Virginia
Virginia Tech vs Virginia: Keys to the Game and Prediction
After suffering a 96-81 loss at No. 7 North Carolina, Virginia Tech returns home for a rivalry game against Virginia. Tech came up short in their trip to Charlottesville earlier this season, but will look to avenge that loss tonight in what will certainly be a rocking Cassell Coliseum while also looking to climb up the ACC standings. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are playing some of their best basketball of the season currently as they battle UNC and Duke for the ACC regular season title.
With that said, here are my keys to the game and prediction for the Hokies against the Cavaliers.
1. Protect the Basketball
Turnovers were a major problem for the Hokies in the first matchup between these two teams as they had 15 while UVA only had seven. Virginia had only eight points off turnovers despite 10 of those 15 turnovers being steals for UVA, making a case that the Hokies were fortunate to lose by single digits.
Since the inflection point that surrounded that week, which included 20 turnovers in a victory at NC State, the Hokies have drastically cleaned things up offensively. That included having only six turnovers in their loss to North Carolina and though MJ Collins was quick to downplay that postgame given that UNC doesn’t force a ton of turnovers, that turnaround is still impressive.
Now the odds of Tech having only six turnovers are quite low given how good UVA is defensively with their top 10 rank in KenPom’s defensive efficiency while forcing 13 turnovers per game. However, the Hokies need to minimize the turnovers in a game where they must the maximize the number of opportunities given the challenge of facing UVA’s defense. That only grows in importance when you factor in that UVA ranks last in adjusted tempo per KenPom and allows the eighth fewest shot attempts per game in the country.
Tech will need their guards to be smart in this game and not try to force things to happen but let the game come to them. That’s especially true for Sean Pedulla who has to stay composed and pick his spots even if that means keeping the ball a few more times when the options to dish it off to require the ball to go through crowded spaces.
If the Hokies want to win this game, they not only need to be efficient, but can’t afford to waste offensive possessions with turnovers. Do that and there’s a good chance of a Hokie win in Cassell.
2. Control the Paint
On paper, Virginia Tech should be better than UVA in the frontcourt yet that was not the case when these teams first faced off in Charlottesville.
Jordan Minor dominated Lynn Kidd and Mylyjael Poteat with 16 points and five rebounds while UVA’s backup big Blake Buchanan added eight points and three rebounds. Meanwhile, Kidd and Poteat were held to a combined four points and seven rebounds with neither playing being able to get anything going offensively. The post play made a big impact on the 65-57 victory for UVA as they outscored the Hokies 36-20 in the paint.
Tech can’t afford to be dominated like that again if the Hokies want to take down UVA while the Cavaliers know that winning the matchup down low will make it much more difficult for VT to get the job done.
The good news is that Kidd and Poteat have both been playing better lately with each being in double figures Saturday against UNC, facing a much better frontcourt duo of Armando Bacot and Jalen Washington than what UVA offers with Minor and Buchanan. However, it’s one thing to have the on-paper advantage, but another thing to get the job done.
Tech needs Kidd and Poteat to step up this time and maintain the on-paper advantage that the Hokies have. If they fail to do so, the Hokies will be in some trouble this evening.
3. Take Advantage of Open Threes
UVA is too good of a defensive team to have you believing that you will consistently get the type of open three-point opportunities that you’d like. Going into this game, Tech has to know that when they do get those chances, they have to shoot them with no hesitation and take advantage of them.
Of course, the Hokies have been a little up and down lately from three-point range going 11-23 (47.8%) in their win against Florida State last Tuesday followed by going 7-26 (26.9%) at UNC this past Saturday including 1-12 at the second half. Tech’s three-point shooting has generally improved as this season has progressed, but they’ve still been a little inconsistent at times.
It absolutely helps that the Hokies will be at home for this on a court they are more than used to shooting on. It also helps that Hunter Cattoor is still Hunter Cattoor and his 1-6 shooting performance from three-point range is clearly the exception to the norm.
This has to be about more than just Cattoor though with the Hokies needing Sean Pedulla, Tyler Nickel, and MJ Collins to provide some pop from three-point range. If Tech can collectively shoot 40% or better from three, there’s a very good chance that they’ll win this game.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 62, Virginia 58
Expect this to be a close, competitive game from start to finish with Virginia being sharp defensively but lackluster offensively. Virginia Tech’s three-point shooting was well below-average Saturday, but that will prove to be an outlier rather than a new trend.
