Virginia Tech Basketball: 2018-19 keys to victory for the Hokies at Virginia

2.  Win the defensive battle

Two of the top defensive teams in the nation will square off on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers are allowing just 50.3 points per game in conference action. At the same token, Virginia Tech is allowing just 60.3 points per contest in conference play. In a game where it could come down to a possession, the Hokies will need to win the defensive battle to have a shot in this one.

The Cavaliers are holding opponents to just 32.9 percent shooting from the field and 23.9 percent shooting from 3-point land through their first three ACC games. The Hokies have been a good defensive team as well. They haven’t been nearly as good as Virginia but they’ve held opponents to 47.3 percent shooting and 35.1 percent shooting from 3-point range.

While those numbers aren’t anywhere close to Virginia’s, consider this, the Hokies held the Cavaliers to 28.9 percent shooting from 3-point range in last year’s overtime victory. Things were a bit different for each squad then, as they will be on Tuesday, which makes for an even better matchup.