Fansided

Miami vs. Virginia Tech prediction and odds for Tuesday, February 21 (Hokies score big home victory)

By Reed Wallach

Jan 31, 2023; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies guard Hunter Cattoor (0) puts up a shot over Miami Hurricanes guard Wooga Poplar (55) during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2023; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies guard Hunter Cattoor (0) puts up a shot over Miami Hurricanes guard Wooga Poplar (55) during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Virginia Tech was hoping to ride the momentum from last year’s NCAA Tournament berth, but injuries have derailed their chances so far.

It’s do-or-die time for Mike Young’s Hokies at home against Miami with few quality wins still available ahead of the ACC Tournament. These two played a thrilling back and forth matchup that the Hurricanes pulled away and won late. With the venue changing to Blacksburg, can Virginia Tech exact some revenge?

Here are the odds for this massive ACC matchup:

Miami vs. Virginia Tech odds, spread and total

Miami vs. Virginia Tech prediction and pick

The first matchup was tied with less than four minutes left before a personal Nijel Pack 8-0 run to bust the game open. While Virginia Tech has had some setbacks over the course of the season, the team’s offense remains one of the best in country. Since February 1st, Virginia Tech is a top 25 offense, per Bart Torvik.

Now, Miami is still a top 10 offense like it has been all season with Pack and Isaiah Wong leading a group that is top 20 in effective field goal percentage. However, the team’s defense does leave a ton to be desired. The defense doesn’t excel at anyone metric, as they struggle to get stops on the interior (237th in two-point defense) and struggles to limit second chances (248th in defensive rebounding rate).

Despite Virginia Tech’s struggles in ACC play due to the injury of Hunter Cattoor that cost him four games, this offense is still an elite group that can hold up with Miami’s. I don’t see a massive difference between the two teams, evident in the back-and-forth style of the prior meeting, but I will side with the Hokies at home, where they are 12-3 straight up, to cover the one bucket spread.

Similar to the first game, I’ll back a similar game script that features a close game with the home team pulling away late.

Track all of Reed’s bets at Betstamp HERE!

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.