Pittsburgh Basketball: 3 keys to bubble battle home matchup with Virginia Tech Hokies

Pittsburgh Basketball is looking to stay on the bubble, taking on the Virginia Tech Hokies at home. What's the key to winning the lone matchup of the season between them?

After five straight wins and finding its way onto the bubble, Pittsburgh Basketball suffered a setback this week, losing by 33 points on the road at Wake Forest. But all isn't lost, as they have a Quad 2 opportunity at home this Saturday against Virginia Tech. The Hokies are 15-11 on the season but are coming off a blowout win of its own, beating Virginia by 34 points at home.

This feels like a bubble elimination game of sorts, with the loser of this game likely needing the ACC Tournament auto bid to make the Big Dance. The Panthers simply can't lose this one. Here are the keys to them getting the victory.

1. Don't lose the backcourt battle by too much

The Hokies have one of the best backcourts in the country in Sean Pedulla (15.2 ppg and 4.3 apg) and Hunter Cattoor (14.0 ppg), who combine to shoot around 40% from deep on over 11 attempts a game. If they go off it's going to be extremely difficult to beat them. That's the challenge that freshmen guards Jaland Lowe and Carlton Carrington will have to face and against some of the other top guards, they've been okay.

But defending well and avoiding foul trouble as well will be a tough task, assuming that Ish Leggett deals with Tyler Nickel on the wing for Virginia Tech. If Lowe/Carrington finds a way to match their production, the Panthers would be in great shape. Just not getting outscored by a ton will be ideal.

2. Defend Lynn Kidd will down low

The third key contributor for Virginia Tech this season has been a surprise, with 6'10 center Kidd breaking out. He went from 5.0 ppg off the bench a year ago to 13.0 ppg and 6.6 rpg on 65% shooting from the field. He's had some big games this season, including a 31-point and 11-rebound game against American.

It'll be up to the center duo of Federiko Federiko and Guillermo Diaz-Graham to slow him down. They had some recent good games collectively but got thoroughly outplayed by Efton Reid and Matthew Marsh in the last game inside against Wake Forest. It might not be as important as the guards but preventing a big game from Kidd will be another key.

3. Win the rebounding battle

On paper, these are two fairly similar teams when it comes to playstyle. One big difference is the rebounding, as the Hokies are fairly weak. They're one of the worst in the country at rebounding, especially at creating second-chance opportunities. That's one of the Panthers' strengths, ranking 12th nationally in offensive rebounds allowed at 7.9 a game.

For a team that can be as potential as Virginia Tech, making sure they don't get second chances is a big key. A Blake Hinson masterclass scoring game could make this all obsolete but if not, winning the rebounding battle also is going to go a long way to winning on Saturday.