Two teams in a good run of conference form will be pitted against each other on Saturday afternoon as Virginia Tech (8-9, 3-3) hosts Wake Forest (13-4, 5-1) at 2 PM in Cassell Coliseum. The Hokies have won three of their last four games with all three being decided in the final minutes of each contest. The Demon Deacons have won four in a row and all have come by ten points or more. Wake Forest opens as 4.5-point favorites and the game is scheduled to be televised on the ACC Network.
Wake Forest has talent across the board and one of the best scorers in the conference. Wake has generally been a team that hasn’t been afraid to go deep into the bench but the lineup has already shortened to just 8 players getting consistent minutes. The Demon Deacons are a solid rebounding unit that can cause some havoc defensively and use their strength effectively on both ends of the floor.
Hunter Sallis is the star and has been showing it on the court lately. Sallis has scored 20 or more points in the last six games and is coming off a 30 point outing against Stanford. That doesn’t even acknowledge his other skills as he is averaging 4.1 rebounds and 3 assists per game. Tyler Johnson will likely draw the matchup to defend Sallis but it isn’t as good of a matchup as some of the other players the Hokies have come across. Cameron Hildreath is the second leading scoring and the physical guard is a silky operator that can explode. Hildreath recently had a 31-point game against Miami and is averaging 13.5 points on the season. Cameron can create turnovers and is very dangerous in the fast break because of his methodical movements and ability to draw fouls.
Davin Cosby, Juke Harris, and Ty-Laur Johnson are the three other guards in the rotation. Cosby, an Alabama transfer and Virginia native, brings his 6’5″ frame to the wing with the ability to knock down perimeter shots. Cosby has been dealing with an injury and likely sees limited minutes in this game but should he give it a go his shooting is something to watch. Harris is a 6’7″ wing who can attack and rebound well in limited minutes. Juke recently had a 17 point game against NC State to highlight some of his explosive scoring ability. Johnson is a lightning fast point guard who can create off the bounce and draw fouls while attacking the rim. Ty-Laur has been getting more assists lately as well with an increased overall role. Johnson’s matchup against Ben Hammond and Brandon Rechsteiner could be a major factor in the game…