Maryland-Virginia Tech preview: Hokies come to town for last regular season meeting

The Virginia Tech Hokies will come to College Park on Tuesday, March 4th for the last meeting between the programs in regular season ACC play. The Hokies come into the game with a 9-19 overall record and a 2-14 conference record, putting them at the bottom of the ACC standings. Maryland is 15-14 on the season while being only 7-9 in ACC play. The game will be played at 7pm EST and will broadcast on ESPN 3 and local television networks.

Players to watch

Jarell Eddie, senior, 6'7", 220 pounds

The Hokies go as Eddie goes. Eddie is their leading scorer at 13.4 points per game and takes a lot of shots for the team. Eddie is also the teams leading rebound man with his 5.4 boards per game. To put it simply, Eddie is the man for the Hokies, which is evident by their record. Eddie is not a prolific three-point shooter, but will be the man to take the most three-point shots for the team. Eddie will take any shot on the court, and will look to attack the basket if the opportunity presents itself. He is a scorer, and will do what it takes to get his points. The team needs it.Dez Wells will likely be the man guarding Eddie for the Terps.

Adam Smith, sophomore, 6'1", 170 pounds

Smith is the secondary scoring option alongside of Eddie. Smith is averaging 11 points per contest but shoots just over 35% from the field. Smith is a bit undersized but finds a way to get buckets. He isn't aggressive on the boards and only averages just over two assists per game which makes him appear as just a scorer. Seth Allen is the easy pick to potentially guard Smith due to the similar sizes.

Ben Emelogu, freshman, 6'5", 205 pounds

Emelogu is the freshman that does the most for for the Hokies with his 10.8 points per game, 3.1 rebounds and 2 assists per game averages. He is a long wing player that can shoot the ball and attack the rim. Emelogu has not played in the last three games for the Hokies, so his absence has been noticeable for the team. Prior to those games missed, Emelogu scored 9 and 8 against Miami and Virginia respectively.

Devin Wilson, freshman, 6'4", 185 pounds

Wilson is yet another freshman on a young Hokie team that is struggling this season. Wilson has done a lot of positive things for this squad, averaging 9.5 points per contest 3.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Wilson is not a great shooter from beyond the arc, only shooting 32%, but he find his points through the mid-range shot and attacking the rim. Expect a longer, more athletic player on the Terps roster to take the task of guarding Wilson.

C.J. Barksdale, junior, 6'8", 235 pounds

Barksdale is not what one would call a great shooter, but he has shown this year that he is not afraid to pull the trigger deep. He is 11-31 from behind the three-point line, but does most of his work on the interior, shooting 50% from the field. Barksdale only averages 4.5 rebounds per game, a stat that seems as though it should be higher given his size. Charles Mitchell could be tabbed with guarding Barksdale, but that could change depending on how the game goes.

Joey Van Zegeren, sophomore, 6'10" 225 pounds

Van Zegeren is the tall one of the bunch, and is a scrappy player underneath. He is averaging 5.6 points per game to go with his 4.9 rebounds per contest, but he shoots 50% from the field which is an indication of where he gets his buckets. Van Zegeren is not quite as polished as many in the post, but he scraps for his points and is a high-energy type of player.

Strengths

The Virginia Tech Hokies are what their record says, but they do posses some qualities many teams would love. They rebound as a team and scrap on the boards. They know that is where they need to make their hay because of their inefficient shooting from the outside. They are efficient around the rim and have a multitude of players who can score, although, it is rare any player on roster will spew off for 20 in a given game.

Weaknesses

The Hokies will not shoot well from the outside, and that is no secret. Their best three-point shooter shoots under 40% from beyond the arc, which is a bad omen. The Hokies also lack an enforcer underneath who will bully people for rebounds, like Maryland possesses with Charles Mitchell. It is a little surprising teams don't try to zone the Hokies more often because of their lack of shooting ability, but as it stands, unless their opposition is dead cold from the field, the Hokies don't stand a chance in many ACC contests.

Prediction

KenPom prediction: 71-59 Maryland wins. 90% chance the Terrapins win.

Our prediction:75-62 Maryland wins.

Maryland is not playing their best ball, but even that should be enough to beat a young Hokies team that hasn't gotten it going this season.