The Virginia Tech Hokies (6-8) take on the Stanford Cardinal (9-5) in part one of their in-conference west coast trip this week.
Virginia Tech is coming off their first win in ACC play in what might have been their most winnable conference game for the rest of the season. The only ACC team with a worse record, the Miami Hurricanes, took a trip to Blacksburg in just their second game following the sudden retirement of head coach Jim Larranaga and the Hokies escaped with an 86-85 win on a late game three-point play from Mylyjael Poteat. While such a close result isn’t ideal for a Hokie team playing possibly their easiest game remaining on their schedule, they will take it nonetheless as it snapped a two-game losing streak.
Stanford, meanwhile, is in the midst of a three-game losing streak with losses against 10th ranked Oregon as well as two of the stronger ACC teams in Clemson and Pittsburgh. Their only conference win came a month ago in an in-state battle against California.
The game will air at 9 p.m. on Wednesday January 8, 2025 on ACC Network.
Here are some keys to the game that could dictate the result of this East vs West battle:
Frontcourt Play
Virginia Tech and Stanford are two teams that are very reliant on their frontcourt play. The Hokies starting bigs played as well as they have all season in their last game against Miami, as Mylyjael Poteat and Tobi Lawal combined for 47 points on 18/25 from the floor, including Poteat’s aforementioned game winner.
Stanford, on the other hand, has the superstar that Virginia Tech simply doesn’t have in 7 '1 Senior Maxime Raynaud. Raynaud is averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds per game, as a floor stretching big for the Cardinal. Raynaud has only gotten better after an All-PAC-12 2023-24 campaign, and Stanford will need him to help break their three-game losing streak.
Three-Point Shooting
While both of these teams are among the bottom of the ACC in most statistical categories, one area they are both solid at is three-point shooting. Among 18 teams in the conference, Stanford is 5th in three pointers made per game with 8.3, which they knock down at a slightly below average 33% clip. The Hokies barely trail them in makes with 8.0 long balls per contest, which they make with 35% accuracy.
When Virginia Tech reaches that threshold of eight triples they are 6-4. They are 0-4 in games in which they make seven or less threes.
Matchup of the Game: Jaylen Blakes vs Ben Hammond
The obvious key matchup is Reynaud vs either Poteat or Lawal, but since I’ve already touched on what those three players bring to the table, we’ll instead look at tonight’s point guard battle.
The Cardinal’s lead guard, Jaylen Blakes, is its second leading scorer and its top assist man at about 15 points and five assists per game. Blakes previously played three years at Duke, but never played more than 14 minutes per game due to their crowded talent pool.
He has taken advantage of his big opportunity at Stanford this season, using his shifty ball handling to create opportunities for himself with his mid-range game or create shots for his teammates if the opponent collapses on defense. Defensively, Blakes is a pest, averaging 2.1 steals per game and displaying the athleticism to recover even if he is beaten off the dribble.
His matchup for much of the game will be the Hokies new starting point guard Ben Hammond, who took the role from Brandon Rechsteiner three games ago.
For a struggling Tech team desperately searching for answers, Hammond’s sudden ascension has been encouraging. After averaging below three points through the first nine games, Hammond rattled off three straight double-digit scoring games, including a 17-point outing against North Carolina A&T. The freshman has continued his impressive play with five points and a career-high eight assists against Miami, including the game-winning dime to Mylyjael Poteat. Hammond also set a career high in minutes with 31.
We know what both teams need from their frontcourts, but the x-factor for both squads may be the production they are able to get around their best players, which sets up an important matchup between the two lead guards, Blakes and Hammond.
Prediction: Stanford 75, Virginia Tech 68
While this is one of the more winnable games for the Hokies, Stanford’s above average offense should be enough to carry them to a win on their home floor. Raynaud will reach his season average of 20 points and Blakes will join him with 15+. The Hokies will continue getting solid minutes from their young upstarts like Rodney Brown Jr. and Ben Hammond, but it won’t be enough to get them a victory to begin their west coast trip. Stanford wins 75-68.
