CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – Virginia teenagers have the chance to win a cash prize of up to $500. All they have to is create a safe driving holiday song or poem.

Youth of Virginia Speak Out says this contest is geared at keeping young drivers safe on the highways and byways.

“To get teens to get creative with their messaging, and, you know, encouraging their friends to buckle up, to slow down, to not drive distracted during the holidays,” Casey Taylor said.

Taylor says jingle entries should be no longer than 30 seconds.

Submissions are due by December 7.

Click here for more.

Do you have a story idea? Send us your news tip here.

Copyright 2023 WVIR. All rights reserved.

No. 14 Texas A&M will try to add another impressive win to its early-season resume when it travels to Virginia for a non-conference battle on Wednesday night in the 2023 ACC/SEC Challenge. The Aggies (6-1) bounced back from their first loss of the season with a 73-69 win over Iowa State in the third-place game at the ESPN Events Invitational on Sunday night. They rallied from a 21-point deficit to post their third win over a major-conference team this season. Virginia (5-1) suffered its first loss of the season against Wisconsin in the Fort Myers Tip-Off, but it responded with a win over West Virginia in the third-place game. 

Tipoff is set for 7:15 p.m. ET at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville. Virginia is favored by 2.5 points in the latest Virginia vs. Texas A&M odds, while the over/under is set at 126.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Texas A&M vs. Virginia picks, you’ll want to see the NCAA Basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 4 of the 2023-24 season on an 94-61 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,800 for $100 players. It is also off to an 8-2 roll on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Texas A&M vs. Virginia. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the game:

• Virginia vs. Texas A&M spread: Virginia -2.5
• Virginia vs. Texas A&M over/under: 126.5 points
• Virginia vs. Texas A&M money line: Virginia -130, Texas A&M +110
• Virginia vs. Texas A&M picks: See picks here

Why Virginia can cover

Virginia has already proven that it can beat a major-conference team, taking down Florida and West Virginia during the opening month of the campaign. The Cavaliers connected on a pair of free throws in the final seconds of their game against the Mountaineers to take home third place in the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Sophomore guard Ryan Dunn led the way with 13 points and five rebounds, while senior guard Reece Beekman finished with 12 points, five assists and four boards. 

Beekman leads the team with 11.8 points, 5.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game, scoring in double figures on four occasions. Dunn has reached double digits in three of his last four games, posting a double-double against North Carolina A&T two weeks ago. The Cavaliers are riding a 13-game home winning streak and have won six of their last seven games against SEC teams. 

Why Texas A&M can cover

Texas A&M opened the season with a five-game winning streak, beating Ohio State and SMU in back-to-back road games during that stretch. The Aggies beat Penn State by double digits in the first round of the ESPN Events Invitational before losing a shootout against No. 19 Florida Atlantic, but they responded with a 73-69 win over Iowa State in the third-place game. Sophomore forward Solomon Washington finished with 18 points and six rebounds for the Aggies, who were 3-point underdogs. 

Veteran Wade Taylor IV scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half to help Texas A&M rally from a 21-point deficit after averaging 29 points in the first two games of the tournament. He leads the Aggies with 20.0 points and 4.4 assists per game, while Henry Coleman III is adding 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds. Texas A&M has been profitable since the end of last season, covering the spread in 15 of its last 20 games. See which team to pick here. 

How to make Virginia vs. Texas A&M picks

The model has simulated Texas A&M vs. Virginia 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Virginia vs. Texas A&M, and which side of the spread hits 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on an 94-61 roll on its top-ranked college basketball picks, and find out.

A fixture in the rankings for five of the last six seasons, Auburn is anxious to return to its familiar perch under Bruce Pearl.

With a win over visiting Virginia Tech in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday night, Auburn can take a major step toward that goal.

After opening the season with an 88-82 loss to Baylor, which has since ascended to No. 9 in the AP poll, Auburn (4-1) has built a solid resume with four straight wins, all by at least 15 points.

When the Tigers take the floor against the Hokies, it will come after a seven-day layoff.

“I hope we’re not rusty,” Pearl said on Tuesday. “We can’t afford to be rusty because they’re (the Hokies) so sharp.”

Johni Broome leads Auburn in scoring (15.4 points per game) and rebounds per game (7.6). The 6-foot-10 junior will battle inside against 6-foot-10 Lynn Kidd, who is putting up similar numbers for Virginia Tech at 15.9 points and 8.0 boards per game.

In Auburn’s most recent game, an 84-54 romp over Alabama A&M on Nov. 21, Chaney Johnson came off the bench to score 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

It was a season high for Johnson, who was the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year last season at Division II Alabama Huntsville.

While Auburn was resting over Thanksgiving Day weekend, Virginia Tech (5-2) was playing three games in four days in the ESPN Events Invitational in Florida.

The Hokies reached the title game of the event, but two days after playing their best game this season — handing Iowa State its first loss, 71-62 — they played their worst.

Florida Atlantic, now ranked No. 13, thumped Virginia Tech 84-50 on Sunday, dominating the boards 40-29 and doubling the Hokies on the scoreboard in the second half, 52-26.

Virginia Tech shot 33.3 percent from the floor and only 11.8 percent from beyond the arc, both season lows, and allowed Florida Atlantic to shoot 56.9 percent overall and 40.9 percent from deep.

“Offensively we really struggled, which hurt us on the defensive end, which can never happen,” Virginia Tech assistant coach J.D. Byers said.

Virginia Tech’s Hunter Cattoor, who had 48 points in three games, made the all-tournament team.

—Field Level Media