Hokies, Tar Heels ready to rumble in huge ACC matchupHokies, Tar Heels ready to rumble in huge ACC matchup
Men's Basketball

Hokies, Tar Heels ready to rumble in huge ACC matchup

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BLACKSBURG – With the postseason looming and Virginia Tech gaining momentum through each February contest, the Hokies face North Carolina inside Cassell Coliseum on Saturday at 4 p.m. for a matchup certain to affect the ACC landscape.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Saturday, February 15 | 4:00 p.m. ET
Cassell Coliseum (Blacksburg, Va.)
vs. North Carolina
Series: North Carolina leads 71-15
Game Notes: Virginia Tech (PDF) | UNC (PDF)

TV Broadcast
ESPN2
Play-by-Play: Was Durham
Analyst: Cory Alexander
Sideline: Andraya Carter

Local Radio
Virginia Tech Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Tim Bickford
Analyst: Mike Burnop

MARKETING & PROMOTIONS

  • Come early for pregame! We have randomly selected sections and rows in the arena that have been selected to participate in pregame entertainment. The winners will have an opportunity to each win $10,000!
  • Black Out: In conjunction with the Undergraduate Student Senate, we will have the annual Black Out game. The official Black Out t-shirt is available at HokieShops.
  • There will be black rally towels in the student section, and early arriving fans will also be able to claim a black rally towel from the Promos Booth while supplies last.
  • Halftime: Virginia529 Diaper Derby

THE SERIES

  • UNC has prevailed in the previous three encounters with the Hokies, with two of them coming in the ACC Tournament.
  • The Tar Heels lead the all-time series, 71-15. The first game of the series was played on Feb. 15, 1912 in Blacksburg.
  • Tech has won the last two meetings in Blacksburg, including a 79-77 double overtime thriller in Coach Young's first season at the helm of the Hokies.
  • Tech is 8-21 all-time against UNC in Blacksburg and 5-14 since joining the ACC. 

A WIN WOULD...

  • Mark the Hokies' seventh straight ACC win and extend their longest winning streak of the season. It would be the longest winning streak for Tech against ACC competition in program history.
  • Be Coach Young's second win over UNC as head coach of the Hokies (1-3).
  • Hand the Tar Heels back-to-back losses for the third time this season and snap their three-game winning streak in the series.
  • Move the Hokies to 6-0 in February. The last time they opened February 6-0 was in the 1966-67 season. 

HOKIE HEADLINES

  • Saturday will serve as Senior Day for Tech's three fifth-year players Keve Aluma, Justyn Mutts and Storm Murphy.
  • With a win, Coach Young would secure his 200th conference victory of his career.
  • Tech is shooting 40.9 percent from three this season, which is on pace to break the school record of 40.3 set in the 2016-17 season.
  • For the second time under Mike Young, Virginia Tech has limited its opponents to shooting 40.0% or less from the field in three-consecutive ACC games.

  BIG-GAME ALUMA

  • In three games against Virginia, Keve Aluma has averaged 25 points and eight boards, while going 2-1 against the Cavaliers. He shot 59.2% (29-49 FG) and 87.5% (14-16 FT) in those three games.
  • Aluma has scored 20-plus points and hauled in five or more boards in seven ACC games this season. He recorded 24 points against UVA on Monday night, one point shy of his season high.
  • It wasn't just the number of points that the Berlin, Maryland native scored, but the timeliness of when the buckets came. When the Cavaliers brought the game within four points with 2:47 remaining, Aluma stepped up and provided a rim-rocking dunk followed by a turnaround jumper with the shot clock expiring.
  • On the defensive end, Aluma tied his career high in blocks with four. 

FOUND A WAY

  • Despite recording a season low in 3-point percentage (.250) and losing the rebounding margin (-7), Tech secured its sixth-straight win in ACC play.
  • For the first time in its six-game win streak, Virginia Tech went into the half trailing. The deficit was largely in part to Jayden Gardner's 15 points and eight rebounds in the first half for UVA. In the second half, Gardner was limited to two points, six rebounds and three turnovers.
  • The Hokies outscored Virginia by 13 points in the second half, the second largest second-half scoring margin of ACC play for Tech (14 vs. Notre Dame, 1/15). The final 20 minutes began with a 10-2 surge by Virginia Tech, with eight points coming from Aluma.

UP NEXT

  • Tech hits the road for two games next week. First up is a trip to Atlanta to battle Georgia Tech on Wednesday at 9 p.m.