No. 16 Virginia Tech Takes on Northeastern in the 2nd Round of the Charleston Classic

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After beating Ball State, the Hokies move on to play Northeastern, who defeated Alabama, in the 2nd round of the Charleston Classic. The winner will move onto the championship and play the winner of No. 23 Purdue vs Davidson on Sunday, November 18th.

How Virginia Tech Can Win

The 16th ranked Hokies are favored vs Northeastern, but they’ll need to be consistent and play good defense if they want to move on. Virginia Tech really needs to watch out for Northeasters’ 3 point game. Against Alabama, Northeastern was 52% from behind the line. Closing out on shooters will be key for the Hokies defensively. Offensive consistency will be something the Hokies need as well. Against Ball State the Hokies were very inconsistent. At one point the Hokies went on a 19-5 run. Then to open up the 2nd half they only scored 6 points in 7 minutes. The Hokies managed to get by Ball State with their inconsistency but they might not have such luck with Northeastern.

How Northeastern Can Win

To beat the Hokies, Northeastern will need to shoot like they did vs Alabama. Northeastern shot 52% from the field going 22-42; they also shot 52% from 3-point range going 9-17. Northeastern will also need to get to the line and get the Hokies in foul trouble. Against Alabama, Northeastern went 15-17 at the line. Getting points at the line and keeping the Hokies’ key players out of the game with foul trouble will give Northeastern a big advantage.

Players to Watch

For the Hokies, Justin Robinson is one guy to be on the lookout for. Justin was the 3rd highest scorer for the Hokies vs Ball State with his 15 points. Justin is bound to break out soon and it could be against Northeastern.

For Northeastern, senior guard Vasa Pusica should be on your radar. Vasa scored 20 points vs Alabama and is averaging 20.5 points per game. Watch for Vasa as he could be what Northeastern needs to upset the Hokies.

Score Prediction

Colin Gilley: Virginia Tech should be able to get this one done. With the amount of offensive weapons and the tough physical defense the Hokies play, I don’t think Northeastern will be able to keep up with the Hokies. Close game at the half, but a 2nd half surge by the Hokies will take them to the championship. Hokies 81 Northeastern 65