Photo courtesy of Virginia Tech athletics
It’s the week to be thankful.
And today, we’re thankful for one thing.
Virginia Tech basketball is back.
The Hokies will play host to nearby New River Valley rival Radford at Cassell Coliseum this afternoon, as the contest between the Hokies and Highlanders will tip off the 2020-21 ACC basketball season.
Game Day Information
When: Wednesday, Nov. 25, 12 p.m. ET
Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, VA
TV: ACC Network Extra
PXP: Bailey Angle
Analyst: Mack McCarthy
Series History: Virginia Tech Leads 8-2
Last Meeting: Virginia Tech Won 95-68 on Dec. 6, 2017
Line: N/A
An Inside Look
What a perfect way to tip off the season. The Radford Highlanders will make the 16-mile trip to Blacksburg to face off against their essentially crosstown rival, the Virginia Tech Hokies. Both teams have made multiple postseason appearances the last couple of seasons, and have reinvented college basketball in Southwest Virginia.
Virginia Tech’s second-year head coach Mike Young is a Radford native, and is cousins with Radford Director of Athletics Robert Lineburg. So it should be a fun contest for the longtime Wofford head coach.
It’s almost time for tip between the Hokies and Highlanders. So what should we expect, who should we look out for? We got you covered in our official game day pick and preview.
Shiny New Team
It’s year No. 2 for Young, but just like last year, he has a lots of new pieces to play with. This year, it comes by way of the transfer portal.
The Hokies loaded up on talented newcomers last year in Jalen Cone, Naheim Alleyne, Hunter Cattoor, and John Oijiako — all recruited by Young. Young already had a young guy in the system in now redshirt sophomore Tyrece Radford.
The aforementioned transfer portal is the reason for the roster turnover. Out goes leading scorer Landers Nolley (Memphis), forward PJ Horne (Georgia), and Isaiah Wilkins (Wake Forest). The Hokies replaced those with three transfers of their own, starting with standout guard Cartier Diarra (Kansas State). Virginia Tech addressed the frontcourt with additions of forwards Cordell Pemsl (Iowa) and Justyn Mutts (Delaware).
The Hokies didn’t lose any scholarship players last year due to graduation, and will also welcome Wofford transfer Keve Aluma, who sat out last year due to NCAA transfer rules. The Hokies add prized recruits Joseph Bamisile, Darius Mattox, and David N’Guessan.
What To Expect
As far as a starting lineup goes, we really don’t have much of an idea who Young is going to throw out there. You’d have to imagine it’ll feature senior Guard Wabissa Bede, who is one of the few holdouts left from the Buzz Williams era. Sophomore Jalen Cone, who led the ACC in three-point percentage for the majority of last season, should also start. Radford, who may be the backbone for the Hokies, will almost certainly be in the backcourt.
Look for Young to try to get his young guns in the game some. The first game of the season always has growing pains, and getting guys like Bamisile involved would be a huge plus for Virginia Tech.
The Hokies were picked 11th in the ACC preseason poll. For a team who tied for 10th last year, they’ll want to show improvement in the fairly talented ACC. That starts with getting the young guys involved now. It would be a surprise if the three-headed freshman monster doesn’t get meaningful reps later today.
A Look At The Highlanders
As for Radford, it is extremely young. The Highlanders were hit hard with outgoing graduates and transfers, including potential NBA guard Carlik Jones, who was rated the top graduate transfer by ESPN.
It’s not just that; the Highlanders lost all five starters from a team that had clinched the Big South regular season title and was heading to the NIT had there been a 2020 postseason.
Chyree Walker is the returning leading scorer, but he only averaged 3.1 points per game last season for the 21-11 Highlanders.
We don’t know much about Radford yet either, as they’re one of the youngest Division I teams in the country, and are vastly unproven from top to bottom. Radford was picked to finish all the way down to sixth in the Big South Conference.
The Highlanders are well coached though with 10th-year head man Mike Jones. Jones will have his best game plan in order to try to knock off the rival Hokies.
The Pick
This game may be closer than expected early on. There are lots of question marks on both sides, but it may take Virginia Tech a half to fully get into a rhythm.
The Highlanders are extremely young though, and eventually the Hokies will show their ACC strength and wear them out.
It’ll be around a 7-point game or so at halftime, but the Hokies will eventually pull away and prevail in sound fashion.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 81, Radford 58
Up Next
After Thanksgiving, the Hokies will make the trip up north to “Bubbleville” to face American Athletic Conference foes Temple and South Florida on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Both games tip at 8 p.m. ET.
The games will be broadcasted on ESPNNews, and ESPN2, respectively.
