UNC-Virginia Tech Preview: Will the Tar Heels Stumble on the Road?

The Virginia Tech Hokies have one more chance to take down a Goliath of the ACC when they welcome UNC to Cassell Coliseum for an ESPN game.

Virginia Tech lost to Duke this past weekend, bringing its ACC record to 7-7. North Carolina is trying to hold on to a No. 1 seed. The two will meet for the first time this season and for the first time in Blacksburg since January 2007.

Records

North Carolina 25-3, 11-3 ACC, RPI No. 3
Virginia Tech 17-11, 7-7 ACC, RPI No. 59

Series

UNC has won four of the last six, and two of the last three in Blacksburg.

What North Carolina Must Do To Win

1. Not Be Ice Cold Shooting

In the Tar Heels' three losses, they have shot under 39 percent. The Hokies are allowing opponents to shoot just 41 percent on the season.

2. Ty Lawson Plays Well

As much of a force Tyler Hansbrough is on the inside, it is Lawson that makes UNC's engine go. Lawson will have a tough matchup with Malcolm Delaney, who is a scoring point guard in the mold of Tyrese Rice, Jeff Teague, Greivis Vasquez, whose teams the Heels all lost to.

What Virginia Tech Must Do To Win

1. Keep UNC Off The Glass

The Heels are seventh in the nation in offensive rebounds per game, which is pretty good considering they hit nearly 49 percent of their shots. Virginia Tech is an above-average rebounding team, but this will be their biggest test of the season.

2. Keep Turnovers To A Minimum

The Hokies had an aberration on Saturday, turning it over 19 times, six more than their season average, in the loss to Duke. But North Carolina forces nearly 17 per game and those turnovers kick-start their fast-break offense than they are so deadly at. The Hokies cannot keep up in a fast-break tempo game.

Prediction

The home crowd for the Hokies will certainly give them a boost knowing how much rides on this game. However, North Carolina has too much offensive firepower and depth to overcome. Both teams are below .500 against the spread on the season, but VT has especially struggled lately, going just 1-6 in their last seven games.
North Carolina wins by 8-14 points

Season: 21-20 SU through 3/1

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