Ben Hammond's ball pressure is the reason for Virginia Tech +5 against Iowa. He leads the ACC with 6 steals per game through wins over Coppin State and Mercer.
Iowa just committed 15 turnovers against Eastern Illinois, which had 13. Hammond gives Tech a way to take shots away from Iowa and keep the game inside 5 points.
Tech's switching and trapping produced transition chances against Coppin State. The Hokies scored 26 points off the Eagles' 24 turnovers.
The Hokies also protected the ball against Mercer, committing 4 turnovers while forcing 18. They scored 28 points off turnovers to Mercer's 6.