The Virginia Tech Hokies take on the Virginia Cavaliers. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Virginia Tech Virginia prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Virginia Tech Virginia.

The Virginia Tech Hokies are sinking, and they need a life raft. They have lost five ACC games in a row to fall to 1-5 in the conference through six games of league action. Virginia Tech's slide is immensely disappointing, and to be sure, some of the losses the Hokies have absorbed have been bad. Even with a limited team, Virginia Tech should be able to beat Boston College on the road, but the Hokies weren't able to do so. The loss to North Carolina State at home isn't a bad one in isolation, but when paired with a home loss to Clemson — another team Virginia Tech probably figured to beat before the season began — the overall body of work is clearly not where the Hokies or coach Mike Young hoped it would be at this point in the season.

The thing Young and other Hokie players would cite as a key reason their season hasn't turned out very well (at least through mid-January) is the injury to Hunter Cattoor, their sharpshooting guard. Cattoor gives the Hokies a reliable shooter when he is on the floor. He spaces the court and makes it so much harder for opponents to guard all five Virginia Tech players. Teams can't really clog the paint and play for the drive when Cattoor is banging in 3-pointers, but his absence has left Virginia Tech shorthanded on offense. That's the main reason the Hokies haven't been able to gain momentum after winning the ACC Tournament last season.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Virginia Tech-Virginia College Basketball odds.

College Basketball Odds: Virginia Tech-Virginia Odds

Virginia Tech Hokies: +5.5 (-108)

Virginia Cavaliers: -5.5 (-112)

Over: 126.5 (-110)

Under: 126.5 (-110)

How To Watch Virginia Tech vs. Virginia

TV: ESPNU

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. PT

*Watch Virginia Tech-Virginia LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*

Why Virginia Tech Could Cover the Spread

This is a rivalry game, and therefore a time when you should see Virginia Tech bring its best effort to the court. Virginia Tech is a desperate team to begin with, given the urgent need to win this game. However, merely playing Virginia — a team the Hokies love to hate and defeat — will fire up Tech and give this team the extra added push it needs in order to prevail.

Keep in mind that Virginia has not been beating top-end teams in the ACC. The Cavaliers recently defeated Syracuse, an underachieving North Carolina side, and — over the past weekend — Florida State, which has been crushed by injuries and is one of the worst teams in the ACC this season. Virginia has a good-looking 13-3 record and a top-15 national ranking, but have the Cavaliers really played as well as their record or their ranking suggest? Not really. The ACC has been surprising this year with the rise of Clemson and Pittsburgh and N.C. State. Virginia hasn't beaten those teams yet. There is ample reason to be skeptical of the Hoos.

Why Virginia Could Cover the Spread

The Cavaliers are simply a better basketball team than Virginia Tech. Even if you are skeptical of Virginia, you can't exactly say that Virginia Tech should be elevated above the Hoos in a head-to-head comparison. Virginia hangs its hat on defense, and the Cavaliers have to like their matchup against a Virginia Tech team which has struggled to score this season, especially in crunch-time situations and hinge-point moments of games. Virginia, playing at home, should be able to establish the tempo and playing style it wants. The Hoos can and will cover.

Final Virginia Tech-Virginia Prediction & Pick

The Virginia Cavaliers are just not as strong as they seem to be. However, Virginia Tech is struggling. Stay away from this game and maybe look for a live-bet opportunity.

Final Virginia Tech-Virginia Prediction & Pick: Virginia Tech +5.5