Virginia Tech vs. Boston College - Preview & How to Watch

Sunday night wasn’t as easy as many thought it might be, but in the end, the Hokies pulled out their first ACC road win of the season. Tyrece Radford was the star of the show, going 6-for-7 and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line, leading Virginia Tech with 20 points. Keve Aluma, Justyn Mutts, Jalen Cone, and Wabissa Bede all had quiet nights (collectively scoring just 11 points).

However, it was the breakout by freshmen forward David N’Guessan that was the talk after the game. N’Guessman went 5-for-5 and perfect from the free-throw line, scoring 13 points in 14 minutes of action. (Side Note: Keep an eye on the status of fellow freshman Joe Bamisile, who may have left or will be leaving the program. He’s recently changed this Twitter profile to remove any mention of playing for the Hokies, despite continuing to support his teammates.)

Up next VT hosts a struggling Boston College side that sits next to last in the ACC. Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know before Wednesday’s tip-off.

Wednesday, January 20th, 2021

Match-up: Virginia Tech (11-2 | 5-1) vs. Boston College (3-10 | 1-6)

Venue: Cassell Coliseum (Blacksburg, VA)

Time: 5:00 pm ET

TV: ACC Network

Radio: TuneIn Radio

Live stats: HokieSports

ESPN Favorite: 83.1% for the Hokies.

All-time series: 13-20 in favor of Boston College.

Stat Leaders

Scoring: Aluma (VT - 14.8) & Heath (Boston College - 13.6)

Rebounds: Aluma (VT - 7.3) & Mitchell (Boston College - 7.2)

Assists: Bede (VT - 2.8) & Kelly (Boston College - 2.2)

Last season the Hokies lost both of their contests against Boston College - a four-point overtime loss in Blacksburg and by five at Chestnut Hill. Prior to that Virginia Tech had built up a winning streak of five straight games, something Coach Young will look to restart on Wednesday.

The Eagles opened their season with a loss to Villanova, before going 2-4 in their non-conference slate. While their ACC record isn’t looking good, 1-6, they have been competitive at times - a three-point loss to NC State, a one-point loss at Duke, and their only conference win which came against Miami. Last time out their lost by 10 to Notre Dame and would very much like to forget a 38-point defeat by Syracuse to open their ACC schedule.

Like Wake Forest, Boston College is a team of solid players but may lack true game-breakers needed to win ACC match-ups. Their top six scorers average between 8 and 14 points per game, similar to Tech. But the Hokies should find it a bit easier to score against the Eagle’s defense than they did against Wake Forest on Sunday, but these are the games that determine if Tech is a sure NCAA Tournament team and ACC contender versus an improving middle-of-the-road conference side. Back to work in Cassell Wednesday evening.

Prediction

Virginia Tech - 74

Boston College - 64