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Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball 2026-27 Preview - Season Starts TONIGHT!

Hokies Start Tonight Against NC Central

Michael Turner·November 2, 2026

Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball 2026-27 Preview - Season Starts TONIGHT!

The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team opens its season tonight, November 2. With the opener upon us, it is a good time to preview this year’s team.

Game Day: Monday, November 2

Opponent: NC Central

Location: Cassell Coliseum. T

Time: 6:00 game

Stereams: ACCNX

With the opener upon us, it is a good time to preview this year’s team.

Video from this post on X — November 1, 2026 · View on X

Megan Duffy is in her third year as Virginia Tech’s women’s basketball team; she has laid a foundation, established an identity, and retained a core set of players that helped produce a successful season last year

Last year's pre-season media predictions picked Virginia Tech to finish 10th in the 18-member conference. However, the Hokies exceeded expectations and finished 6th with a 12-6 conference record, a three game improvement over its ACC record from the previous season. The team also reached 22 regular season wins for the first time in Duffy’s tenure.

A key difference between the 204-25 and 2025-26 seasons is that the Hokies largely beat the teams below it in the standings, including a home-and-home sweep of in-state rival Virginia. Five of its six ACC losses were to the top teams in the conference, and those losses were competitive but typically featured a poor quarter of basketball that was difficult for the Hokies to overcome. The team earned signature Power 4 wins over Florida and Oregon State, and ultimately earned a bid to the NCAA March Tournament, where it lost in the first round to Oregon.

This yeaat, the ACC media types picked Virginia Tech to finish 8th . The program experienced some roster turnover, losing some key contributors while bringing in a batch of transfers who will be counted on to make an impact. With returnees having another year of experience under their belt, the new look roster aims to continue its rise in the ACC pecking order and reach the NCAA tournament a second consecutive year.

In this article, we take an in-depth look at the Virginia Tech women’s roster with detailed breakdown of players. You can look read about the team's tendencies last year and areas for improvement in the Sons of Saturday Women's Basketball Off-Season Update Article. We draw from information provided by Coach Megan Duffy and players from various ACC Tipoff interviews and other conferences. Checl out ACC Tipoff Coaches and Player Panel , Interview with Carleigh Wenzel and Alyssa Latham, and the Interview with Megan Duffy. Listen to Coach Duffy’ recent press conference and the Megan Duffy Show carried on Spotify and other platforms to listen to her talk more in-depth about the program.

THE ROSTER

This year's roster is a mix of six returnees and seven newcomers (here is the roster on the official Virginia Tech website). The portal took away five players, with the departures of Carys Baker to Louisville and Mackenzie Nelson to Clemson being the most impactful. The program brought in three new players and welcomed four incoming freshmen. In addition, Kate Sears is returning from injury. For a review of the comings and goings of personnel, again check out the Off-Season Update.

GUARDS

Last season, Virginia Tech’s backcourt featured depth, versatility, but varying degrees of experience. Samyha Suffren came back from a season-ending injury suffered the previous year, whereas Leila Wells and Mackenzie Nelson took on bigger roles. Carleigh Wenzel was the linchpin, though. Her leadership and scoring ability were counted on to help lead the Hokies relentless growth that Head Coach Megan Duffy cultivates. While that group of guards experienced some growing pains, their different skill sets gave the coaches options on both offense and defense.

Now, Wenzel, Wells and Suffren are the experienced veterans. Add in younger players who will play if they can contribute and Virginia Tech’s backcourt has an opportunity to be special.

Carleigh Wenzel - Graduate Student

Carleign Wenzel is a 6’0” graduate student guard from San Antonio, Texas. She was Virginia Tech’s leading scorer last year, averaging 15.1 points, 3.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 3.5 rebounds per game. She shot 33.3% from the field, including 32% from the three point line. Wenzel has become more consistent, reducing her turnovers, improving her decision-making, and becoming the team’s go-to offensive player. Indeed, she put the team on her back in key games, scoring over 20 points in seven games, including a career high 29 points against UVA. Wenzel was the main Hokie who could consistently pressure an opposing defense and get to the free throw line. The key for her is to avoid games like Tech’s NCAA first-round exit against Oregon in which she scored 9 points on 2-of-12 shooting.

To revisit Wenzel’s performance in the second game against UVA:

When she talks about her goals, Wenzel said at the ACC Tipoff: “To be more consistent on her three ball. Getting downhill. I worried a lot last year at the beginning of the season about just playing off two feet, and it still wasn’t working for me in terms of efficiency. Trying to be a little bit more finesse. Not worrying about two feet. Any finishes I can do off either foot, any type of finishes around the rim. Also just building my consistency with the three ball and off the dribble. Definitely, trying to expand my post game.”

