BYU Preview

Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (12-7, 1-4 ACC) vs Brigham Young Cougars (17-5, 6-2 West Coast)

When: Wednesday, January 25 @ 7:00 p.m.

TV: ESPN3 (Walter Storholt and Stephen Binder)

Where: Cassell Coliseum (9,847), Blacksburg, VA

The Opponent: The Hokies finally got the ACC monkey off their back with a beautiful (to some eyes) 47-45 win over the Wahoos in Charlottesville on Sunday. Now, Tech looks to end non-conference play on a positive note with a victory over a BYU squad that is in its first year in the West Coast Conference.

BYU made a name for itself over the past couple years thanks to phenom Jimmer Fredette, but he’s since joined the NBA. This year’s Cougars squad has brought about a bit of rebuilding while also banking on some returning talent. That being said, this team hung tough with nationally-ranked Baylor and St. Mary’s before losing and they’re third in the WCC behind St. Mary’s (19-2, 8-0) and Gonzaga (16-3, 6-1). After this game, BYU has St. Mary’s and Gonzaga at home, so this is obviously a pivotal stretch for them.

Here’s a look at their revamped lineup:

The strength of this team comes inside, which isn’t a good sign for Tech. Brandon Davies was the team’s third-leading scorer last year, but was suspended at the end of last season for breaking the school’s honor code about premarital sex. Since being reinstated for this year, he’s returned to his normal self and has scored in double digits in each of the last 10 games.

Noah Hartsock has attempted to fill in the void left by the Jimmer, and is doing so at a rather respectable clip, averaging nine more points per game than he did last year. He’s also extremely accurate, shooting 58 percent from the field on the year. Charles Abouo and Matt Carlino also average in double figures for BYU, which is 16th in the nation in scoring with 80ppg. The fifth starter, Brock Zylstra, is the team’s leading three-point shooter, connecting on 43 percent of his shots from beyond the arc this year.

The bench is rather thin for the Cougars, as 70 percent of their points come from their five starters. Stephen Rogers and Anson Winder are three-point shooters off the bench and both have started a couple games this year. Speaking of three’s, BYU likes to shoot them. They average 20 attempts per game and make about eight per contest. Tech is the best in the nation when it comes to three-point defense, and they’ll need another effort like the one against UVA to keep themselves in the game.

This is a good matchup for both teams, as neither has a top 50 win, but both are undefeated against teams ranked 51-100 in the RPI. With both being ranked in that second category, it’s an opportunity to get a quality win for both of these teams.

The Cougars like to run and score a lot. Greenberg has said BYU’s transition game is similar to UNC, and we all know how that second half turned out. The Hokies have struggled scoring and the Cougars have great athleticism and size inside to battle against Davila and Raines. I’m predicting a toss-up, but I believe BYU’s offense will win out down the stretch as opposed to the Hokies’ stout defense.

Prediction: BYU 72, Virginia Tech 68