Hokies put unbeaten home record, three-game win streak to the test against A-10 foe

Dayton (6-4)
at Virginia Tech (8-1)
December 7, 2022
Cassell Coliseum
8:00 p.m. ET

BLACKSBURG – Coming off its first ranked win of the year and another home victory, Virginia Tech welcomes Dayton to Cassell Coliseum for a mid-week matchup at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The Hokies’ seventh home game of the season will be aired on ACC Network with Dave O’Brien and Cory Alexander on the call. As always, Zach Mackey and Mike Burnop will provide coverage for Tech fans on the Virginia Tech Sports Network.

THE FINALS COUNTDOWN: 80s NIGHT AT CASSELL

• It’s the last day of classes so students are invited to take the night off in a countdown to finals with 80s Night at Cassell! 80s Night will include a retro student giveaway and 80s music and contests throughout the game.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS

• Dayton’s starters scored all of the Flyers’ points Saturday when UD beat Southeastern Louisiana 80-74. Each of those starters also reached double figures. Toumani Camara had 20 points to lead UD. DaRon Holmes II had 19 points (with 12 rebounds), Mustapha Amzil had 16, Mike Sharavjamts 14 (with eight assists) and R.J. Blakney 11.
• The Flyers are the preseason favorite in the Atlantic 10. Dayton returns all five starters from a team that finished 24-11, and tied for second in the A-10 with a 14-4 record.

THE SERIES

• Virginia Tech and Dayton are set to meet for the 16th time Wednesday night in Blacksburg.
• The Hokies hold an 8-7 advantage in the all-time series.
• This will be the third time in four seasons the two sides have faced each other.
• Wednesday’s game vs. Dayton will be the sixth time the Hokies host the Flyers in Blacksburg (5-0).
• This will be the fourth time Dayton’s Anthony Grant will face-off against the Hokies on the hardwood. Grant was the head coach of Alabama when the Crimson Tide beat Tech 86-83 in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
• The Hokies will be seeking their first 9-1 start to a season since 2018-19. That year, Tech opened with a 14-1 ledger through its first 15 games. 

JUSTYN MUTTS: BEYOND A GLUE GUY

• Mutts continues to prove himself as one of the ACC’s most valuable players, as he put together his sixth-consecutive game in double figures with a season-high 27 points against then-No. 18 North Carolina. The six-game streak of double-figure scoring ties Mutts’ career best, which he set in the final six games of the 2019-20 season (at Delaware).
• The Millville, N.J. native had 21 of his 27 points in the second half, shooting 9 for 10 from the floor in the final 20 minutes.
• Mutts, the reigning ACC Player of the Week, is no stranger to breakout halves against the Tar Heels. In fact, his three highest scoring halves of his career have all come against North Carolina: 21 (2H, Dec. 4, 2022), 16 (2H, Jan. 24, 2022), 14 (1H, March 11, 2021). 

HOKIES HAVE THE MOST DANGEROUS TEAM IN THE ACC

• In a segment on In Play, a 30-minute program hosted by Jordan Cornette and Carlos Boozer, the Hokies were discussed as being the most dangerous team in the ACC.
• Cornette, who was in Blacksburg as the analyst for the Minnesota game last Monday, acknowledged Tech can “spread you out. They don’t beat themselves. Those are always the most dangerous kind of teams.”
• Cornette also pointed out Sean Pedulla is the most improved player in the ACC.

RACING OUT TO AN 8-1 START

• The Hokies are off to an 8-1 start for the third time in the last five seasons and second time under Coach Young.
• An 8-1 start has boded well for Tech in the past. It’s the sixth 8-1 start for the Hokies since 2012-13. The Hokies have made the NCAA Tournament in four of the five previous instances.

UP NEXT

Virginia Tech will take on Oklahoma State on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m., as one of four games in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational at the Barclays Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.).

COURTESY VIRGINIA TECH ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS