A Look Ahead

(This article originally appeared on www.hokiehaven.com.)

After a tumultuous week losing two straight badly to North Carolina State and Boston College, Virginia Tech got a week off. The Hokies took time off to hopefully refocus their efforts on what is left of the regular season. This week is Virginia Tech's chance to prove they are still one of the better teams in the ACC when they take on conference leader and in-state rival Virginia.

Virginia (16-6, 8-2 ACC)
Good Wins: Arizona 93-90, Gonzaga 108-87, at Clemson 64-63
Bad Losses: Appalachian State 81-69

Buoyed by the energy of a new home court and one of the most experienced lineups in the ACC, in-state rival Virginia turned heads, grabbing a share of the conference lead with just six games to play. On an expressway to the NIT at 9-6, 1-2 in ACC play, the Cavs kickstarted their season with a 103-91 victory of Maryland at John Paul Jones Arena, where they are undefeated this year. That outing was the beginning of much improved play from junior guard Sean Singletary and junior forward Jason Cain. Since the Maryland game, Singletary has been over 17 points five of the last seven times, and made three or more 3's in four of those contests. Cain has rebounded at a clip of 9.2 per game since that night's 16 board performance.

Cain is probably the bigger threat to the Hokies in Saturday's outing. Tech has struggled mightily against teams that carry a powerful inside presence. Preventing Cain from owning the rebounding wars is the top priority for Collins, Washington and Witcher. The Cavalier junior isn't an all-ACC player, but at 6-foot-10, he's the only Virginia player averaging more than 4.5 rebounds a game. Although Virginia is light on big bodies in the starting lineup, Dave Leitao's bunch does bring a small army of decently sized players off the bench for 7-13 minutes per game. Four, count 'em, four Virginia reserves get those kind of minutes; all are 6-foot-8 and above, all are brought in to win extra possession by attacking the glass. Adaptability on defense is key. It seems like such a simple concept, but the Virginia Tech post defenders have to be fully aware of who's in, who's out, and what Cavalier they have a duty to box out on each possession.

The Cavs are riding a seven-game winning streak, but this is a good matchup for Tech. The Hokies have been able to beat almost every guard dominated team they've played this year. With the game at Cassell, the Hokies coming off an off-week of preparation and a two-game losing streak, you have to think they'll be rested and prepared. At this point, this is an important game for Virginia, but an absolutely huge one for the Hokies. Virginia Tech wins by six, and preserves an outside shot at the ACC title.