She also indicated her mindset is, “Just win. Continue to build the culture that it was 5 years ago when I came in and leave it better than I found it. Pouring into those around me to bring out the best of everybody that I can. That is the mindset. To continue to go out there and by myself, but just win is the ultimate goal.”

Coach Duffy talked about Wenzel at the ACC Tipoff, saying, “Carleigh has some goals to grow in different ways… She will be at the top of people’s scouting report, so all of those minute details like how to be more efficient with her scoring. That does not mean you have to run up a ton of points, but how you do it, based on the competition you are playing. She wants to be a pro. Trying to carry herself a little differently to get to that next level. Trying to be a two-way player, so every night she can guard one of the matchups in the ACC and be able to score at the same time.”

The key is for Wenzel to not feel like she has to do it all by herself, to make sure she doesn't feel that burden and realizes she has help. That being said, Wenzel's performances in given games will drive overall team performance.

For Wenzel's 2025-26 season highlights, see the following Youtube video:

Samyha Suffren - Senior

Samyha Suffren is a 5’8” senior guard from Charlotte, NC, who finally had a full season after returning from a season-ending shoulder injury suffered in the 2024-25 season. Suffren’s speed and quickness attacking the basket, including snagging steals that led to transition baskets, made her a vital threat coming off the bench. She averaged 8.8 points on 42% shooting over 20 minutes a game but showed the ability to do more; in fact, Suffren had a three game stretch last February in which she averaged 16.6 points per game. Beyond scoring, she also averaged 1.5 steals, 1.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds a game.

Going into last year, Suffren could get to the rim but was not a consistent threat from outside. She only shot 25% from the three point arc. To her credit, though, she developed a reliable mid-range pull up jump shot off the dribble over the course of the season.

This year, Suffren is likely to move into the starting lineup and take on a bigger role. She will continue to provide a change of pace on offense and be threat for steals on defense. The key for her, however, will be to continue to grow her offense while expanding her ability to distribute the ball more and orchestrate the offense. Last year, she wasn't a distributor; she would put her head down and get to the basket. Now, she has to expand her vision and decision-making, and be able to run the team/

See her Youtube highlights from last season:

Leila Wells - Junior

A 5’9 junior guard from Chelsea, Michigan, Leila Wells increased her minutes per game to 15.7 minutes last season, ultimately moving into the starting rotation after the Louisville game on January 4, 2026. However, her scoring only reached 3.5 points per game as the team relied on other options, and her role was more about defending the opposing team’s best player. Wells did average 1.0 assists per game while snagging 1.8 rebounds.

Last year, Coach Duffy described Wells as the "glue" and a tremendous leader who does the right thing every day and has a great work ethic. Her experience last year will hopefully have given her more confidence going into the new season.

Indeed, Duffy anticipates that Well’s “production will go up” this year. At the ACC Tipoff, Duffy said, “Wells is more confident. Her voice within our locker room, our team, is excellent. She is the one you want to follow. In a lot of ways, she is going to take pressure off Carleigh.”

Toward that end, Wells needs to continue to develop her outside game. She knocked down the random three last season but will need to be willing to shoot more as the team looks for more offensive options that will take the pressure off Wenzel and allow the offense to stretch the floor. Against Maryland, Wells did shoot without hesitation, putting up three shots from distance in the first quarter alone, a mindset she needs to carry into the regular season.

Kate Sears - Sophomore

Kate Sears is a 5’9 sophomore guard from Boone, NC. She was a 4-star prospect coming out of high school, ranked 87 overall by ESPN HoopGurlz and 72 by 247Sports. Sears was the no. 2 prospect in the state of North Carolina, who averaged 30.6 points as a junior. It was uncertain how much playing time Sears might have gotten given the depth at the guard position, her debut will be delayed as she will be out for the season after suffering a foot injury. This season will be a year of learning: Duffy described the situation as an opportunity for her to be a “continuation of me off the court now, watching film differently, and things will slow down for her a little bit."

"I just feel for Kate with the year she had last year. I have never seen a young woman handle her situation as well as she did, and that was her mindset on everything she did - whether it was being coachable with the doctors or Erin Cash, our trainer. Whether it was the hours of rehab she had to do to get herself back," Duffy said. "She is a kid during her whole career that has wanted to be in the gym. I have to kick her out. She is one of those players who does multiple workouts in a day, so even her learning how her training might have to look a little bit different as we move forward into higher level. But the way she approached it and handled it, we are so proud of her.”

Duffy continued, “When she came back on the court, she has used everything from last season, from being a continuation of Coach Duffy on the floor, to being one of her assistant coaches in Coach Nee. What did she learn from our veteran group last year? How does she use her voice? Even though she is a young player, I don’t want her to act like a young player. I want her voice strong. She has a great IQ, and I think the great thing that most people know about Kate is that we can move her around in different positions. She can play point for us. She can play off the ball. She can go get a bucket like we saw in Maryland. So, that is a great thing when we have a group of guards who can do multiple things, so just proud of the way she has handled everything that has been thrown at her. The only thing she needs now is just reps in college basketball, right? Throw her into the fire (at Maryland) and see what happens. She will only get better.”

