Virginia (12-5, 3-1) returns to action Thursday night in a key match-up at the JPJ. Yes, the dreaded Hokies from Blacksburg return to town, and bring one of the ACC’s most feared competitors in Malcolm Delaney. The Wahoos spit the series with the Hokies last season, winning in Charlottesville and losing by three in the away game. In the Blacksburg game , Tech scored 25 points on Virginia turnovers, which is an incredible number! But last season’s Virginia team had a different coach and system and was plagued by bad decisions and way too many turnovers. Gone is the scary and curse-word–screaming Dave Leitao, and now in charge is the easy-going and media-friendly Tony Bennett.
The Hoos are still tied for first-place with Maryland, and both teams only have one ACC loss. Virginia’s last outing was a tale of two halves against Wake. The Hoos got hammered in the first-half, and actually played pretty well in the second stanza. But it’s going to take a complete game to keep the pesky Hokies at bay.
Tech is 15-3 overall and 2-2 in the conference so far this season. The Hokies are the only team in the ACC that shoots under 40% from the field. Also, Tech has a difficult time scoring from the inside, and that will help Virginia win this game. The Hoos struggle mightily against teams with big, inside scorers. The Hokies also have the lowest turnover rate in the entire conference, with Virginia right behind them. Tech’s Jeff Allen has really struggled in ACC play so far this season (7.5 PPG), but I think this will be a break-out game for the aggressive big man.
If Virginia is going to win this game, they will have to shoot the ball better than they did against Wake. Virginia is also going to need a big 20+ scoring-night from someone other than Sylven Landesberg. Calvin Baker has done nothing in the Tony Bennett system (other than complain about playing-time), and the Wahoos need another consistent scorer besides Mike Scott and Landesberg. Time for Jeff Jones or Mustafa Farrakhan to get into the action!
The Hoos win this game 79-69 and Jeff Jones and Farrakhan both have great games from the perimeter! Go Hoos, whoop those damn Hokies!
