Virginia and Virginia Tech have made it a habit of playing close basketball games over the last three seasons. The Hokies have won four out of the five meetings, and three of Tech's four wins were decided in overtime. The fourth was a three-point game. Tech-UVA games are turning into instant classics, and we've still got one more coming up later this season in Blacksburg.

Before Seth Greenberg arrived at Virginia Tech, it was almost impossible to imagine beating UVA in basketball four out of five times. The Hokies haven't won four out of five against the Hoos since knocking them off four times in a row from 1966 through 1969. To give you some perspective, Frank Beamer was a starting cornerback for the Tech football team the last time it happened.

That's as close as it gets. The only game that wasn't close was UVA's lone win, a 75-61 beating in Charlottesville last season. The Hokies have more than made up for that loss by all of their dramatic victories over the Hoos.

The first close win came in 2008, when Malcolm Delaney, Dorenzo Hudson, Jeff Allen, etc. were all freshmen. The Hokies pulled out a 70-69 overtime win with an athletic layup by Deron Washington. That was one of 10 times during the game when the lead changed hands, and it was also tied on seven occasions.

A.D. Vassallo dropped 22 points on the Hoos, but it was Washington's layup at the end that Tech fans will always remember. It handed Virginia their first ACC loss in the new John Paul Jones Arena.

The teams played another memorable game later that season in Blacksburg. The Hokies were victorious in overtime again, this time 72-65. Tech trailed in the second half, but rallied thanks to great defense. They held the Hoos to just 35.8% from the field and outrebounded them 43-33.

Hank Thorns played well in overtime for the Hokies that day, and finished the game with five points and four assists. It was his second straight good overtime game. He had almost single-handedly beaten Boston College in overtime the previous Saturday.

Last season, the Hokies were blowing out the Hoos in Blacksburg before a late game charge got UVA back in it. Mustapha Farrakhan got hot late and hit four straight three-pointers in a five minute span to get his team back in the game. However, Tech was able to stay the course and come away with the home victory.

Jeff Allen was suspended for last season's game at UVA thanks to a gesture to Maryland fans after fouling out in College Park. The Hokies had been beaten soundly four days earlier at Maryland, and their slump continued in Charlottesville. The Hokies had what amounted to an uninspired effort, a rarity in conference play under Seth Greenberg, as UVA won 75-61.

The Hokies overcame a lot of adversity to win the latest meeting last night. Tech trailed 22-10 in the first half, rallied to take the lead at halftime, but Jeff Allen was ejected early in the second half. After his ejection, UVA went on a quick run and led by as many as 10 points. The Hoos led by 10 points with less than three minutes remaining, but were outscored by Tech 13-3 down the stretch.

Tech went on a 13-0 run, but a three-pointer by Sammy Zeglinski tied the game at 65 as time expired. That didn't deter the Hokies, who dominated the overtime period to walk away with a 76-71 victory.

With so many great games recently, we should expect another good one on February 13 when UVA comes to the Cassell.