It's a big Sunday in Blacksburg as Virginia Tech opens ACC play with what may be one of the biggest games of ACC play this year across the league against preseason #1 and current #18 North Carolina.
This should be a fantastic environment in front of a sold out Cassell Coliseum crowd. Combine that with a crowd and a VT team that may be sensing blood in the water given UNC's recent struggles to go with UNC having their backs against the wall ready to fight.
So with that said, here are my three things to watch for the Hokies against the Tar Heels.
1. Can VT Break Their Three-Point Shooting Slump?
Virginia Tech's three-point shooting has been okay so far this season, but they have not been at the level that you would expect to see from the Hokies. So far, the Hokies are only shooting 35.7% from three-point range as a team with Grant Basile and Hunter Cattoor being the only regulars shooting above 40% from deep.
Darius Maddox has had a particularly cold start from three-point range shooting only 28.1% from three-point range, worst among the starting 5 while Sean Pedulla is shooting 36.6% from three and Justyn Mutts is shooting 28.6% from deep. Those shooting percentages are off what we've seen in the past from all three of those guys especially Maddox.
Now part of that may be due to a volume increase in the case of Pedulla as our Will Locklin broke down this past week on how Pedulla has broken out overall averaging over 17 points per game this season. For Maddox, it simply seems like a matter of time for him to kick it in gear from three-point range while Mutts isn't known as a great three-point shooter but he's better than the guy who has missed some open threes of late.
It seems inevitable that Virginia Tech will turn around their three-point shooting and if they can do it today, they'll have a great chance at winning this one.
2. Crash the Boards
North Carolina has traditionally been known as a great rebounding team, but similar to Tech's shooting struggles, the Tar Heels haven't been great to start the season on the glass.
So far, UNC is just inside the top 150 in offensive rebounds at 11.0 while they are actually allowing more offensive boards than they are getting giving up 11.6 per game. That's actually fewer than the 10 offensive rebounds that Tech is allowing per game with the Hokies getting an average of 9 per game which ranks 277th in the country.
That first stat has to be encouraging for the Hokies that UNC hasn't been able to be their traditional selves on the glass so far this season. However, UNC still has a force in the post by the name of Armando Bacot who we know is not only one of the best overall players in the country but also one of the best rebounders in America.
Bacot himself is averaging 11.1 rebounds per game including 4.5 on the offensive glass making him an obvious force to be reckoned with. This will test Tech's frontcourt especially Justyn Mutts who is averaging 9.1 rebounds per game including 1.9 offensive rebounds. As a team, Tech has 4 players averaging at least 1.1 offensive rebounds per game while Bacot is the only one for UNC.
With all that said, it would surprise me if UNC didn't win the rebounding battle especially in offensive rebounding in this game. However, if the Hokies can keep it close and minimize what UNC does on that end, they should have a great shot at beating UNC. If not, this game is still more than winnable but will require Tech playing their game well in terms of being efficient from the field including from three.
3. Lean on the Environment
One of the best defenses you have in college basketball is a fantastic home environment and that's exactly what the Hokies will have in a packed Cassell Coliseum.
Yes, this isn't the first time we've seen a sold out Cassell including against Charleston Southern but that crowd really didn't get into the game till late and provided a little boost to help them seal the deal.
There's a reason why teams don't like playing on the road in Cassell because of the fact that it's one of the loudest and hardest places to play in America. I've been to games in places like Rupp Arena and Cameron Indoor, and I can tell you that Cassell is just as hard if not clearly tougher than at least Rupp to play in.
Now the Tar Heels are a veteran team who should be more than ready for the environment they are playing in, but this is also a team in a slump that has to go on the road again after losing 2 in Portland followed by a loss in Assembly Hall. That can make a team quite weary easily where a tough road environment is the last place you want to be.
Can the crowd be a factor to give the Hokies an extra bit of energy and try to wear down a veteran but struggling UNC team? Absolutely
