Pittsburgh Panthers vs Virginia Tech Hokies Prediction, 2/18/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Panthers vs Virginia Tech Hokies

Date: Saturday, February 18, 2023

Location: Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, VA

TV: ACCN

The Virginia Tech Hokies (15-11) will take on the Pittsburgh Panthers (19-7) at Cassell Coliseum on Saturday.

The Pittsburgh Panthers faced off with Boston College and earned the victory with a final of 77-58 in their last contest. In reference to personal fouls, the Panthers ended up with 13 and Boston College finished the game with 21 personal fouls. They also made 9 out of their 26 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Boston College finished 77.8% at the free throw line by knocking down 7 of 9 attempts. On top of that, Boston College pulled down 35 rebounds (10 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Boston College recorded 13 assists and had 7 steals in the matchup. Pertaining to defense, Pittsburgh allowed the other team to go 33.9% from the field on 21 out of 62 shooting. They also dished out 15 assists for this contest in addition to forcing 14 turnovers and earning 4 steals. When it comes to pulling down rebounds, they earned 39 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Panthers made 14 of 19 tries for a rate of 73.7%. Pittsburgh finished with a 43.3% FG percentage (26 of 60) and converted 11 of their 25 3-pointers.

Blake Hinson is a player who had an impact in the game. He accounted for 21 points on 7 out of 15 shooting. He was on the court for 30 mins played and collected 7 rebounds. He shot 46.7% from the floor but had no assists at the end of the game.

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Pittsburgh will take the court with a mark of 19-7 for the year. They are turning it over 12.1 times per game and as a unit they are committing 15.9 personal fouls per game. As a team, Pittsburgh is pulling down 37.4 boards per contest and is sitting with 371 assists this year, which has them ranked 111th in the nation in terms of passing. The Panthers are hitting 36.2% on shots from distance (246 of 680) and 76.3% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 75.0 points per outing (107th in D-1) while connecting on 44.8% from the field.

Defensively, the Panthers are able to force 11.9 turnovers every game and they draw 17.6 fouls. They are currently ranked 151st in college basketball in allowing assists with 322 relinquished on the season. The Panthers defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 40.6% (628 of 1,548) and they concede 34.3 boards per game as a basketball team. They are giving up 31.6% on three-point shots while they are 116th in the nation in PPG allowed (67.5).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Virginia Tech Hokies took a loss by a score of 77-70 when they played Georgia Tech. The Hokies were able to snag 22 defensive boards and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 36 in this contest. They also turned the ball over 10 times, while recording 9 steals for this game. Georgia Tech earned 13 fouls for the contest which got the Hokies to the charity stripe for a total of 8 attempts. They were able to make 4 of them for a percentage of 50.0%. In the matter of 3-pointers, Virginia Tech knocked down 6 of 23 attempts (26.1%). When the final whistle was blown, the Hokies finished shooting 30 out of 73 from the field which gave them a rate of 41.1%. The Hokies allowed Georgia Tech to make 26 out of 58 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 44.8% in the matchup. They finished 50.0% from distance by hitting 11 out of 22 and walked away from this one shooting 14 out of 26 at the free throw line (53.8%). When it comes to team rebounding, Virginia Tech permitted Georgia Tech to snag 35 overall (8 on the offensive side).

Grant Basile was important for the Hokies in the game. He racked up 21 points in his 34 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 1 assist for the game. He made 10 of 21 for this game for a field goal percentage of 47.6%, and had 7 rebounds.

Virginia Tech has a mark of 15-11 on the campaign. As an offense, the Hokies are shooting 47.2% from the floor, which ranks them 45th in the nation. Virginia Tech has accounted for 1,938 pts so far this season (74.5 per contest) and they grab 34.3 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 15.6 times per contest (34th in the nation) and they turn it over 10.0 times per game. The Hokies are committing 15.7 personal fouls every game while shooting 73.4% from the free throw line.

The Hokies on defense are ranked 166th in college hoops in points allowed per game with 69.2. They are forcing 11.2 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 43.6% from the floor (192nd in college hoops). The Virginia Tech defense surrenders 34.4% on shots from behind the 3-point line (190 of 552) and opponents are connecting on 70.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 12.6 dimes and 33.7 total boards per game, which ranks them 184th and 159th in the nation.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Pittsburgh

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