Season Recap: Virginia Tech

2009-2010
Virginia Tech: 25-9 (10-6 ACC)

How successful Virginia Tech was this past season probably depends on your point of view. If you look at the results, it has to be a success. The Hokies were not picked very highly coming into the season. But they were able to get off to a good start. They won road games at Iowa and Penn State, and beat Seton Hall on a neutral court to run out to a 12-1 record. They really didn't slow down much once conference play begun. At one point, Tech won 5 straight conference games, finishing with 10 conference wins and in fourth place.

Tech's success was largely due to their Big Three: Malcolm Delaney, Jeff Allen and Dorenzo Hudson. Hudson especially really stepped up his game this year, finishing with 15.2 points per game. Those three players combined to score 47 points per game, second in the league to Duke's Big Three. Where Tech fans will be disappointed is that they seemingly did everything except make it to the NCAA Tournament. Most people point to their weak out-of-conference schedule as the biggest factor. So for a third year in a row, they had to settle for a high seed in the NIT.

Best Win: 88-82 at Georgia Tech (3/6)

The Hokies were coming into this game squarely on the bubble, having in their last road game been embarrassed against BC. But they came into this game on a mission, and with both teams lighting up the scoreboard were able to lead most of the way. At the time, this looked like a huge road win that would vault them into the NCAA field.

Worst Loss: 70-65 to Miami (3/12)

The good feelings obviously didn't carry into their next game, which was a very disappointing loss to Miami in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. The Hokies seemed to be out of rhythm most of the game, and caught a Miami team that was peaking at that time. This set into motion a three day stretch where Tech went from a virtual lock to on the bubble to out of the NCAA Tournament.

Postseason Play:

As detailed above, Virginia Tech was another of the high seeds to not have a long stay in the ACC Tournament. That ended up sending them to the NIT. They had a decent run in the NIT, but were disappointed to once again not make it to Madison Square Garden. Tech started out with a pretty easy 20 point win over overmatched Quinnipiac. They then got one of their best wins of the year with a come from behind 2 point victory over UConn. They fell in the quarterfinals, though, to Rhode Island, losing at home by 7.

What's Ahead:

The Hokies definitely come into the year as one of the favorites in the conference. The biggest thing for them was Malcolm Delaney's decision to return for his senior season. He will lead a squad that is really not losing much: 2 seniors who had a combined 2.2 points per game last season. They will probably count more on last year's freshman class, which showed some promise. There will be two keys to next season: can the Hokies win some games against top level talent in the non-conference? They have a much more difficult schedule on tap, which should help them get NCAA consideration. And can they perform when they are the hunted? The last time they came in with high expectations, they had a disastrous year.