2021-22 Virginia Tech men's basketball preview

Overview: After losing to North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament last season, Virginia Tech was one of seven ACC schools to make the national tournament last season. The Hokies exited after a first-round overtime loss to Florida. The 2020-21 campaign marked their fourth-consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and the first for head coach Mike Young. Young also won ACC Coach of the Year, and forward Keve Aluma made second-team All-ACC.

The Hokies will retain three of their five starters—Aluma, Justyn Mutts and Nahiem Alleyne—and add Wofford transfer Storm Murphy. In a bounce-back year for much of the ACC, Virginia Tech boasts experience. Aluma received the second-most votes for Preseason ACC Player of the Year and now reunited with Murphy, his former teammate, the two form a formidable threat across the court. Alleyne also provides the Hokies with outside scoring power, having shot 40.8% from three last season. Virginia Tech has the talent and the experience to compete in the ACC and beyond. 

Team ceiling: Aluma establishes himself as the top player in the ACC, Murphy fits right into his former coach’s system and the Hokies make a run in the NCAA tournament.

Team floor: Virginia Tech’s success was more due to COVID-19 confusion, and the team regresses. Murphy doesn’t fit quite as well as Young predicted and David N’Guessan fails to make the leap that is expected of him. Though still a dynamic group, they fall short of the powerhouses in the ACC and stumble to the middle of the pack.