he made 3 of his
6 3s. Isaiah Wilkins had his first double-digit scoring effort since Dec. 2 when he scored 14 against Lehigh, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks. He of course did a fantastic job of slowing down Omer Yurtseven, State's 7-footer capable of knocking down 3s who was coming off a 29-point effort against Clemson. He finished with just six points on 3-of-8 shooting and missed both of his 3-pointers.
The first part of the ACC slate has been favorable for UVa in that it has played four of its first five games at home. Now, the Cavaliers take their show on the road more often, with five of their next seven contests away from John Paul Jones Arena. Up first is Georgia Tech, a team that has been trying to turn around its season after a tough start.
Here's more on this year's Yellow Jackets:
Record: 10-7, 3-1 ACC
Scorers in double digits: Sophomore guard Josh Okogie (18.8), senior guard Tadric Jackson (13.6), freshman guard Jose Alvarado (12.9), senior center Ben Lammers (12.1)
Leading rebounders: Lammers (9.2), Okogie (5.2), junior forward Abdoulaye Gueye (4.7), Jackson (4.6), Alvarado (4.1)
Assist leaders: Alvarado (3), freshman guard Curtis Haywood II (2.8)
Notable: Haywood averages 6.3 points, Gueye 5.5. Junior guard Brandon Alston is the only other player averaging at least five points (5.9). Okogie and Alvarado average about two steals. Lammers, Haywood, and Gueye average about one. Lammers averages almost three blocks, and Okogie and Gueye average one. Okogie and Jackson were both suspended at the beginning of the season for several games because they received improper benefits. They were obviously huge losses for Tech, which has started playing better once they returned to the court.
Best win: vs. then-No. 15 Miami, 64-54, on Jan. 4.
Worst win: vs. Bethune-Cookman, 65-62, in November.
Other wins: Texas Rio Grande Valley, North Texas, Northwestern, Florida A&M, Coppin State, Yale, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh
Best loss: to then-No. 21 UCLA, 63-60, in the season opener
Worst loss: to Grambling State in December, 64-63.
Other losses: Tennessee, Wofford, Georgia, Wright State, Notre Dame
What Georgia Tech does well: This could be a low-scoring game. Tech plays at a slow pace and doesn't excel on the offensive end but does on defense, holding opponents to an average of 62.6 points (13th in the nation) and 40.4 percent shooting (45th). The Jackets are decent at rebounding and own a +3.1 margin (108th). They also record 7.4 steals (71st) and 5.3 blocks (26th) per game.
What Georgia Tech does poorly: Despite playing some good defense, Tech does not guard the 3-ball that well, allowing opponents to shoot 36.2 percent from beyond the arc (tied-254th). Georgia Tech scores just 66.6 ppg (319th) while
shooting 43.3 percent (250th) 31.2 percent on 3s (307th), and 71.3 percent on free throws (166th). They also don't move the ball that well, averaging 12.5 assists (274th).
Georgia Tech really struggled at the beginning of the season. Losing to Grambling State was really embarrassing (a team UVa beat 90-34 last season), and then on top of that, the Yellow Jackets added losses to Wright State and Wofford, the team that also beat North Carolina. Recently, though, the Jackets have gotten on a hot streak with four straight victories and find themselves in second place in the ACC. Their past four wins have included triumphs over a ranked Miami team and a revenge game against Notre Dame, which Tech has already faced twice. The Jackets began their ACC schedule by falling to the Irish.
There's no doubt that one of the reasons the Jackets have improved is the return of Okogie and Jackson, two of the team's best players. Both were suspended at the beginning of the season because it was determined by the NCAA that they had received improper benefits. Okogie missed eight games, and Jackson three. Jackson was not around for the loss to Grambling State or Wofford. When he plays, the Jackets are 6-3. He had 30 points in the Jackets' win over Miami.
Another important player for Tech is Lammers, who controls the paint on offense and defense with his 6-foot-10, 234-pound frame. He is one of the top shot-blockers in the nation with 2.88 per game (15th). His offense has taken a slight step back this season. Last year, he averaged 14.2 points (12.1 this year) and shot 51.6 percent from the field (45.4 percent this year). Jack Salt did a great job defending him last season, holding Lammers to seven points on 3-of-12 shooting in a game that UVa won at home, 62-49, in January.
Though Georgia Tech is playing better, it still doesn't strike me as a team that can beat UVa, which is playing at a high level right now. I think Lammers can be controlled, and then the Cavaliers probably just have to shut down either Okogie or Jackson to prevail. Okogie is Tech's best 3-point shooter at 43.3 percent, but he's only had 30 attempts. Haywood shoots 42.2 percent behind the arc, but has only taken 33 shots. Alvarado has 74 attempts but is only at 33.8 percent. Someone can always get hot, but those numbers, at least, bode well.
If UVa can handle the road environment, something it hasn't had to do much lately, stay composed and just play its game, it can avoid the upset. The Cavaliers are much better on average than the Jackets, and it is going to take below-average play from UVa and above-average for Tech for the Jackets win.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 5-10 points.
