Virginia tech vs penn state football 2022

SportsLine's model revealed its college basketball picks for Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Virginia Tech Hokies in the Charleston Classic 2022 on Friday

By CBS Sports Staff

Nov 18, 2022 at 10:26 am ET • 3 min read

Moneyline

Spread

Total

VATECH

-150

BET NOW

-3

-110

BET NOW

o140

-110

BET NOW

PSU

+130

BET NOW

+3

-110

BET NOW

u140

-110

BET NOW

Why Penn State can cover 

Senior guard Jalen Pickett is having a solid start to the season. Pickett has been doing it all for the Nittany Lions, showcasing his smooth shooting stroke and stout playmaking skills. The New York native shoots well off the dribble and scans the court to find the open man. Pickett is averaging 15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game. He's also shooting 43% from 3-point land.

Senior guard Camren Wynter is another scoring threat in the backcourt. Wynter owns a good rotation on his jump shot and has ultimate confidence when he lets it fly. The New York native is also an active defender and looks to get into passing lanes. He is putting up 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, three assists and is knocking down 45% of his shots from downtown. 

Why Virginia Tech can cover

Senior forward Justyn Mutts provides the Hokies with an athletic and versatile player down low. Mutts will produce hustle plays and make solid reads as a playmaker. He can move fairly well on the court and score off the dribble at times. Mutts is averaging 9.7 points, eight rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. On Nov. 10, he logged 16 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Senior Hunter Cattoor is a sweet-shooting guard in the backcourt for the Hokies. Cattoor can space the floor and be a solid threat on the perimeter. The Florida native excels in catch-and-shoot situations, knocking down 47% of shots from downtown. Cattoor averages 11 points and 2.3 assists per game

How to make Virginia Tech vs. Penn State picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 144 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations. .

So who wins Penn State vs. Virginia Tech? And which side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations? , and find out.

Penn State Athletic Director Dave Joyner said, via a release, that Nittany Lion fans and alumni have been asking for a nonconference matchup against Virginia Tech.

Those supporters got their wish, but the first historical meeting on the gridiron between the two schools is still a long way off.

Joyner and Hokies Athletic Director Jim Weaver announced Wednesday that Penn State and Virginia Tech have a home-and-home series scheduled for 2022 and 2023.

The Lions will head to Blacksburg, Va. on Sept. 17, 2022, and they'll welcome the Hokies to Beaver Stadium on Sept. 16, 2023. The two schools are separated by just 375 miles.

“We are excited to be able to announce this football series with Virginia Tech,” Joyner said in a release. “Virginia Tech is an opponent our alumni and fans have been asking about adding to the schedule. I am very appreciative of the efforts of Jim Weaver to make this long-awaited matchup become a reality.”

Penn State has squared off with other schools within Virginia (13 meetings between UVA, VMI and William & Mary).

In fact, the Virginia Tech matchup will leave Duke as the only ACC school team the Lions haven't faced. Penn State opens the 2013 campaign against new ACC member, Syracuse; they also faced Virginia last season.

The Lions’ coaching staff could also use the trip into Virginia for recruiting purposes. The current Penn State roster has five Virginia natives.

Weaver's close ties to Penn State and its football program could have helped facilitate the home-and-home agreement. Virginia Tech's AD earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Penn State in the late 1960s, played both sides of the ball under Joe Paterno, and started his ascent into life off the field at Penn State as a graduate assistant and assistant coach.

In two days inside TD Arena in Charleston, S.C., Virginia Tech has been tested. On Thursday afternoon, it was against a very physical Old Dominion club. In Friday’s matinee, the Hokies held strong in their 61-59 win over Penn State, advancing to the Charleston Classic championship game on Sunday.

“We’re five games in and we needed a tooth sharpener, and Penn State was that team,” Tech head coach Mike Young said after the win. “They’re good, they’ve got a good club.”

Defense anchored the Hokies in game two in the Holy City. In their first four games, they were slightly above average on that end of the floor. Penn State presented the biggest challenge yet, and Virginia Tech met it head on.

On Thursday, Jalen Pickett and Seth Lundy led the Nittany Lions in scoring with 20 points each in their win over Furman. Behind an attack spearheaded by Hunter Cattoor, Tech held that duo to 5-of-15 shooting and 13 points.

