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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an SMU-Virginia Tech prediction and pick. Find out how to watch SMU-Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech is situated in an ACC basketball context which is just not very pretty right now. If you have noticed over the past several days, ACC bubble teams are generally playing their way out of the NCAA Tournament, and not into it. Pittsburgh got crushed at home by Virginia, a hugely damaging loss for the Panthers. They would probably not be in the NCAA tourney if the selection show was today. North Carolina has lost consecutive games and would not be in the field right now if the 68-team tournament was revealed. We have also seen Georgia Tech beat Clemson and Louisville in consecutive games. That won't knock the Tigers and Cardinals out of the NCAA Tournament, but it will weaken their resumes.
Virginia Tech, which has had a very rough and unpleasant season, becomes a team which can make the ACC's bubble outlook even worse on Wednesday when it hosts SMU. The Mustangs can't afford to lose to Virginia Tech. SMU has an overall record of 17-5, 8-3 in the ACC. On the surface, that would seem to be an obvious NCAA Tournament profile. However, when you look deeper, and you note how many mediocre (non-NCAA Tournament) teams there are in the ACC, the body of work becomes very thin. Yes, SMU has 17 total wins and eight ACC wins, but none of them are against NCAA Tournament-quality opponents. SMU had a 17-point win over Washington State which looked good for awhile, but Wazzu has since tumbled in the West Coast Conference, getting swept by Pacific and generally falling out of NCAA tourney contention.
SMU has to win every remaining game versus inferior opponents, and it needs to pick up at least one or two good wins as well, to feel optimistic about making the Big Dance. SMU does not have the luxury of being able to lose many games, despite the 17-5 record.
Here are the SMU-Virginia Tech College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: SMU-Virginia Tech Odds
SMU: -6.5 (-102)
Moneyline: -250
Virginia Tech: +6.5 (-120)
Moneyline: +198
Over: 144.5 (-115)
Under: 144.5 (-105)
How to Watch SMU vs Virginia Tech
Time: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
TV: ACC Network
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why SMU Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Mustangs have had problems beating good teams this season. They have not had problems beating bad teams. Virginia Tech is a 10-12 basketball team which has lost three out of five and is under .500 in a bad ACC which has underperformed as a conference this season. SMU should be able to handle Virginia Tech, much as it has been able to deal with other ACC road trips to North Carolina State, Miami, Virginia, and Boston College. SMU has proved it can win on the road in the ACC and handle the long-distance commutes which are now part of life for the Mustangs in their new league. Coach Andy Enfield, in Year 1 on the job since coming over from USC, has done better than a lot of the experts predicted. He has found a comfort zone with his new-look roster and has pushed the right buttons most of the season. SMU certainly merits more trust than Virginia Tech does.
Why Virginia Tech Will Cover The Spread/Win
Just look at SMU's overall profile. The Mustangs have lost every important game they have played, with the exceptions of Washington State and LSU. They got drilled by a not-very-good North Carolina team. They were overwhelmed by Duke. They were wiped out by Louisville. They lost to Butler — which is not a particularly good team — and they fell to Mississippi State. SMU's wins have come against mediocre nonconference opponents and against the soft lower half of the ACC. Boston College, Virginia twice, Miami, Cal, NC State, the list goes on and on. Stanford is probably SMU's best ACC win to date, and that was at home. Going on the road in February, SMU shouldn't be seen as a lock against a Virginia Tech team which has won back-to-back ACC games over Florida State and Virginia. This won't be easy for the Ponies.
Final SMU-Virginia Tech Prediction & Pick
SMU doesn't beat good teams, but it does beat bad teams, usually comfortably. Take SMU.
Final SMU-Virginia Tech Prediction & Pick: SMU -6.5
