The Hurricanes should win this one — they are by far the better team. In fact, if it plays out according to form then it shouldn’t really be very close. So, why is this game interesting at all? Well, Miami had a chance to run through the ACC undefeated and had surprisingly climbed as high as second in the polls.

That all came crashing down, though, on Saturday at Wake Forest.

They were favored by seven on the road and should have won easily. However, they read the headlines and started believing them, and they wound up losing by 15. It was the first real adversity the team has faced in a long time, so now we need to see what they are made of and whether they can shake off the frustration and bounce back strong. The team seems to have overachieved up to this point in the season, so they will need to be really strong here to prove that they are real contenders next month.

Virginia Tech at Miami Betting storylines

The Hokies just aren’t a very good team. They are coming off a win on Saturday, but they had lost nine in a row before that. They had a couple of close calls there — they took NC State and North Carolina to overtime — and they were a somewhat respectable 4-4-1 ATS over that stretch, but the fact remains that they are not a strong team. They have the ability to surprise a team that isn’t ready, though. Florida State suffered a big blow when they lost to the Hokies by 10 on Saturday. That means that while the Hurricanes are more than capable of winning this game easily, they can’t afford to take their eyes off the prize for too long or the Hokies could sneak up on them.

The Hokies aren’t a deep or impressive team, but they do have a real threat for opponents to deal with. Senior guard Erick Green leads the country in scoring with 25.2 points per game. Last time he played Miami he was good for 30 points. A good portion of his productivity is out of necessity — if he doesn’t score then there is no one who will for the team. He’s an efficient player who shoots well, though, and with 4.1 assists per game, he’s not just a ball hog, either. Miami needs to focus on containing him to ensure they can pull off this game.

Virginia Tech shot 50 percent from the field for the second time in conference play on Saturday. Miami lost to Wake Forest largely because they let the Demon Deacons shoot 54.2 percent. That could be a dangerous combination for the Hurricanes. Miami is a better defensive team than that — in the Top 3 in the ACC in most defensive stats — but they haven’t been nearly as sharp recently. That has surely been the focus for the team throughout practices all week, so it will be very telling going forward if the Hurricanes struggle defensively again here.

Miami’s senior center Reggie Johnson has a very good shot at reaching a significant milestone here. He needs just four rebounds to reach 800 on his career. Since he is averaging 7.9 boards per game this year, and had 10 last time he played Virginia Tech, there is a good chance he’ll pull that off. It’s an impressive accomplishment — and perhaps something for the team to rally around early on.

Virginia Tech at Miami NCAA Basketball Odds and Betting Trends

5Dimes has opened the Hurricanes as 16.5-point favorites. The total is set at 132 points.

The underdog is 7-3 ATS in the last meetings between the teams. The “under” is 7-2-1 in Miami’s last 10 home games. Miami has covered four of the last five meeting between the teams, though Virginia Tech covered as 9.5-point underdogs last time out.

Virginia Tech at Miami Picks and Betting Predictions

Miami has not covered each of their last three games and is not playing with a lot of focus. With their recent tendency to go under the totals line at home, there is a chance that this will be a low-scoring game. When the game is low-scoring it can be a challenge by a team to win by a wide margin. Virginia Tech has some confidence and nothing to lose here, while Miami could be tight because of their struggles. Miami should win, but the pick here is Virginia Tech to cover the massive spread.

Doc’s Sports is offering $60 worth of member’s college basketball picks absolutely free – no obligation, no sales people – you don’t even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit any way you please on any of our top college basketball handicappers. Click here for more details and take advantage of this free $60 picks credit today.

Read more articles by Trevor Whenham