When it comes to college basketball, rivalries make for some of the best 40-minute battles you see all season.
Neither team wants to lose, and both squads know the amount of pride that is at stake, especially given the shared state of most rivalries.
This most certainly applies to the Commonwealth Clash, in which the Virginia Tech Hokies (10-6, 2-3 ACC) square off against the Virginia Cavaliers (11-5, 2-3) on Wednesday night in Charlottesville.
UVA carries the all-time series lead heading into the midweek showdown at 97-59, but following the 2019 Virginia national championship winning season, the clash has been split at three apiece.
Both flagship Virginia schools have been disappointing thus far in 2023-24 conference play, currently tied for eighth place in a challenging ACC at 2-3.
For Virginia Tech, they have both lived and died by the outside shot. While Lynn Kidd has been a revelation for the Hokies down low, averaging 14.8 points per game in addition to 7.1 rebounds per game, the inconsistent shooting on the outside has both hurt and helped Tech at times.
What doesn’t help is the questionable status of Hunter Cattoor, the Hokies' all-time leading three-point shot maker. He exited in the first half against the Clemson Tigers last week after taking an inadvertent kick in the head. He has been unavailable since.
While Kidd and North Carolina transfer Tyler Nickel have been scoring at a high level recently, Sean Pedulla has been the biggest star. Pedulla was named ACC Player of the Week on Monday, following a two game stretch in which the junior guard set a new career high in points twice.
Even with Pedulla's surge, the Hokies need Cattoor given that he's A fifth year player who can facilitate, space the floor, and play tough defense. That is always a major boost in high stakes games, especially with the opportunity for a valuable Q1 victory.
For the ‘Hoos’, the patented Tony Bennett defense is definitely there, with Virginia ranking second in the country in points allowed at 57.8 per night. The question mark is more so centered around the Cavaliers ability to win against high major teams, in addition to finding a go-to scorer.
Virginia only has two double-digit scorers on its roster, with Reece Beekman leading the pack at 12.7 points per game, but can he be more of a go to guy down the stretch and push Virginia out of bubble talk?
Whether Cattoor can suit up for the Hokies or not, both squads are excellent at home, combining for one total loss at JPJ and Cassell Coliseum, while neither team has been able to win a road game midway through the season.
If Virginia Tech is to go on the road and win to put itself back on the map for a March Madness bid, they will need more than Pedulla, whose hot streak of averaging 30+ points per game in his last three outings will certainly be a focus for UVA.
Maybe Tyler Nickel steps up again, as he did against Clemson? Maybe we see head coach Mike Young go to Lynn Kidd early and often to throw Virginia off?
Point being - if Pedulla can’t get help, the Hokies will not come back from Charlottesville happy.
Wednesday night’s game tipping off at 7 p.m. will be available on ESPNU, and is one of two games between the in-state rivals in the ‘23-’24 season, with the next coming in Blacksburg on February 19th
It should be a fun one, but I’ve got Virginia staying undefeated at home.
