The Atlantic Coast Conference season is beginning to take shape in different ways through different prisms. How will Virginia and Georgia Tech handle their respective situations?
Virginia Cavaliers @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – Thursday, January 19
Sports betting line: No line
Why Virginia Will Win
The college basketball betting experts who now have more information on the evolution of this Atlantic Coast Conference basketball season will tell you that Georgia Tech is not the “Rambling Wreck,” as its nickname suggests, but a wrecked and rambling basketball team. The same program that reached the 2004 NCAA national championship game against Connecticut is now struggling just to keep its head above water in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets have been shredded repeatedly all season long, coming up with stinkers in November against Saint Joseph’s and LSU. Georgia Tech continued to falter in December, face-planting against lowly Tulane and then dropping a pair of decisions against Mercer and – in a real shocker – Fordham, one of the annual bottom-feeders in the Atlantic 10.
Georgia Tech’s defense is passable, but its offense has been atrocious this season under first-year coach Brian Gregory, who came from the University of Dayton to experience a change of scenes. It’s really clear that Gregory – while he might generate better results over the next two months – is really working through a number of problems at the moment. In particular, he is looking for a way to get his team to play a more cohesive brand of halfcourt offense. Virginia remains the third-best team in the ACC behind Duke and North Carolina. They are the third team in the league that is likely to make the NCAA Tournament. Coach Tony Bennett has made Virginia a much more disciplined team at each end of the floor. This is a team with the defensive consistency – it held Duke to just 61 points last week – that can lock down Georgia Tech and make this game a not-very-dramatic affair. Virginia is also fresh, having received a full seven days of rest before this contest. It shapes up well for the Cavaliers – they have the right opponent and a full tank of fuel.
Why Georgia Tech Will Win
When you do your homework and assess your sportsbook review on this game, you do need to be mindful of the fact that in December, Virginia almost lost on the road against a very poor Seattle University squad. Virginia did not respond well to on-ball pressure, committing numerous turnovers against Seattle’s full-court press. No, Georgia Tech doesn’t employ the same style as Seattle University, but the point of this little comparison is that if a bad Seattle team could come within six points (83-77) of Virginia – and that game was closer than the final margin indicated – Georgia Tech could certainly rise up and register the upset.
Who Will Win
It’s not going to be a cakewalk for Virginia, but the Cavaliers – who could be rusty after their week-long layoff – should use fresher legs to their advantage in the final 10 minutes. They should also be able to work through their rust by defending really well. Defense will win this game for Virginia.
College Basketball Betting Pick: Virginia