The Cavaliers kept up their hot start to ACC play on Sunday by beating N.C. State, 68-51. It was UVa's eighth straight win as it moved to 16-1 and 5-0 in the ACC. Virginia got out to a 10-2 led and never looked back, building a 20-point lead and cruising from there as the Wolfpack never got the deficit back into single digits. It was the most ho-hum dominating victory of the ACC schedule thus far, with the exception of the demolition of Virginia Tech on the road.
Devon Hall had a career night with 25 points as he continues his outstanding senior season. He made 4 of his 5 3-pointers and added three rebounds and two assists. Hall is now averaging 12.7 ppg, not too far behind Kyle Guy's team-leading 15.7. Against State, Guy had 17 points and he made 3 of his
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| Devon Hall made 7 of his 9 shots, 4 of 5 3-pointers, and all seven of his free throws on the way to a career-high 25 points against the Wolfpack on Sunday. |
The first part of the ACC slate has been favorable for UVa in that it has played four of its first five games at home. Now, the Cavaliers take their show on the road more often, with five of their next seven contests away from John Paul Jones Arena. Up first is Georgia Tech, a team that has been trying to turn around its season after a tough start.
Here's more on this year's Yellow Jackets:
Record: 10-7, 3-1 ACC
Scorers in double digits: Sophomore guard Josh Okogie (18.8), senior guard Tadric Jackson (13.6), freshman guard Jose Alvarado (12.9), senior center Ben Lammers (12.1)
Leading rebounders: Lammers (9.2), Okogie (5.2), junior forward Abdoulaye Gueye (4.7), Jackson (4.6), Alvarado (4.1)
Assist leaders: Alvarado (3), freshman guard Curtis Haywood II (2.8)
Notable: Haywood averages 6.3 points, Gueye 5.5. Junior guard Brandon Alston is the only other player averaging at least five points (5.9). Okogie and Alvarado average about two steals. Lammers, Haywood, and Gueye average about one. Lammers averages almost three blocks, and Okogie and Gueye average one. Okogie and Jackson were both suspended at the beginning of the season for several games because they received improper benefits. They were obviously huge losses for Tech, which has started playing better once they returned to the court.
Best win: vs. then-No. 15 Miami, 64-54, on Jan. 4.
Worst win: vs. Bethune-Cookman, 65-62, in November.
Other wins: Texas Rio Grande Valley, North Texas, Northwestern, Florida A&M, Coppin State, Yale, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh
Best loss: to then-No. 21 UCLA, 63-60, in the season opener
Worst loss: to Grambling State in December, 64-63.
Other losses: Tennessee, Wofford, Georgia, Wright State, Notre Dame
What Georgia Tech does well: This could be a low-scoring game. Tech plays at a slow pace and doesn't excel on the offensive end but does on defense, holding opponents to an average of 62.6 points (13th in the nation) and 40.4 percent shooting (45th). The Jackets are decent at rebounding and own a +3.1 margin (108th). They also record 7.4 steals (71st) and 5.3 blocks (26th) per game.
What Georgia Tech does poorly: Despite playing some good defense, Tech does not guard the 3-ball that well, allowing opponents to shoot 36.2 percent from beyond the arc (tied-254th). Georgia Tech scores just 66.6 ppg (319th) while
Georgia Tech really struggled at the beginning of the season. Losing to Grambling State was really embarrassing (a team UVa beat 90-34 last season), and then on top of that, the Yellow Jackets added losses to Wright State and Wofford, the team that also beat North Carolina. Recently, though, the Jackets have gotten on a hot streak with four straight victories and find themselves in second place in the ACC. Their past four wins have included triumphs over a ranked Miami team and a revenge game against Notre Dame, which Tech has already faced twice. The Jackets began their ACC schedule by falling to the Irish.
There's no doubt that one of the reasons the Jackets have improved is the return of Okogie and Jackson, two of the team's best players. Both were suspended at the beginning of the season because it was determined by the NCAA that they had received improper benefits. Okogie missed eight games, and Jackson three. Jackson was not around for the loss to Grambling State or Wofford. When he plays, the Jackets are 6-3. He had 30 points in the Jackets' win over Miami.
Another important player for Tech is Lammers, who controls the paint on offense and defense with his 6-foot-10, 234-pound frame. He is one of the top shot-blockers in the nation with 2.88 per game (15th). His offense has taken a slight step back this season. Last year, he averaged 14.2 points (12.1 this year) and shot 51.6 percent from the field (45.4 percent this year). Jack Salt did a great job defending him last season, holding Lammers to seven points on 3-of-12 shooting in a game that UVa won at home, 62-49, in January.
Though Georgia Tech is playing better, it still doesn't strike me as a team that can beat UVa, which is playing at a high level right now. I think Lammers can be controlled, and then the Cavaliers probably just have to shut down either Okogie or Jackson to prevail. Okogie is Tech's best 3-point shooter at 43.3 percent, but he's only had 30 attempts. Haywood shoots 42.2 percent behind the arc, but has only taken 33 shots. Alvarado has 74 attempts but is only at 33.8 percent. Someone can always get hot, but those numbers, at least, bode well.
If UVa can handle the road environment, something it hasn't had to do much lately, stay composed and just play its game, it can avoid the upset. The Cavaliers are much better on average than the Jackets, and it is going to take below-average play from UVa and above-average for Tech for the Jackets win.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 5-10 points.
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