Hokie Club
BLACKSBURG – Wrapping up its six-game home stand on Tuesday, the No. 24/RV Virginia Tech men's basketball team will face Miami (Fla.) at 6 p.m. ET on ACC Network at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum.
SERIES HISTORY
The Hokies and Hurricanes played each other twice last season, with the 'Canes coming on top both times, including the last time out in Cassell, a triple overtime thriller. Tech, which is 17-24 in the all-time series with Miami, is 9-8 at home against the Hurricanes and is a perfect 4-0 when ranked.
YOUNG'S TRACK RECORD
Tech coach Mike Young is 1-3 all-time versus Miami's Jim Larrañaga. When Young was at Wofford and Larrañaga at George Mason, Young's Terriers defeated the Patriots 82-79 in overtime in 2010 in Charleston.
ON THE CALL
The matchup will be broadcast on ACC Network (click here), with Jay Alter (play-by-play) and Paul Biancardi (analyst) on the call, while Jon Laaser (play-by-play) and Mike Burnop (analyst) will broadcast on Virginia Tech Sports Network.
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Shooting a 49.2 percent clip from the field, the Hokies, who got off to a slow start, kicked it into gear in the second half for a 26-point victory over Longwood last Monday, 84-58. Tech tallied a season-high nine steals and forced the Lancers to commit 15 turnovers.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Scoring 18 points for the second straight game, Jalen Cone did so thanks to tying his career high in 3-pointers with six and also had a board vs. Longwood. The sophomore guard has now hit 11 triples his last two games.
Tyrece Radford turned in a near double-double his last outing, recording nine points and eight rebounds, including four offensive, and had three assists. The last time he played the 'Canes, he had a double-double (career-high 26 points, 10 rebounds).
SCOUTING MIAMI (FLA.)
• Miami is coming off nine-point win over Jacksonville (6-4) on Dec. 19 at home, with getting a big scoring outing (25 points) from sophomore Isaiah Wong and a double-double performance from Anthony Walker (18 points, 10 rebounds) in the 73-64 final. The Hurricanes, like the Hokies, have played one ACC opponent, but came away with a loss, falling to Pitt (5-2) by 15 points (70-55) at home on Dec. 16.
• Larrañaga enters his 10th season as the head coach in Coral Gables, following a 14-year stint at George Mason where he took the Patriots to the Final Four in 2006. With the 'Canes, he has led them to four NCAA Tournament appearances and an ACC title in 2013.
• The Hurricanes are paced by Wong, who is averaging 19 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, and preseason All-ACC pick Chris Lykes, who is averaging 15.5 points and 5.5 assists per game, but has missed four games due to an ankle injury.
• Blocking shots and playing fundamental defense by not committing fouls are two key strengths for Miami. It is 19th nationally and first in the ACC in blocked shots per game (5.3) and is 16th overall and fourth in the league in fouls committed per game (14.3).