After going an outstanding 11-1 in non-conference play to start the season, the No. 2 Virginia men’s basketball team has seemingly gotten even better in ACC play, having won its first five games to sit at 5-0 and atop the ACC standings as the only undefeated team. The Cavaliers’ strong performances against conference foes has included wins over in-state rival Virginia Tech, then No. 12 North Carolina and most recently an NC State team that was coming off back-to-back wins over Top 25 teams. Virginia (16-1, 5-0 ACC) has won all three of those games by double digits.
With four of Virginia’s first five ACC games having been at home in John Paul Jones Arena — where the team has had tremendous success in the Tony Bennett era — things will begin to get tougher for the Cavaliers as they get ready to embark on a tough road stretch. Virginia will play six of its next nine games on the road, including in Durham, N.C. for a potential Top 10 showdown against Duke Jan. 27.
The Cavaliers will kick off this tough stretch on the road with a game against Georgia Tech this week in Atlanta, Ga. Georgia Tech (10-7, 3-1 ACC) had a mediocre non-conference record, coming into ACC play sitting at 7-6. Its sole noteworthy win came against Northwestern in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
However, the Yellow Jackets have turned things around in ACC play. After dropping their first game to Notre Dame, the Yellow Jackets have won three straight ACC games and four straight games overall. Georgia Tech took down Yale in a non-conference game sandwiched between its game against Miami and its second game against Notre Dame.
The Yellow Jackets were able to take down then No. 15 Miami by double-digit points in a 64-54 win that is easily its most impressive of the season. The team was also able to take down Notre Dame in the rematch between the two teams.
Georgia Tech will be a challenge for a surging Virginia team, especially due to the game being on the road. With a strong defense that has typically sustained in away games , the Cavaliers will look to see if its players can continue their impressive offensive outings. Virginia’s trio of guards in senior guard Devon Hall, sophomore guard Kyle Guy and sophomore guard Ty Jerome have been spectacular recently and will try to continue their strong play.
The game against Georgia Tech is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Thursday.
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