Maryland-Eastern Shore @ Virginia Tech preview
Cassell Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Dec 7, 2016 ) Maryland - E. Shore 59, Virginia Tech 75
The nation’s highest-scoring team takes on one of the country’s lowest-scoring squads when Virginia Tech hosts Maryland-Eastern Shore on Sunday. Buzz Williams’ red-hot Hokies are aiming for their seventh straight victory.
Through Friday, the Hokies led the nation in scoring (96.6 points per game) and field-goal percentage (55.3) while ranking third from 3-point range (45.6 percent). Virginia Tech shot 62 percent in a 95-68 win over Radford on Wednesday. That’s in stark contrast to the Hawks, who ranked 348th among 351 NCAA Division I teams in scoring (59.7 points) and shooting (37.5 percent). UMES is coming off a 71-49 loss at Liberty in which it shot just 24 percent in the first half and 32.7 percent for the game.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra, ESPN3
ABOUT UMES (3-7): The Hawks are relying on young players in key roles, as freshman forward Miryne Thomas (12 points, 5.4 rebounds) leads the team in scoring. Sophomores Tyler Jones (11.3 points, 5.5 rebounds) and Ahmad Frost (10.1 points) are the only other players averaging double digits in points. Logan McIntosh (9.9 points, 4.3 assists) is hitting his stride after missing three games in November with a back injury and has averaged 15 points, five rebounds and 5.3 assists over his last three contests.
ABOUT VIRGINIA TECH (8-1): All five starters average double digits in points for the Hokies, with Justin Bibbs (18.6 points) and Ahmed Hill (16.8, 4.8 rebounds) leading the way. Nickeil Alexander-Walker (14.2 points) and Kerry Blackshear Jr. (13.4, seven rebounds) also score in double digits while Justin Robinson (10.3 points, 5.9 assists) is the facilitator. Four Hokies have hit at least 11 3-pointers, with Hill leading the charge by going 27-for-53 from beyond the arc.
TIP-INS
1. Virginia Tech has won all seven previous meetings, including a 75-59 triumph last season, and is 29-0 against current members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
2. Bibbs has made a 3-pointer in 23 straight games, the longest active streak in the ACC.
3. UMES has lost its six road games by an average of 35.5 points.
PREDICTION: Virginia Tech 103, UMES 71