65 College Basketball Teams In 65 Days: Virginia Tech Hokies
This is a little something I like to call preview season, which by my watch starts on September 1. From that date until the start of the season we have 65 days. In those 65 days I’ll give a team preview each day. There’s going to be no rhyme or reason for the order we go in these 65 days. It will just be 65 teams I think are worthy of a detailed preview. We’ll have other previews throughout the time leading up to the season as well – conference breakdowns, player rankings, team rankings, etc. But, these will just be team previews.
Virginia Tech Hokies
2017-18 Record: 21-12, 10-8 in ACC, 7th in ACC, lost to Alabama in Round of 64
Top Returning Scorers: Justin Robinson (14.0), Kerry Blackshear (12.5), Nickiell Alexander-Walker (10.7), Ahmed Hill (10.6)
Notable Losses: Justin Bibbs, Devin Wilson (graduation)
Newcomers: Landers Nolley (4-star), Jon Kabongo (3-star), Jarren McAllister (3-star)
Head Coach: Buzz Williams, 5th season, 74-60
2018-19 Outlook
We saw Virginia Tech take the approach of incredibly fun offensive team that wanted to run whenever it got the chance. That’s what happens when you have the group that Buzz had last year. Good news? Despite the loss of Justin Bibbs, they’ll be that way again this year. The Hokies will be one of the most entertaining teams in the country because of the multiple ball-handlers and ability to push tempo. Last year they were 50th in the country in average offensive possession length. They’ll hover around there again this year.
What made Virginia Tech so good last season on that end though? First, they were excellent at finishing. The Hokies were 6th in effective field goal percentage and 7th in 2pt percentage. They looked for easy buckets and attacked off the bounce. Breaking down the defense was important for this team as they had multiple guys who could do so in Alexander-Walker, Bibbs and Robinson. Robinson is the one who you really look at here. That’s because Tech was 43rd in the country in assist/FGM. Robinson was 47th in the country. He’s someone who likes to break down the defense, draw the next guy and make the right pass. That’s where he’s so important.
What makes Robinson so good besides that is his ability to read the defense. Last year he was put in a ton of pick-and-rolls and knew how to attack. If the defender tried to sag or go under the screen, he made you pay as he shot 40% from three. If you tried a hard hedge, he was excellent at splitting the screen and attacking the middle there. If you switched, he had an immediate mismatch. Don’t be surprised to see Robinson be put in a million pick-and-rolls this season as that’s where Virginia Tech is at its best in the halfcourt.
The other name is Alexander-Walker. He’s an NBA Draft prospect and some thought he might have left after his first year. He has good size at 6’5″ and turned into a pretty strong catch and shoot guy last year. He shot 39% from three on 148 attempts. But, he’s also a secondary ball handler to Robinson and can create a mismatch at that guard spot. That’s where he needs to get a bit more consistent attacking. We saw him get in some ISO sets and be aggressive, but his play out of there was a bit inconsistent. If he can look to attack more and consistently get to the rim while shooting 39%, Virginia Tech is going to be tough to beat.
The biggest question I have for this team is in the frontcourt. Kerry Blackshear is really the only true big on the roster at 6’10”. Pretty much everyone else is a 6’6″ or 6’7″ four man. That includes Ty Outlaw, who is returning from a torn ACL and missing all of last season. Virginia Tech desperately needs help in the frontcourt and making sure that Blackshear is healthy and playing a ton of minutes. The Hokies struggled on the boards last year. They were sub-300 on the offensive glass and sub-200 defensively. They can’t give up extra possessions. Along with Blackshear, Chris Clarke, who is an excellent rebounder at 6’6″ has to stay on the floor.
Virginia Tech is going to be a top-15 team this season. Buzz has done an absolutely unreal job of building the program up and ready to compete in the ACC. This is a year where the Hokies can finish in the top-4 in the ACC and really look like a Final Four contender. Again, this will be reliant on the ability to rebound and limit threes – Virginia Tech likes to sag defensively and dare you to shoot.