Virginia Tech vs UNI Pregame

Virginia Tech is back in action on the hardwood this evening as they take on the UNI Panthers in the Cancun Challenge.This will be the first meeting between the two teams and should be a tough test for the Hokies. Northern Iowa is 4-0 on the season yet they have not faced competition from a Power 5 conference.

It’s GameDay on a beautiful morning in Mexico for the #CancunChallenge #Hokies-Panthers 7 pm ET on CBSSN pic.twitter.com/jNIjGhK1sp

— VT Men's Basketball (@VT_MBBall) November 25, 2014

Last time out the Hokies lost a close game to the Mountaineers of Appalachian State, 65-63, as App State scored with 2 seconds left in the game. Virginia Tech struggled from the field as they hit only 45% of their FGs, while also struggling on the boards as they were out rebounded 42-27, which could be a problem tonight as UNI rebounds the ball effectively.

UNI comes into this early season matchup shooting ~50% from the field and 72% from the free-throw line. Several players to watch are Seth Tuttle who is averaging 17 points/game, Wes Washpun who is averaging 12 points/game and former Virginia Cavalier Paul Jesperson who is averaging 8 points/game. Tuttle is a dynamic forward that will be a tough matchup for the Hokies as he is a strong player that rebounds the ball effectively and is good around the rim. The Panthers will look to spread the Hokies out so that Tuttle will have room to work inside; however, UNI has good shooters on the perimeter that Tuttle will look to find on inside-out plays.

The game will be live on the CBS Sports Network at 7:00pm. Stay tuned to GobblerCountry for your in-game coverage and post-game recap.

Go Hokies!