For an Opening Night, well it looked like an Opening Night performance that you'd expect from a young, inexperienced basketball team that Virginia Tech is. Despite their inexperience showing with an uneven showing, the Hokies did enough to get the job done and start their season with a victory.
Virginia Tech beat Delaware State 83-60 with their attention now turning to a Friday night game against USC Upstate.
The Hokies got out to a strong, going up 24-8 by the under-12 media timeout. However, Delaware State's pulling out the full-court press combined with the Hokies going cold caused VT to have a seven-minute stretch where they averaged less than a point per minute, allowing Delaware State to get this game within 10 and hold it there for a while.
Eventually, the Hokies were able to build some breathing room thanks to a 12-2 room during the latter portion of the first 10 minutes of the second half. From there, the Hokies were able to cruise to the finish line even if it wasn't pretty during that closing stretch of the game either in what was a solid final 14 or so minutes after a rough stretch of about 15 minutes prior.
This uneven performance showed in the fact that they had 20 assists on 26 made field goals but also had 16 turnovers. They started out the game 5-6 from three-point range but went 4-22 from behind the arc after that strong start. They opened the second half 2-7 from the field but finished it 11-21 from the field, all of which are signs of a young, inexperienced team that has lots of potential, but has the long road ahead of slowly developing consistency.
The Hokies were fairly good in the paint, outscoring Delaware State 32-20 while also having a 14-10 offensive rebounding advantage in this game. Mike Young was pleased about that though he wasn't pleased about the Hokies' shot selection on a night where they
Tech's biggest star also came from the frontcourt in VCU transfer Tobi Lawal with 23 points on 6-9 from the field including 2-4 from three-point range plus 9-11 from the free-throw line. He also added eight rebounds, two blocks, two steals, and two assists along with five turnovers. Lawal wasn't perfect in this game, but it's easy to see the massive potential that he offers with his athleticism and a game that is already showing signs of refinement given his plaudits from three-point range this evening, a place where he had only made 3 threes prior to VT.
Mylyjael Poteat played like the center that Tech is hoping he can be with 14 points on an efficient 5-7 from the field and 4-7 from the free-throw line plus five rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and only one turnover. Jaydon Young built on a strong finish to last season with a solid opening night of 13 points, four assists, and three rebounds while fellow returning sophomore guard Brandon Rechsteiner added six points, three assists, and one rebound.
Tyler Johnson had plenty of buzz around him during the offseason and showed why as the Hokies' sixth man in this game with eight points and six rebounds in 25 minutes. Meanwhile, Charleston transfer Ben Burnham was almost a non-factor with two points and four rebounds in 17 minutes after surprisingly not being a starter given what many expected after his success with the Cougars.
Jaden Schutt had a solid debut for VT with nine points, four rebounds, and two assists though all nine of his points came during the first half. Patrick Wessler added four points and five rebounds while Ben Hammond added two assists, one rebound, and one steal.
This was an uneven Opening Night performance that shouldn't be a surprise given that this is a Virginia Tech team who had four of their top six minute guys be freshmen and sophomores, none of whom have held significant roles in a CBB rotation outside of Jaydon Young late last season. Add in the fact that one of the other two are Tobi Lawal and Mylyjael Poteat, neither of whom have averaged 20+ minutes in their career, and it's easy to see why this is a team that looked like the young, inexperienced team that they are.
This team was supposed to have more experience to lead the way, but Hysier Miller's release from the team just weeks before the season combined with Ben Burnham being a non-factor has made this a younger, more inexperienced team than expected.
You also can't forget the fact that this is a team that only returned four scholarship players from last year. Inevitably, there will be growing pains for the Hokies as this team learns how to play as a team and gel together on the court in games with actual stakes.
This Virginia Tech team has some potential, but their lack of experience is going to hold them back until they actually get experience. That will obviously take time and will lead to plenty of uneven play that could leave them vulnerable to a surprise upset in non-conference play along with some rough stretches when the competition toughens up.
However, if they can use the quality experience they'll get to elevate and refine their games, the rewards they will reap later on this season could lead them to surprising most including myself, who have them projected as a bottom dweller in the ACC this year due to their youth and inexperience. The floor is low for this team as their uneven play showed, but there's reason to believe that the ceiling may be higher than we thought. The question is whether they can turn the experience they're about to get into success.
