Virginia Tech Hokies (22-7, 9-6 ACC)

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (19-10, 7-8 ACC)

Saturday, March 6 @ 4 p.m.

TV: Raycom Sports

Alexander Memorial Coliseum, Atlanta, GA

The Opponent: Georgia Tech has consistently been the most inconsistent team in the ACC this year. They boast a 14-1 home record, with their only loss coming to Florida State in overtime in December. Conversely, the Jackets are 1-7 on the road in conference, with the only win being against UNC in the middle of January.

The Jackets are big, and that may be an understatement. Gani Lawal (6-9, 234 lbs) and Derrick Favors (6-10, 246) control the post for Georgia Tech, averaging 25 points and 17 rebounds per game between themselves. On the other side, Tech's tallest starter, Victor Davila, is only 6-8.

Favors was the top recruit coming out of high school and hasn't disappointed. The true freshman has averaged 11.7 and 8.3 rebounds per game, and has seen his production increase as of late. Favors dropped 21 points and 18 rebounds on Maryland two weeks ago in the Jackets' last second loss. Currently, Favors is rated as the #3 pick in this year's NBA Draft. If he does have a weakness, it's that he only shoots 60% from the free throw line.

Lawal leads the Jackets with 13.5 points and nine rebounds per game. Although his production has decreased slightly from last year, Lawal is still considered to be the #30 prospect in this year's NBA Draft. Like Favors, Lawal also shoots a woeful 59% from the free throw line, which could become a big factor if the game is close near the end.

Joining the "Dynamic Duo" out front is defensive specialist D'Andre Bell (6-6, 220 lbs). Bell only averages 6.4 points per game, but his known for his experience and perimeter defense. Zachery Peacock (6-8, 235 lbs) will also help out down low, averaging 9.2 points per game.

Iman Shumpert (6-5, 209 lbs) leads the Jackets out front with 9.8 points and four assists per game. He has been inconsistent recently, but has great potential at the point guard position. Freshman Glen Rice Jr. (6-5, 195 lbs) has started the last four games and has averaged 5.2 points per game this season.

My Thoughts: Right now the Hokies are in the NCAA tournament and the Jackets should be in the tournament. However, all of that can change in the last weekend of regular season games. Despite the Hokies being a game up in the standings, they probably need this game more for NCAA tournament chances.

Despite sluggishly playing through Wednesday's game against NC State, the Hokies did what they had to do against the Wolfpack. With a win in Atlanta, the Hokies could solidify their position in the field of 65. If they were to come out on the wrong end, the Hokies may have to make a deep run in the ACC tournament to get that quality win they need.

Jeff Allen has been on fire recently, mainly thanks to him staying out of foul trouble. However, the last time he had less than three fouls in an ACC game was the first game against North Carolina, when he had two. It will be important for Allen to stay out of foul trouble against the taller Jackets.

With a win, the Hokies would also secure a first-round bye in the ACC, which would be critical if the Hokies want to make a run towards the ACC Championship. Tech will have to force turnovers and stay out of trouble if they want to beat the Jackets. The Hokies may have trouble producing inside, so Malcolm Delaney and Dorenzo Hudson will have to be big on the perimeter. This game could go either way and should be one of the better games of the final weekend.

Comments (0)

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Add Comment