Virginia Basketball: Cavaliers pick up easy ACC win over Georgia Tech

Virginia Basketball (25-2, 13-2) defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Wednesday night in Charlottesville to move one step closer to an ACC title.

Virginia Basketball moved to 25-2 on the season and 13-2 in ACC play on Wednesday night after their 81-51 demolition of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (12-17, 4-12). The win moved UVa into a tie for first place with North Carolina in the ACC and one game ahead of Duke.

With the win, Virginia secures a double bye for the ACC Tournament, which begins in two weeks.

Sophomore De’Andre Hunter once again had a strong game, scoring 18 points and contributing big plays on both ends of the floor. Junior guard Ty Jerome bounced back from a tough game last Saturday at Louisville and led Virginia with 19 points.

Georgia Tech actually possessed an early lead in this game, up 11-7 and the Cavaliers went on one of their customary runs and never looked back. A 25-4 spurt blew the game open and led to a 41-22 halftime lead.

Virginia dominated on the boards with a 41-21 advantage and shot 56 percent from the floor and 53 percent from three-point range. UVa’s suffocating defense also did its job, allowing the Yellow Jackets to shoot just 37 percent from the field.

A couple of positives for the Hoos in this game came in the form of two key players breaking out of shooting slumps. Braxton Key scored just eight points, however, he connected on two of his three three-point attempts. Point guard Kihei Clark also scored eight points. He, too, had been ice-cold from beyond the arc in recent weeks and defenders are choosing to leave him open with more frequency. Clark hit two of two from beyond the arc.

Virginia Basketball needs Clark to be an option on offense. Everyone knows he is a terrific ball-handler and plays outstanding on-ball defense, but his shot was making head coach Tony Bennett have to rethink his late-game rotation. If the Cavaliers can count on Clark to make the occasional open shot during March, the sky is the limit for this team.

Jose Alvarado led the Jackets with 12 points, while James Banks III chipped in with 11 points.

The Wahoos stay at home for a date with Pitt on Saturday before a tough Monday trip to the Carrier Dome to face Syracuse. Georgia Tech returns home to host Boston College on Sunday.