On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
After losing on the road to Georgia Tech earlier this week, Virginia Tech will be back at home today to face the Clemson Tigers, who have won four straight games and are 8-1 in ACC play. While they are not currently in the bottom three, the Hokies don't want to risk falling further and playing themselves out of an ACC Tournament appearance. An upset win today would be huge for Mike Young's team.
The Hokies have a 24-19 advantage in the all-time series with Clemson after blitzing the 15th-ranked Tigers in Blacksburg a year ago. Sean Pedulla dialed up a game-high 32 points on 9 of 16 shooting to propel Tech to the home victory. Prior to that VT win, Clemson had won two in a row in the series for the first time since 2014-15. Eleven of the last 13 meetings have been decided by single digits, including the epic showdown in the second round of the 2022 ACC Tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y., where Darius Maddox drilled a 3-pointer as time expired in overtime to propel the Hokies to the
76-75 win.
Over the last 13 games in the Clemson series, Tech has posted a 9-4 record. Tech is 15-7 as the home team in the series. Saturday will mark the first time since Jan. 4, 2023 that the Hokies will face an unranked Clemson squad. The previous two meetings featured the Tigers ranked in the AP Top 25. Mike Young earned his 300th career win as a head coach on Nov. 5, 2019 - a 67-60 victory at Clemson. Young is 5-5 vs. Brownell.
Tobi Lawal has three double-doubles on the season, which are the most by a VT player since Lynn Kidd’s five from last season. Lawal had four double-doubles a year ago at VCU. Lawal became the first Hokie to record back-to-back double-doubles since Justyn Mutts did so in November 2022. The London, England native is one of four players to rank in the top 20 in both scoring and rebounding in ACC-only games.
Here is how you can watch and listen to the game this afternoon.
Saturday, January 25, 2025 | 5 p.m. EST | Blacksburgh, VA. | Cassell Coliseum
Television: ACC Network (Announcers: Anish Shroff and Michael Carter-Williams)
Radio, VT Sports Network: Zach Mackey, PxP, Mike Burnop, Analyst
VIDEO STREAM: ESPN.com and ESPN app
Final Score Prediction
This is going to be a tough game for the Hokies to win. The Tigers have a lot of firepower on the offensive end and are No. 4 in the ACC in PPG allowed. Virginia Tech plays better at home than they do on the road, but this might be too tough of an ask today for Mike Young's team to get the win vs the Tigers.
Final Score: Clemson 76, Virginia Tech 63
Additional Links:
How to Watch and Listen To Virginia Tech Men's Basketball vs Clemson
Virginia Tech Football: Hokies Offer One Of Nation's Best QB's In 2026 Class
Virginia Tech Football: Hokies Will Face NC State In Their 2025 Conference Opener
More must-reads:
- Packers starter hits back at Matt LaFleur, calls for 'bus fine'
- Mets finally fix hole in outfield in trade with Orioles
- The '2024-25 NFL TD catch leaders' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
TODAY'S BEST
Here's why Notre Dame doesn't like the Big Ten's controversial College Football Playoff model
Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua has come out against the Big Ten’s controversial plan to reshape the College Football Playoff, joining the legion of other power brokers in the sport who have taken a position against the conference. As an independent, Notre Dame currently plays to earn one of the seven at-large bids in the existing playoff, but the Big Ten wants to see an expanded 16-team format in the future that includes just three at-large selections. What Notre Dame says it wants “I happen to think that there should be automatic qualifiers for the Power Four conference champions, and there should be an automatic qualifier for the highest-rated Group of Five champion,” Bevacqua told The Athletic. “But then, whether it’s 12, 14, or 16 [teams], I think you have to earn it on the field. And those should be at-large berths. I think that’s the best way, the most repeatable way, to get the very best teams to compete for a national championship year in and year out.” He added: “I think most people agree with that. Both the decision makers, the general public, football fans. I think that’s what people want to see.” Changing views at the top That seems to be the consensus of opinion among fans, and even now among most of the key decision makers in college football who will do the actual work of putting down on paper what the playoff will look like in the years to come. Earlier in the offseason, it appeared the SEC and Big Ten were of one mind on how to do it, by awarding themselves four automatic qualifiers each, giving two each to the ACC and Big 12, one to the Group of Five champion, and the remaining three to who’s left. Naturally, the brass at Notre Dame aren’t keen on such a narrow margin every year, considering their independent football team will be playing for one of those precious few spots, leaving little margin for error every Saturday. Then, suddenly it all changed, as the SEC broke with the Big Ten, when it emerged the SEC dropped its support for the so-called 4+4+2+2+1 model, in favor of the 5+11, which gives five auto bids to conference champions and the other 11 to at-large teams. What Notre Dame wants Notre Dame hasn’t won a national championship for nearly 40 years, but came very close last season, getting all the way to the title game after going 11-1 in the regular season. Clearly, the expanded bracket has turned out in Notre Dame’s favor, but the idea of lowering the number of at-large bids would seem to almost reverse that expansion in practical terms by severely limiting the opportunity it has to play into the postseason field. Any expanded playoff that guarantees eight places, what would amount to half a 16-team field, to two conferences stands in direct contradiction to Notre Dame’s interests. Will the Big Ten change its mind? As it stands now in general terms, it appears the Big Ten stands alone against the SEC, the ACC, and the Big 12, the latter two openly deriding the 