ESPN College Basketball Power Rankings<\/a> published this morning report “BPI gives Duke an 83.5% chance at a conference title, while BartTorvik.com puts the Blue Devils with a 79% chance of at least a share of the title.”<\/p>\nThe Hokies enter tonight’s matchup off a loss to the Boston College Eagles on Saturday as 6-point favorites. The Tar Heels form is being questioned after a pair of losses to Miami and Wake Forest by a combined 50 points this past week.<\/p>\n
Hokies Get Burnt Looking Past BC to Tar Heels and Hurricanes.<\/h3>\n
The Hokies performances this season reflect the ACC conference as a whole. The best color of paint to describe the picture of the league is inconsistency. Virginia Tech’s loss to the Eagles in Boston was a hard-fought contest to the end. The Hokies had a chance to take the lead in the final minute, trailing 64-63; however, Nahiem Alleyne and Keve Aluma missed 3-pointers ending any chance VT had to earn a come-from-behind win.<\/p>\n
The Hokies 10-8 overall mark this season doesn\u2019t tell the entire tale of the VT season. This season, the Hokies’ eight losses find five of the defeats by two possessions or fewer.<\/p>\n
Virginia Tech enters Monday’s contest as 4.5 point road dogs. The Hokies have been the bookmakers’ underdogs in three of the team’s 18 overall games, and in the trio of underdog roles, the Hokies are 0-3 straight up and against the spread.<\/p>\n
Virginia Tech is fueled by forward Keve Aluma and his 15.7 points per game. Guard Nahiem Alleyne is the team’s second-leading scorer averaging 10.4, and Aluma frontcourt teammate Justyn Mutts averages 10.1 per contest.<\/p>\n
Tar Heels Back Home Following 0-2 Road Trip<\/h3>\n
North Carolina has lost two straight games by 20-plus points. If that previous statistical peripheral didn’t make you do a double-take, I suggest you let this sink in. The Tar Heels surrendered 85 points in the loss to the Miami Hurricanes and 98 points to Wake Forest Demon Deacons and lost by a combined 50 points.<\/p>\n
At the time of the season when Big Dance projections are flying about in Cyberspace, the Tar Heels’ best win this season is over a Michigan Wolverines team that is on the Big Dance bubble.<\/p>\n
Tonight’s game against Virginia Tech will be the first of three home games this week for the Tar Heels. UNC is scheduled to face the Hokies tonight, followed by Boston College and NC State. The Heels are a perfect 9-0 at the Dean Dome this season, and a sweep of this week’s matchups is a must for the first-year coaching staff.<\/p>\n
The Tar Heels are led by Armando Bacot, who is averaging 19.9 points and is grabbing 14.1 rebounds per game in conference play. Bacot has three teammates who are also scoring in double figures. The trio includes Caleb Love, RJ Davis, and Brady Manek.<\/p>\n
Virginia Tech vs North Carolina Prediction<\/h3>\n
North Carolina has won its last seven home games against Virginia Tech and will show up with a vengeance at a sold-out Dean Dome tonight. Nothing short of a victory in impressive fashion will do for first-year coach Hubert Davis and his staff.<\/p>\n
The Tar Heels have as much, if not more, raw talent than any program in the ACC save the Duke Blue Devils, and their balance in both scoring and defensive efficiency combined with the Dean Center home-court edge push the Heels players to their best performance of the season.<\/p>\n
The WagerTalk pick to click is a double-digit Tar Heels win over the visiting Hokies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n
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