The No. 14 Virginia Cavaliers and the Virginia Tech Hokies will play the back-end of this season’s home-and-home series this Tuesday night at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg. This AAC in-state rivalry is set to tip off at 9 p.m., and the game will be available on ESPN3.

The Cavaliers survived a crucial road test in their pursuit of the ACC regular season title with Saturday’s 63-58 victory over Clemson that ended as a “push” on the betting line. That victory kept them just a half a game behind No. 1 Syracuse in the standings at 12-1 straight up. Virginia is 21-5 SU overall with a 13-8-1 record against the spread. The total went “over” against the Tigers after staying “under” in five of its previous six contests.

It has been a season to forget for Virginia Tech with just two SU wins in the conference against 10 losses. The good news heading into this matchup is that the Hokies are coming off a 52-45 victory over Miami this past Saturday as 3.5-point home underdogs. This ended a 10-game losing streak in which they went 2-8 ATS. The total has now stayed under in 10 of their last 11 games.

Virginia Cavaliers at Virginia Tech Hokies Betting Storylines

Virginia has very quietly kept itself within striking distance of the top team in the nation with consistency on both ends of the court. It is by no means one of the flashier teams in the ACC with an average of 66.1 points a game and a field goal percentage of 44.8. However, the Cavaliers continue to find ways to get the buckets when they need them the most. The core strength of this team remains a defense that is ranked first in the country in points allowed (55.6).

There are only two players on Virginia’s roster scoring in double-figures, with Malcolm Brogdon leading the way with 12.3 points a game. He is also chipping in 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists. The other player is Joe Harris with 11.8 points while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and an impressive 43.5 percent from 3-point range. Akil Mitchell leads the Cavaliers in rebounds with 6.8, and London Perrantes is dishing out a team-high 3.7 assists.

The Hokies’ scoring average is even lower than Virginia’s at 65.8 points a game, and they are hitting just 41 percent of their shots from the field. During their recent 10-game skid they were beaten by 20 points or more in five of the contests, including a 65-45 loss to the Cavaliers on Jan. 25 as 16-point road underdogs. The total stayed under a closing line of just 123 points in that contest.

While its offensive output can be described as mediocre at best, Virginia Tech’s defense has to share much of the blame for such a dismal record. It is allowing 68.3 points on the year, but this number climbed to 72.3 points in its previous seven games before the recent victory over the Hurricanes. Much of the offense for the Hokies has been generated by Jarell Eddie and his 13.7 points scoring average. The loss of Adam Smith due to a calf injury took a big chunk of production out of the lineup, but Ben Emelogu has picked up some of the slack with 10.9 points a game.

Virginia Cavaliers at Virginia Tech Hokies NCAA Betting Odds and Game Trends

BetOnline has opened the Cavaliers as 11.5 -point road favorites over Virginia Tech in this ACC rivalry.

The Cavaliers are 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven road games and 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a SU win. The total has stayed under in five of their last seven games on the road.

The Hokies have failed to cover in seven of their last eight games at home, and they are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games following a SU win. The total has stayed under in 13 of their last 16 conference games.

Head-to-head in this rivalry, the favorite is 3-0-1 ATS in the last four meetings, and the total has stayed under in five of the last eight games. Virginia has won six of the last seven meetings SU, and it is 7-2-1 ATS in the last 10.

Free College Basketball Picks: Virginia Cavaliers at Virginia Tech Hokies Betting Predictions

Look for another ridiculously low total line to be set for this matchup, but I still would not rule out a play on the under giving the recent betting trends for both of these teams. If playing a side, then stick with the Cavaliers all to way as they coast to another SU victory for bragging rights in the state while covering the spread along the way.

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