Hokie Club
BLACKSBURG – Continuing its two-game road swing, the No. 16/16 Virginia Tech men's basketball team will travel to Miami (Fla.) and play on Saturday at noon ET on RSN inside the Watsco Center.
SERIES HISTORY
Tech (13-4, 7-3 ACC), which is 18-24 in the all-time series with Miami (7-10, 3-9), is a perfect 5-0 when ranked versus the Hurricanes and is 5-12 on the road. The last time these two teams faced off, the Hokies almost let a 17-point lead slip away, but ended up winning by two at home this past December, 80-78.
YOUNG'S TRACK RECORD
Tech coach Mike Young is 2-3 all-time versus Miami's Jim Larrañaga. When Young was at Wofford and Larrañaga at George Mason, Young's Terriers defeated the Patriots 82-79 in overtime in 2010 in Charleston.
ON THE CALL
The matchup will be broadcast on RSN (click here for more info), with Evan Lepler (play-by-play) and Brian Oliver (analyst) on the call, while Jon Laaser (play-by-play) and Mike Burnop (analyst) will broadcast on Virginia Tech Sports Network.
GAMEDAY INFORMATIONGameday Central: CLICK HERE
Digital Program: CLICK HERE
Notes: CLICK HERE
Stats: CLICK HERE
Watch: CLICK HERE
Radio: CLICK HERE
LAST TIME OUT
Despite getting 47 points from its starting bigs and it being a two-point game with seven minutes left, the Hokies fell short after a large Pitt run to lose 83-72 on Wednesday. Tech shared the rock well, dishing out 19 assists for its most since Dec. 21 (Longwood).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Continuing his hot streak, reigning ACC Player of the Week Keve Aluma dropped a career-high 30 points at Pitt. He did so thanks to a perfect 6-for-6 mark from the free-throw line and was 10 of 16 from the floor. He had 10 rebounds, too.
Turning in his most points as a Hokie, forward Justyn Mutts poured in a season-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting at Pitt. The redshirt junior also pulled down six boards and had a block and a steal in 37 minutes (second-most played this season).
SCOUTING MIAMI (Fla.)
• Miami is coming off close, two-point win at home over Duke (7-6, 5-4) this past Monday, winning 77-75 despite only making four of its final eight free-throw attempts down the stretch. The win, which was done with only six scholarship players available, snapped a four-game losing streak. Elijah Olaniyi had a team-high 21 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
• Jim Larrañaga enters his 10th season as the head coach in Coral Gables, following a 14-year stint at George Mason where he took the Patriots to the Final Four in 2006. With the 'Canes, he has led them to four NCAA Tournament appearances and an ACC title in 2013.
• The Hurricanes are paced by guard Isaiah Wong, who is averaging the fifth-most points in the ACC (17.3) and 5.4 rebounds per game, and guard Harlond Beverly, who is averaging a steady 7.2 point and team-high 3.4 assists per game.
• Blocking shots and playing fundamental defense by not committing fouls are two key strengths for Miami. It is 55thnationally and sixth in the ACC in blocked shots per game (4.2) and is fourth overall and third in the league in fouls committed per game (13.5).