Merrimack (2-2) vs. Virginia Tech (4-0)
Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Virginia; Sunday, 4 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Merrimack goes up against Virginia Tech in an early season matchup. Virginia Tech won at home over St. Francis (Pa.) 85-55 on Thursday, while Merrimack fell 74-51 at Army on Wednesday.
SENIOR STUDS: Virginia Tech’s Keve Aluma, Justyn Mutts and Storm Murphy have combined to account for 44 percent of all Hokies scoring this season.ACCURATE ALUMA: Across four appearances this season, Virginia Tech’s Aluma has shot 54.3 percent.
STREAK SCORING: Virginia Tech has won its last three home games, scoring an average of 77.3 points while giving up 47.
ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Hokies have recently created buckets via assists more often than the Warriors. Virginia Tech has 38 assists on 83 field goals (45.8 percent) over its previous three contests while Merrimack has assists on 22 of 52 field goals (42.3 percent) during its past three games.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: Merrimack has forced opponents into committing turnovers on 30.2 percent of all possessions this year, the ninth-highest rate among all Division I teams.
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