Young said he genuinely lost sleep on Thursday night thinking of ways the Hokies would defend Penn State’s two main playmakers. Pickett’s excellent at posting up his man and backing him down, so Tech sat Justyn Mutts halfway between his matchup (Myles Dread) and the rim so he had the ability to help. Young & Co. picked their poison – Andrew Funk led the way for Penn State with 21 points (5-of-11 from deep) – and the group effort paid off.

“I thought our team just did a remarkable job [defensively],” Young said. And that’s why we won. We defended at a really, really high level against a very, very good offensive basketball team.”

Tech got off to a hot start in the first 10 minutes and built a 22-6 lead. Much of that was due to good shooting – to that point, VT was 10-of-21 (47.6%). The Hokies were excellent defensively, too. Over that same stretch, they forced the Nittany Lions to start 3-of-15 from the floor and turn the ball over three times. Moreover, Grant Basile and Mylyjael Poteat each had a huge block, 

“I think that’s been a big point of emphasis, just not starting slow,” Basile said. “Coach has been great about that, just getting us going early. It’s tough to play from behind.”

But just like Old Dominion the day prior, Penn State cut into the margin. Micah Shrewsbery’s squad outscored Tech 23-15 to end the half and made 8-of-13 shots. Into the half, VT led 37-29.

Also like the ODU game, the Hokies led the whole way, even when their opponent applied pressure. But they had to overcome the three-ball not falling on Friday, something they didn’t experience against the Monarchs.

Virginia Tech was just 3-of-19 from long range vs. Penn State. In the second half, it only attempted four (and didn’t make one). Sean Pedulla was 0-of-6 and Cattoor was just 1-of-5. Instead, Tech attacked the paint, scoring 40 of its 61 points down low.

Though it was stressful down the stretch, it’s a positive that the Hokies beat a quality team when they didn’t have their best night from beyond the arc. Friday marked the fewest treys for the program in a win in the Mike Young era.

“I think it’s a great sign,” Young said. “We got some guys can really knock the bottom out of it. We didn’t today. Penn State really guarded us. I think you pick your poison, if you will. [You’re going to] switch things and run us off the arc? Okay, well, I’m going to throw the ball to [Mutts] and I’m going to throw the ball to Basile and I can throw the ball to Poteat and Lynn Kidd and expect something good to happen.

“Three-for-19 from three won the game against a team that can really shoot the ball. … To have those numbers and win I think is a really, really good sign for the Hokies moving forward.”

As shots didn’t fall, the margin shrank. Tech hit just three of its first 10 shots in the second half. But once Penn State pulled within six with eight minutes to play, the ball started to move. Darius Maddox hit a jump shot, Basile made a layup, Pedulla scored from an out-of-bounds play out of a timeout.

The Nittany Lions continued to answer, and there was a three-minute stretch where they traded baskets with the Hokies. But when it got down to crunch time, defense was the answer.

Pickett stepped out of bounds while being guarded by Cattoor at the 4:42-mark. Penn State’s Evan Mahaffey turned it over with just over two minutes to play. And with 4.7 seconds remaining, Penn State called timeout and inbounded from the scorers table. Tech led by two, 61-59.

Camren Wynter drove down the lane but Cattoor, guarding Pickett on the wing, stuck a hand in and forced Wynter to lose control. The ball flew out of his hands and out of bounds with 1.3 remaining, giving the ball back to the Hokies.

Penn State’s last possession… pic.twitter.com/2CmaIY5Nyb

— David Cunningham (@therealdcunna) November 18, 2022

Mutts lofted the ball down the court to Cattoor, who tipped it up in the air enough times to kill the clock. Virginia Tech 61, Penn State 59.

“I think we’ve got a really good culture,” Mutts said. “We’ve got good guys on the team that when things start going south, I can look to my left and my right and see guys that I trust, guys I believe in. If it’s a big shot, I’ve got guys that I trust with those big shots.”

For the third time in four seasons under Young, the Hokies are off to a 5-0 start. Yet, for just the first time since the infamous 47-24 win over NC State in 2018, they won when scoring less than 62 points. Tech was previously 0-18 in those instances in the Mike Young era.

Now, the attention turns to the Charleston Classic championship game. Virginia Tech will meet the winner of Colorado State and College of Charleston, the tournament hosts, on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

[Note: As of 7 p.m. on Saturday, the Hokies will play College of Charleston (4-1) on Sunday afternoon. The Cougars beat the Rams by 10, 74-64, in the other semifinal.]

Does Penn State play Virginia Tech?

Who is Virginia Tech's biggest football rival?

What channel is the Penn State game on Saturday?

What network is the Penn State game on?