Lynn Kidd and Mylyjael Poteat will step up and win the battle in the paint while Hunter Cattoor and Sean Pedulla will bounce back from a 6-23 shooting day with a more typical performance to lead the Hokies to a victory over UVA.
Virginia
Pregame availability report for Iowa State women, Addy Brown is out
Iowa State’s Addy Brown and Arianna Jackson will miss Sunday’s women’s basketball game against West Virginia at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, according to the Big 12-mandated pregame availability report released 90 minutes before tip-off.
Jackson is expected to miss a significant portion of the season with a leg injury. Brown has a lower body injury and was listed as questionable on the Saturday night availability report.
Brown is averaging 13.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game for Iowa State. The Kansas native is also shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and 42.2 percent from 3-point range.
Iowa State vs. West Virginia is scheduled for 2 p.m. (ESPN+).
Iowa State players listed as out
- #2 Arianna Jackson
- #24 Addy Brown
Iowa State players listed as questionable
West Virginia players listed as out
West Virginia players listed as probable
Virginia
Everything From Virginia Tech HC Mike Young After California Win
Virginia Tech men’s basketball head coach Mike Young spoke to the media after the Hokies’ 78-75 victory over California. Here’s the entirety of what Young had to say Saturday.
Opening statement:
“Night in, night out. That’s just the way it’s going to be. I was texting with coach [Jim] Boeheim, who I admire tremendously. Eric Devendorf, one of his former many great players, was on the call today for the ACC Network and I was texting back and forth with Coach about a couple of things. And he said [that] it’s such a balanced league and such a good league. Again, there are a lot of opportunities to compile good wins. Got to take care of home. You got to go on the road. You got to find ways to win and we’ve got a haul on the road. But a quality win for the Hokes and to Dallas we go on Tuesday to compete against the [SMU] Mustangs on Wednesday.”
On the final play, where Justin Pippen got a good shot:
“I think the rules are so new now, okay? And they’re going to rip that thing up the floor. The continuation rule has really disrupted a lot of people’s thinking. He turns and you are a split-second late and he throws that thing at the rim and that’s called. The official’s going to come to me every time in that situation. Are you going to foul? And I have done it more often than not. I have fouled just to negate that three from going in. The only way you lose is that thing to go in the basket and you also foul. All right. Heaven forbid. I’ve never had that one happen. But the continuation, you get turned and Dai Dai Ames is really smart, been around a long time. Pippen’s been around a long time. That kid catches that ball maybe with his back to his basket and turns real quick and shoves it, knowing that you’re going to hit him. That’s a disaster. Uh he got a pretty good shot. I thought it was pretty well contested. I’ll see it several times tonight on film. Caught a break.”
On Tech’s 23-10 advantage on points from turnovers:
“Well, we flipped that on the glass in the first half. We got our ass handed to us on the glass and that is that’s hard to stomach. They don’t have a very big front line other than [Lee] Dort and we thought that that was a real advantage for our team and I think it was 19-8 or something like that in the first half [Editor’s note: It was.]. Second half, we did a much better job. But the turnover part, they had seven more shots in the first half. That’s a big deal. They have seven more shots on goal than your team has. It’s going to come back to your rebounds. It’s going to come back to your turnovers. We’d handled the ball. So, obviously, we didn’t rebound it well enough. I hope I answered your question.”
On Cal’s 14-0 run, which was subsequently countered by an 11-point run from Virginia Tech:
“We were in good shape and I remember it going up 11. We had a media timeout in there. I thought we were fine. “Certainly, no time to panic. But right back, we come offensively. Had a really nice flurry, and I think, tied it up pretty quickly. I guess it was tied at the half. We’re 17 games in. Now, this thing comes at you fast. We’ve seen a lot of situations. Next best action. What’s next? Not too high when you have a 10-0 run, not too low, when you have a 10-0 run the other way. Just the next play, just move on to the next play. And this team has been pretty good with that.”
On what lessons Young learned from the Stanford game, a one-point loss for Virginia Tech:
“You better have a short memory in college athletics. You better have a short memory in any athletic endeavor. It was a kick in the pants. Now you can pout, all right, and feel sorry for yourself or you can suck it up and come back the next day in practice and prepare for Cal. That game today was every bit as important as the Wednesday game. That one [against Stanford] hurt. There’s no getting around that. But you’ve got a choice to make and we got high character people in that locker room. And right back they come. Cal was desperate. We were desperate and feel great about winning.”
