Virginia Tech vs Boston College Odds
| Virginia Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9 -110 | 132.5 -110o / -110u | -435 |
| Boston College Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9 -110 | 132.5 -110o / -110u | +350 |
It's an odd year for the ACC.
Duke is in its first season without Coach K. North Carolina was the preseason top-ranked team before falling out of the AP Poll with four early losses. Louisville is a 2-9 disaster.
The conference looks like it will have a few contenders on top, a large group of teams jockeying for positioning in the middle of the pack and a few real stragglers behind.
Wednesday offers one of those bottom teams a crack at a contender near the top. Virginia Tech is 11-1 with some notable wins under its belt. Boston College is as mediocre as ever, just 6-6 with some miserable losses.
Do the Eagles stand a chance to keep this game close at home, or will the Hokies simply be too much to handle?
Virginia Tech Hokies
The last time I previewed a Virginia Tech game, I closed its team breakdown with an ominous suggestion:
"Virginia Tech has one of the most under-appreciated coaches in college basketball with a team that can carve up any defense. Invest now while you still can."
The Hokies were seven-point favorites in that game against Dayton and won by 28. They then beat Oklahoma State on a neutral court, covering again.
On December 7, prior to the Hokies routing Dayton, they were listed at +1200 to win the ACC, +3500 to reach the Final Four and +15000 to win the national title (odds via Parx). Those numbers, despite Virginia Tech's play over the last two weeks, haven't moved (at least at that book).
I am, once again, suggesting you invest in the Hokies now while you still can.
This is a top-25 team by any metric you want to use, and the Hokies have just one loss — a road game against a good Charleston team.
Mike Young is one of college basketball's smartest offensive tacticians, and he has a roster of smart players who execute at a high level. The Hokies are among the best teams in the nation at avoiding turnovers, and they maximize every trip down the floor with a high quality look at the rim.
The core of Young's starting lineup can attack a defense in a variety of ways and contains synergies that make stopping them a tall task.
If this team is going to be one of the better teams in the ACC, it can't lose road games to cellar dwellers like BC. If the Hokies are a team worthy of real national attention, this is a game they should control from the moment the ball is tipped.
Boston College Eagles
The basketball program at my alma mater continues to be in shambles. Ever since BC chased the football money available by moving to the ACC, basketball has been beyond an after-thought in Chestnut Hill.
Since firing Al Skinner in 2010, BC has had three coaches, none of which have had any inkling of success getting the ball rolling. In those 12+ seasons, BC has as many winning seasons in conference play as it has winless seasons in conference play (one of each).
This year's team isn't going to do anything to change the trajectory of the program. The Eagles have already lost games to Maine, Tarleton State and New Hampshire. Boston College is 0-3 against KenPom top-100 teams, with an average margin of defeat of 19.7 points.
In theory, freshman Prince Aligbe is the most exciting piece on the roster, though he has both missed time due to injury and had a penchant for disappearing in games. In BC's recent narrow victory over Stonehill, Aligbe played just 14 minutes and scored three points on four field-goal attempts.
If not for the disasters at Cal, Louisville and Georgetown, BC would have a compelling case as the worst power-conference basketball team, especially on the offensive end.
Nothing about the Eagles' offense looks easy, with every basket feeling like a minor miracle.
Virginia Tech vs. Boston College Betting Pick
Given my breakdown of each team, you can probably guess which way my pick is going to land — on the Hokies. If I haven't swayed you yet, perhaps you're concerned that BC is playing at home in Chestnut Hill.
Well, don't worry about that.
The Eagles are 0-6 ATS as a home team this season. Only one team in all of college basketball has played more home games without covering a spread this year (the dreadful Cal Bears).
This is not a new trend. Since 2018, Boston College is just 24-42 ATS at home (11th worst in Division I over that time).
Conte Forum is one of the worst home court advantages in college basketball, year after year. KenPom's metrics have BC as the 225th-ranked home team in the nation over its last 60 games.
If anything, I might be able to talk myself into BC being friskier on the road instead of in front of a sleepy half-empty crowd with students away for winter break.
In two games against top-level competition, BC lost to Duke by 16 points and to Villanova by 21. There's no reason to believe they can stay within this number against the Hokies.
