Virginia Tech basketball 2015-16 season preview

Overview: After finishing in the cellar of the ACC in head coach Buzz Williams' first season at the helm, the Hokies will face a tough test moving up in the conference standings. Virginia Tech's leading scorer, Adam Smith, transferred to Georgia Tech during the offseason and Williams will have to find new contributors on a roster that features only one senior. But the Hokies certainly have the talent on their roster to give the top teams in the conference a scare, as evident in the Blue Devils' narrow 91-86 overtime victory in Blacksburg a year ago. 

The best candidate to replace Smith as the go-to-scorer for the Hokies is guard Justin Bibbs. The sophomore averaged 11.4 points per game a year ago—good for second on the team—and shot 41 percent from beyond the arc. Bibbs will be joined in the backcourt by sophomore Jalen Hudson, who had 23 points and six rebounds against Duke a year ago. With Bibbs and Hudson manning the backcourt, Williams will look to a develop an unproven collection of bigs into a reliable post presence. 

The person who will have the biggest say in whether Virginia Tech can start moving in a positive direction will be the always-entertaining Williams, who made waves when he decided to leave a successful Marquette program for one of the bottom-feeding teams in the ACC a season ago. The Hokie coach reeled in two big transfers in former Maryland guard Seth Allen and former South Florida forward Zach LeDay. Along with three junior college transfers, the duo should give the team a deeper roster than a year ago. But Williams will need to do one of his best coaching jobs to turn this perennial cellar-dweller into a respectable team in the ACC. 

One thing that needs to go right: Hudson and Bibbs take the next step and Williams works his magic to make the Hokies a middle-of-the-pack team in the ACC.