2010-2011 ACC Preview

#3: Virginia Tech

Games against 2010 NCAA Tournament teams: 11
Best non-conference game: Nov. 16 at Kansas State

Projected Starting Five:
F - Jeff Allen (Senior)
F - Victor Davila (Junior)
F - Terrell Bell (Senior)
G - Dorenzo Hudson (Senior)
G - Malcolm Delaney (Senior)

It is pretty well documented that Virginia Tech has played pretty well the last three years, only to come up just short of the NCAAs each time. There are three factors going for them this year that should lead to a different outcome this year. First, the experience. No ACC roster has the level of experience that the Hokies have, bringing all five of their starters back from last year. Second, the relative lack of strength of the ACC. Just looking at the lineups and the talent, the Hokies stack up very well with the rest of the league. And third, the schedule. Seth Greenberg heard the criticism last year and is making sure his team does not come up short in the scheduling department this year.

So let's take a look at this team. The Hokies return an All-ACC player in Malcolm Delaney, who really does it all and is a strong leader for this team. Dorenzo Hudson took a big step forward last year, and showed that he could be a dynamic scorer. Jeff Allen has a ton of talent and can be a force inside. The only negative coming into the year is the fact that the Hokies will be without two talented big men in Allan Chaney and J.T. Thompson, who are both out for the year. They will be counting on Allen to stay out of foul trouble so they can maintain some sort of depth in the interior.

The Hokies will be tested right out of the gates with a road game at Kansas State. They also have trips to the 76 Classic, plus games against Purdue and Mississippi State. They don't need to win all of those games, but will at least need to win a few to make a statement that they are that national force to be reckoned with that many people think they are. If they can do that, they shouldn't have to sweat Selection Sunday.