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It was a big result for Tech on Tuesday night as the Hokies controlled their ACC opener against Clemson, trailing only once, on their way to a 66-60 victory. VT had four players score double-digits, with a big night for the sophomore class as Radford lead Tech with 15, Nahiem Alleyne had 13, and Hunter Cattoor added 11 from the bench. Keve Aluma, Cordell Pemsl, and Hunter Cattoor are all shooting at or over 50% on the season after six games.
That result moves VT to 5-1 and is an important start to the upcoming ACC season. But first, we have two non-conference games at Cassell Coliseum against Coppin State and Longwood before the team gets a week off. The Hokies are currently 16th in the RPI rankings and will be confident heading into Saturday’s contest having defeated Coppin State by 32 points last year in Blacksburg.
- No. 24 Clemson
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) December 17, 2020
ACC opener we came to play #StoneByStone | #Hokies pic.twitter.com/tmCVbhv8bm
Saturday, December 19, 2020
Matchup: Virginia Tech (5-1 | 1-0) vs. Coppin State (1-5 | 0-0)
Venue: Cassell Coliseum (Blacksburg, VA)
Time: 5:30 pm ET
TV: RSN / Virginia Tech Sports Network
Radio: TuneIn Radio
Live stats: HokieSports
ESPN Favorite: 94.2% for the Hokies
All-time series: 3-0 in favor of Virginia Tech
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— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) December 17, 2020
Gettin' to the foul line was key, as we took a step forward last night #StoneByStone | #Hokies pic.twitter.com/mGC1n1KE8y
Stat Leaders
Scoring: Aluma (VT - 15.3) & Tarke (Coppin State - 17.3)
Rebounds: Aluma (VT - 7.2) & Tarke (Coppin State - 7.8)
Assists: Mutts (VT - 2.7) & Tarke (Coppin State - 2.5)
Coppin State has had a rough start to the year going 1-5 with three additional games either canceled or postponed due to COVID-19. Outside of their only win over UNC Greensboro, their best result was a 10-point loss at Duke. As you can see by the stat leader categories, Anthony Tarke is their main man, but the Eagles have three players averaging double-digit points. They give up nearly 77 points a game (compared to Tech’s 64), but rank 26th (out of 323 schools) in the nation in steals per game — something to keep an eye on.
On paper, the Hokies should be able to control the contest on Saturday evening on route to 6-1 on the season. But we know sports are never a given, so expect Mike Young’s team to come out strong following their victory over Clemson.