It’s a battle of ACC programs on the hardwood as a pair of teams do battle out in the Golden State. The Virginia Tech Hokies make the long trek west as they take on the Cal Golden Bears Saturday evening. Virginia Tech fell 70-59 on the road to Stanford Wednesday night, failing to cover the line as a 9.5-point underdog in their previous contest. Cal dropped Virginia 75-61 at home in their previous contest Wednesday night, covering the line as a four-point favorite. In the lone previous meeting between the teams, Cal picked up a 68-59 in a matchup from the Central Fidelity Holiday Classic consolation game in Richmond, Virginia November 30, 1991.
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Who will win this matchup? Read more about this Virginia Tech vs. Cal prediction!
Virginia Tech Looking to Pick Up Road Triumph Out West
Virginia Tech lost for the third time in four games as they were taken down on the road by Stanford Wednesday night. The Hokies dropped to 6-9 overall and stand 1-3 in the ACC on the season as they try to turn things around here. Against Stanford, Virginia Tech jumped in front 16-4 with 9:29 to play in the first half only to see their lead trimmed to five at intermission. The Hokies trailed by six with 14:06 remaining in the game before rallying to tie the game at 56 with 5:35 to go. Virginia Tech folded down the stretch, getting outscored 14-3 the rest of the way to wind up with the loss. The Hokies shot 46.4% from the field, including four of 14 from three-point range, and lost the rebounding battle 36-25. Tobi Lawal led Virginia Tech with 15 points and five rebounds in the loss.
The Hokies are above average on the offensive end of the floor this season as they are 290th in the nation in scoring offense as they put up 70.3 points per game on the season. Virginia Tech pulls down an average of 33.2 boards per contest a night while ranking 190th by dishing out 13.9 assists a game on the year. The Hokies are a below average defensive team as they stand 237th in the nation in scoring defense by allowing 73.3 points per game. Tobi Lawal leads the team with 12.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game this season. Mylyjael Poteat (10.9 points, 4.1 rebounds) and Jaden Schutt are the most reliable secondary scoring options. Ben Burnham, Brandon Rechsteiner, Jaydon Young, Tyler Johnson, Ben Hammond, Patrick Wessler and Rodney Brown Jr. are some of the key role players for coach Mike Young this season. Virginia Tech shoots 44.1% from the field as a team on the year. The Hokies splash an average of 7.7 triples a night while shooting 34.7% from beyond the arc. Virginia Tech is above average at the free throw line as they knock down 73.1% of their attempts at the stripe this season, which is 139th in the nation.
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Golden Bears Shoot to Sweep Virginia Schools
Cal won for just the second time in the last eight games as they dropped Virginia in their previous contest Wednesday night at home. The Golden Bears improved to 8-7 overall and 1-3 in the ACC as they look to sweep the Virginia schools. Against Virginia, Cal trailed 11-3 early before regrouping to taka a 35-32 lead at the half. The Golden Bears opened the second half on an 8-0 run to go up 43-32 and didn’t let the Cavaliers closer than nine the rest of the way. Cal shot 43.1% from the field, including four of 13 from three-point range, and hit 27 of 33 free throw attempts in the contest. Andrej Stojakovic led the Golden Bears with 23 points in the victory.
The Golden Bears put up an average of 77.6 points per game this season, which puts them 120th in the nation in scoring offense. Cal collects 36.6 rebounds per contest and dishes out 10.1 assists a night. The Golden Bears are below average defensively by allowing 75.8 points per contest, putting them 293rd in the nation in scoring defense. Andrej Stojakovic leads the team with 20.1 points plus 4.5 rebounds per game this season. The Golden Bears rely on Jovan Blacksher Jr. (11.3 points, 3.1 assists), Jeremiah Wilkinson (12.4 points), BJ Omot (10.8 points, three rebounds) and Rytis Petraitis as secondary options offensively. Mady Sissoko, Joshua Ola-Joseph, DJ Campbell, Lee Dort, Christian Tucker and Spencer Mahoney have to step up and contribute on both ends for coach Mark Madsen. Cal shoots 45.2% from the field as a team this season. The Golden Bears knock down 7.7 triples a night while shooting 35.7% from beyond the arc. Cal is above average at the charity stripe as they shoot 75.2% as a team at the stripe, putting them 73rd in the nation.
Omot (undisclosed) last played November 17 and has no definitive timetable for return.
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Best Bets for Virginia Tech vs. California
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
Seeing Virginia Tech sputter against Stanford doesn’t instill much confidence in their chances here. Cal put up 75 points against a stingy Virginia defense to get back in the win column and that is something that can’t be overlooked. The Golden Bears are 7-2 at home on the year while Virginia Tech was outplayed in both their road games this season. We’ve seen the Hokies get pummeled by Duke and fade down the stretch at Stanford in those contests. Now, they have to deal with Stojakovic and a solid offensive attack from the Golden Bears. Cal drops Virginia Tech at home here to earn back-to-back wins.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Virginia Tech has dropped nine of their last 12 games and they have issues on both ends of the floor. The Hokies turn the ball over on 20.4% of their possessions offensively, which is 318th in the nation, and 315th as 11.7% of their shots are rejected. Defensively, they are 284th in effective field goal percentage defense (53.5%), 304th in field goal percentage defense (46%), 348th in two-point defense (56.7%) and 284th by allowing 8.3 threes a game this season. Cal makes a living at the charity stripe, ranking 25th in free throw rate by averaging .423 free throws per field goal attempt. The Golden Bears are 277th in effective field goal percentage defense (53.4%) on the year so both teams have defensive issues. With Cal being solid offensively, look for them to help elevate this game over the number.
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