[Editor’s note: Viriginia Tech On SI staff writer Josh Poslusny started off his question with: “You talked a little bit about rebounding-” after which Young said, “Josh, I can’t see your eyes.” Poslusny then took off his hat.]
Q: There was a stretch you guys were out rebounded 18 to three and y’all shot five for 23 for three. I mean, what do you have to do to overcome that adversity?
“We’ve got a good rebounding team, Zach. Right. Zach? [Editor’s note: Poslusny corrected him by saying “Josh.”]. I was close. We have a good rebounding team, Josh. We have a good rebounding team. [Amani] Hansberry is awesome. Tobi [Lawal] being back in the lineup obviously really helps us. Our guards have to rebound better. Where we’re getting in trouble, and I’m going to get way into it, Duffy Bear has no idea what I’m talking about. But when there’s dribble penetration and a post player has to step over, that takes him out of where he’s supposed to be on the glass. The shot gets up on the rim. You’ve got to have a guard cracking down on his matchup who’s a post player, who’s a big person, Dort or 17 [Mantas Kocanas] or eight [Milos Ilic]. And we did a poor job with that. Much, much better in the second half. Guarded the ball better in the second half.”
On Virginia Tech’s play down the stretch after taking the lead for good with slightly less than four minutes remaining:
“Well, again, 17 games in and I think back to the Providence game, that game had some moments where it didn’t look real good for the Hokes. South Carolina, on the road. Virginia, here in triple overtime. You click them off. Those experiences are invaluable for moments like that and I thought they had a good look about them and I thought the response was quite encouraging.”
Q: Going back to that overtime Elon game… you’ve had five straight close games, and you’ve won three of them. Is that a learned skill to win those close games?
“You’ve got to be able to play in pressure moments, all right? And that’s why that non-conference schedule [matters]. Those moments, who’s going to respond, who may not respond? You got to step up and make foul shots. [Jailen] Bedford missed one. [Jaden Schutt] missed one that we walk out of here comfortably if we get those down. But we shot our fouls great today. Again, I said it earlier, we’re going to have a lot of these [tight games] and I wish it weren’t so. But it’s a really good league. Good, good teams, and we’re going to have to respond time in and time out. So, we look forward to it.”
On how pleased Young was with his team’s physicality:
“We haven’t gotten to the line as much as I’d like for us to, but we’ve got a physical team. David Jackson does a remarkable job with them. They’re men. They’re men and one of our toughest kids, Tyler Johnson, obviously is out of the lineup for the time being. We’ll have him back soon. But very, very encouraged. I really am.”
On the team’s defense down the stretch:
“We did [step up]. [We went] 5-for-23. We are second or third in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage defense, And you got all the damn numbers, so if I’m wrong, correct me. It’s our rebounding, David. It’s our rebounding. We’re getting the stop. But that second one typically finds the bottom of the barrel. You’ve got to rebound the ball. You got to rebound that first carom. much, much better in the second half. But that’ll of critical importance on Wednesday in Dallas against the Mustangs.”
More Virginia Tech Basketball News:
Virginia
Virginia Tech gains commitment from ACC transfer QB
North Carolina QB transfer Bryce Baker has committed to Virginia Tech out of the NCAA transfer portal. Baker was a freshman at UNC this past season and didn’t see any action for the Tar Heels.
Before arriving in Chapel Hill, Baker played high school football at East Forsyth (NC), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 87 overall player and No. 9 QB in the 2025 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.
During his senior season in high school, Baker threw for 3,523 yards and 40 touchdowns, while only throwing five interceptions. Moreover, he logged 303 yards and six scores in the ground game.
North Carolina finished at No. 8 in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings after losing 41 players to it while adding 42. The team will look to have another successful offseason in the upcoming year, but hope for a better outcome on the field.
Meanwhile, Baker will transfer across the ACC to play for James Franklin at Virginia Tech. Franklin arrived in Blacksburg after a successful stint at Penn State, where he’s one year removed from leading the Nittany Lions to a national semifinal.
Franklin now replaces Brent Pry, who worked under Franklin with the Nittany Lions from 2016-21 as the defensive coordinator. Pry was 16-24 as Virginia Tech’s head coach, but was fired after an 0-3 start this season. Pry now works under Franklin and will be the team’s defensive coordinator for the 2026 season.
Franklin will look to turn the program around in short order, and doing well in the NCAA transfer portal is the first step. Could they have possibly found their QB1 in Bryce Baker? For now, that remains to be seen.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
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