4+4+2+2+1 model as unfair. And it doesn’t appear likely the Big Ten will change course unless the SEC makes a change to its football schedule by adding a ninth conference opponent every season. The thinking from the Big Ten is that SEC teams would get what amounts to an artificial bump in their win-loss column by playing a perceived pushover team late in the season, while Big Ten schools still have to play a conference opponent. There is no chance the Big Ten would support the 5+11 format if the SEC were to gain a perceived advantage to receive more at-large bids in an expanded playoff by playing more non-conference games late in the year, according to recent reporting. With the SEC unlikely to make that change, the Big Ten is thus unlikely to alter it course on what the future College Football Playoff will look like. And with no one expected to change their position, the playoff likely will not expand to 16 teams in the near future. (Athletic) --
Yankees continue to enhance bullpen with Jake Bird acquisition
The New York Yankees have continued to fortify their bullpen, acquiring right-handed reliever Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies, per YES Network's Jack Curry. This trade marks the second recent deal between the Yankees and Rockies, following New York’s July 25 trade for infielder Ryan McMahon. In return, Colorado receives a pair of New York's prospects, second baseman Roc Riggio (No. 10 in the Yankees' system) and left-handed pitcher Ben Shields (No. 28). Both players advanced through the Yankees’ system this season, rising from rookie ball to Double-A. Bird, 29, has posted a 4.73 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings this season. With team control through 2028, Bird represents a long-term asset for New York rather than a short-term rental. Unlike most power arms in the Yankees' bullpen, Bird relies on finesse. His repertoire centers around an 84 mph sweeper — his most used pitch, thrown 39.5% of the time — complemented by an 80.5 mph changeup and a 94.4 mph sinker. Bird will join a revamped bullpen that now includes David Bednar, acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates less than an hour prior to the Bird transaction.
Mets finally fix hole in outfield in trade with Orioles
Center field has been a glaring weakness in the New York Mets lineup this season. That is no longer the case after Thursday's trade. Anthony DiComo from MLB.com reported that the Mets have acquired outfielder Cedric Mullins from the Orioles. In exchange, pitching prospects Raimon Gomez, Anthony Nunez and Chandler Marsh are heading to Baltimore. Mullins gives the Mets another dynamic presence in the lineup. He had posted a .229/.305/.433 batting line in 355 plate appearances for the Orioles, hitting 15 homers and 19 doubles while stealing 14 bases. Mullins' overall numbers were torpedoed by a dreadful two month slump in April and May where he had a .169/.204/.338 batting line in 158 plate appearances. The Orioles receive a trio of intriguing pitching prospects highlighted by Nunez. The Mets' 14th-ranked prospect at the time of the trade, Nunez spent two seasons in the San Diego Padres' system as an infielder before going to Division II University of Tampa. A two-way player in 2024, he signed with the Mets as an undrafted free agent and has rapidly ascended through their system. Nunez has a solid arsenal highlighted by a plus sweeper and changeup, helping his cutter and mid-90s fastball play up. His command is a work in progress but he may have a future as a late-inning weapon in the Orioles bullpen. Gomez, the Mets' 30th-ranked prospect, has the type of velocity that few pitchers can match. His 80-grade fastball regularly sits in the triple digits and has been clocked as high as 104.5 mph. His plus slider can make opposing hitters look foolish, especially if they are gearing up for the fastball. Gomez has question marks — his command is questionable at best and he is coming off of a Tommy John surgery in 2023. Nonetheless, his pure stuff is the type that teams dream about. Marsh was unranked in the Mets system and is another relief prospect with a fastball/slider profile. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and he has a solid slider, however, both play down due to a lack of control.
Cubs Target Gets Traded To Yankees In Blockbuster Deal
With things moving quickly at the trade deadline, a potential target for the Chicago Cubs has come off the board. The Cubs have done a nice job so far of improving their pitching staff, but there have been some notable relievers who have moved so far. While Chicago has already added Andrew Kittredge, he is more of a middle reliever than a potential eighth or ninth inning pitcher. Adding an impact arm like Jhoan Duran or Ryan Helsley would have been ideal yesterday, but they have also now reportedly missed out on David Bednar. According to Jeff Passan, the talented right-hander from the Pittsburgh Pirates is going to be heading to the New York Yankees. After Duran and Helsley came off the board, Bednar was the next best option, and it was the Yankees who won the bidding war. So far this year, he has totaled a 2.37 ERA and 17 saves in 42 appearances. Due to the struggles of the Pirates, there haven’t been a ton of save opportunities for Bednar, but he has no doubt been one of the best closers in baseball this campaign. This would have been the type of impact addition that many are expecting Chicago to make before the deadline. However, with the former All-Star off the board, there aren’t many closers left that can help the Cubs. With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Chicago looks to get more in the starting pitcher market to improve the team in that area, rather than the bullpen. The Latest Chicago Cubs News Cubs Refusing To Include Top Prospect In Talks Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline Long-Rumored Cubs Bullpen Trade Target Gets Shipped To Tigers Cubs Among Teams Still Attempting To Acquire Nationals Pitcher Cubs Reveal Special Ryne Sandberg Tribute Jerseys To Be Worn Saturday
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
