The red-hot Virginia Tech Hokies look to extend their winning ways when they host in-state rival Virginia on Thursday night in Cassell Coliseum. The Hokies are riding a 4 game winning streak, including 3 victories in ACC action by a total of 4 points. The winning streak puts Tech at 3-2 in the ACC, good for 4th place in the conference standings. The Hokies are 10-6 overall.

UVa comes into Thursday night’s game with the same overall record as the Hokies, but with much different results thus far in conference play. The Cavaliers started 0-5 in the ACC, but finally broke into the win column with a narrow win over Clemson this past Saturday. Before defeating the Tigers by 2 points, UVa had lost 5 conference games by an average of 16.2 points per game. The closest the ‘Hoos came to winning a conference game in that span was an 11 point loss at home to Miami.

However, UVa has shown this season that they can play with and defeat big time college basketball teams. Back on November 21, UVa crushed an Arizona team that is currently ranked #11 in the nation. If that UVa team shows up in the Cassell on Thursday night, then the Hokies will be in some trouble.

The Cavaliers are led by two seniors, forward/center Elton Brown and small forward Devin Smith. Smith is 5th in the ACC in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game. He is an all-around player, as he also averages 6.8 rebounds per game and shoots over 50% from the field. His shooting percentage, 3-point shooting percentage and rebounding statistics have all gone up since ACC play began, which shows that he is the type of player that can step up in big situations. He has been hurt for part of the season, missing two ACC games and four games overall. The Cavaliers are a much better team with him in the lineup, and he will be in the lineup against the Hokies.

Unlike Smith, Brown’s statistics have dropped like a rock since conference play began. His points per game average in conference games is a full point lower than his overall average, his rebounding has dropped from 9.4 to 8.5 and his shooting percentage is a below average 38.6% from the field, as compared to his overall 46.3% mark. One knock on Brown is that he doesn’t get off the floor well when shooting, so the Hokies have a chance to get some blocks in this game.

Another player to watch is freshman point guard Sean Singletary. Singletary has started every game at the point for Pete Gillen this season, and has demonstrated very good skills at the position. He has 64 assists to 46 turnovers this year. A good player now, he is a player to watch as a possible ACC star down the road. A major key to the game will be how he handles a hostile road environment combined with the Hokies’ domination of the passing lanes. Tech ranks 2nd in the ACC in steals and 1st in turnover margin, so they will look to give the freshman some trouble.

There are some interesting team stats that could potentially play a role in this game as well. For example, the Tech scoring offense vs. the UVa scoring defense will be key. Take a look at the table above and you will see that the Hokies are last in the conference in scoring, while UVa is last in scoring defense. Whichever team wins this battle of the resistible force vs. the moveable object may well win the game.

One thing to note about the Hokie offense is the fact that it has been playing much better the past two games. Georgia Tech and NC State rank 2nd and 3rd in the ACC in scoring defense, giving up 62 and 64.9 points per game respectively. Tech was able to break 70 points against both of those teams, so things could be looking up for the Hokies offensively.

Also of note is the fact that UVa recently lost senior power forward Jason Clark for the season due to academics. Clark started 12 games for the Cavs this season, averaging 6.7 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. He also led the team in blocked shots with 17. In his place Pete Gillen will likely start 6-10 205-pound sophomore Jason Cain. Cain averages 2.1 points per game and 1.7 rebounds per game.