The Virginia Tech Hokies have improved their play significantly over the last three games with three-straight wins including a road win at Radford and two, 35-point victories at home. Tonight, the Hokies once again have a very favorable matchup ahead of a trip to Brooklyn on Tuesday to take on the St. Joseph's Hawks.
Today, the Hokies face the 2-8 Grambling State Tigers who have not won a single game against a Division I basketball team this season. While Grambling State likely won't be much of a challenge, the Hokies have to make sure they don't overlook this game and make this a closer game than it really should be.
Justin Bibbs has been one of the best three-point shooters in the nation shooting 62.5% which puts him third in the nation. Bibbs is averaging 12 points per game and has become more assertive on the offensive end with the ball in his hands along with more screens and kick outs on drive to Bibbs.
Against a weak opponent like Grambling State, expect Bibbs to have another strong performance with multiple three-pointers.
Grambling State is a poor rebounding team that ranks 298th in the nation in rebounding while the Hokies rank 17th in the nation in rebounding, averaging 9 more rebounds per game than the Tigers. Zach LeDay and Kerry Blackshear have been forces in the paint with LeDay having six double-doubles this season and Blackshear having his first last week against Lamar.
Blackshear has played quite well in his past two games and received ACC Newcomer of the Week honors for his performances at Radford and against Lamar. LeDay has been fairly consistent for the Hokies, and has brought plenty of energy no matter who the opponent has been for the Hokies this season.
Expect a dominant performance in the post from Blackshear and LeDay, and don't be surprised if they both have double-doubles for the second-straight game.
This game has all the makings of a blowout so expect to see some playing time at the end of game for guys that are outside of the main eight-man rotation including Satchel Pierce, Shane Henry, Greg Donlon, and Matt Galloway. Ahmed Hill has returned to practice for the Hokies, but it is unknown when he will be able to make a full return.
This game has the potential to be the biggest blowout victory of the season for a Virginia Tech team that has seemed to improve its focus on showing up consistently. Led by Bibbs making threes and LeDay dominating in the frontcourt, Virginia Tech will cruise to another rout at home.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 87, Grambling State 54
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