ACC Showdown – Virginia Tech at Clemson

Virginia Tech Hokies (16-10 SU, 8-13 ATS) at Clemson Tigers (22-4 SU, 11-9-1 ATS)

BetOnline NCAAB Sports Odds: CLEMSON -10.5

Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

• VT is 0-5 ATS in its last five games
• VT has lost five of its last seven games SU
• VT has played seven of its last ten games OVER the total
• VT has lost four of its last six road games SU
• CLEM has covered six of its last eight games
• CLEM has won 21 of its last 25 games SU
• CLEM ha splayed four of its last five games OVER the total
• CLEM has won 15 of its last 17 home games SU
• CLEM has played seven of its last eight home games UNDER the total

Also…

• CLEM has won five of the last six meetings SU
• The last five meetings have gone OVER the total
• CLEM has had the rebounding edge in four of the last six meetings
• CLEM has made more three-pointers in each of the last seven meetings

Virginia Tech looked like it might be headed in the right direction after scoring consecutive wins over Boston College, Wake Forest and Miami (the last two on the road) in late January. Now, the Hokies are reeling, having failed to cover a pointspread in their last five contests, and dropping three in a row to Maryland, Virginia and Florida State. The last one was painful, as FSU’s Toney Douglas hit a shot with six seconds left to ice the 67-65 victory.

The last time these two teams met, Clemson fell behind by 15 points in the second half and rallied for an 86-82 win as it looked as if the Hokies were standing still over the last 13 minutes or so. An 18-0 run by the Tigers is what turned things around. So what you have here for Virginia Tech is a revenge motive, albeit on the road, along with the kind of desperation of a team that knows its NCAA tournament hopes may hinge on this game. If you remember, the Gobblers were mighty pissed about not making the field last season, despite a number of strong wins.

There was a red-hot scorer in that first meeting for Virginia Tech, as Malcolm Delaney looked dominant by scoring a career-high 37 points, including six three-pointers. Along with A.D. Vassallo (19.7 ppg over last six) and sure-handed soph Hank Thorns, he forms the kind of backcourt that is needed when going out on the road for a big game. It also helps if you can compete on the inside, and so don’t discount the presence of Jeff Allen, a 6’7”, 240-pound forward who consistently gives coach Seth Greenberg between eight and 11 rebounds a game (with a high of 21) and is coming back to action after sitting out a one-game suspension.

The last seven meetings between these schools have been decided by a TOTAL of 16 points. We’re all over Virginia Tech, the 10.5-point underdog in the BetOnline NCAA college basketball sports betting odds.

JAY’S PLAY: VIRGINIA TECH +10.5 ****

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

(Charles Jay makes his share of shots from downtown as a contributor to the BetOnline Locker Room)