During that exhibition game. Sears put her various skills on display, including a pump fake and shot for a score, a pull up jumpshot off a screen, and drive for the hoop and foul. She scored 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

Kaleo Anderson - Freshman

Kaleo Anderson is a 6’ four-star guard from Mill Creek, Washington (suburb of Seattle) who was ranked 66th in the 2026 recruiting class by ESPN.

Her teammates Carleigh Wenzel and Alyssa Latham both pointed to Anderson as impressive in the pre-season. At the ACC Tip-Off, they described her as a “hooper”, saying she is “really good and patient on her reads. She can get off a ball screen and get downhill. She is throwing dimes too.”

In an interesting development that may be nothing to read into, Anderson was the first substitute off the bench in the exhibition game against Maryland.

In the game, she came up from the baseline to get a pass from Suffren at the three point. Anderson did not hesitate on the shot and knocked down a three pointer. Anderson scored 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting.

Duffy describes as having a really good feel for the game and doesn't get sped up. She will have an opportunity this season to make an impact as she adapts to the speed, pace, and physicality of college level basketball.

Natalie Goff - Junior

Natalie Goff is a 5’11 junior guard from Lavonia, Georgia, who played two seasons at D-II Emmanuel University before transferring to Virginia Tech this off-season. The Lions went 14-14 overall and 8-12 in Conference Carolinas last year.

Goff was the no. 4 shooting guard in Georgia coming out of high school, and, per the Virginia Athletics website, transferred to Virginia Tech because “It has always been her lifelong dream to be a Hokie after growing up around Tech.”

After coming off the bench as a role player her freshman year for Emmanuel, Goff exploded into a key player for the Lions, starting all 28 games and averaging 14.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. She shot 40.9% from the field, including 30.7% from three. Goff produced six double-doubles during sophomore year at Emmanuel, including a nine-game stretch in which she averaged 24.8 points and 9 rebounds a game.

Virginia Tech added a piece who has the ability to shoot from three and provide an all-around offensive boost as she adapts to the Power 4 level.

Check out this expose on Goff from her senior year at Athens Christian School.

Francesca Baldassarre - Freshman

Francesca Baldassarre is a 5’9 guard from Brindisi, Italy who signed with Virginia Tech in June 2026. She is an 18-year old freshman who has four years of eligibility left. Baldassarre has extensive experience playing with Battapaglia in the Serie A1, Italy’s premier women’s basketball league, where she averaged 8.9 points on 36 percent shooting.

She has also been part of Italy’s national team program, playing for both the U18 and U20 teams in the European Championships in 2026. Baldassarre averaged 16.7 points a game when playing at the U18 championships. She had a smaller role on the U20 team but still averaged 7.6 points per game.

In reviewing highlights, Baldessarre has good vision and seems to have a high basketball IQ She flashes without the basketball, making herself available to teammates, especially on cuts to the basket from the weakside. She also shows the ability to find teammates off of drives. She has a good shot from both long distance and mid-range. Her 26.2% shooting from three point distance in Serie A1 games may not look strong, but her 34% shooting at the European Championships shows she can be a three point sniper given the right situation. Hopefully, she can translate those capabilities into contributing at the ACC level.

See highlights from 2023 to see her potential at that time:

The versatility of the guards means that the Hokies will have multiple options to play the traditional point guard role, but also have interchangeability in scoring, defending, and leading the team When it comes to thinking about point guard responsibilities, Coach Duffy indicated that they “Will do it by committee. She loves the collection of point guards we have. We have some young talent with a couple of freshmen. We have a group like Samyha Suffren, Leila Wells, and Carleigh Wenzel, who will all have duties sharing the basketball and getting us in our offense. They have taken a lot of pride in being able to play multiple positions.”

There will be opportunities for the young guards Sears, Anderson, and Baldassare to get playing time and contribute right away. In fact, there were stretches during the Maryland exhibition when the Hokies went with a four-guard lineup. How these younger players develop, especially defensively, will be key to whether Virginia Tech can build on last year’s success.

FORWARDS

With Kilah Freelon graduated and Carys Baker and Kayl Peterson gone via the transfer portal, there are plenty of questions surrounding Virginia Tech’s front court situation. Where do the Hokies stand in the interior? Does Virginia Tech have quality depth? Do the posts have the ability to compete inside against some of the bigs from the top programs in the ACC?

Alyssa Lathan - Graduate Student

Alyssa Lathan is a 6’2 graduate student from Illinois who departed along with a mass of other transfers from Tennessee this off-season.

Latham, the 68th ranked recruit in the class of 2023, began her college career at Syracuse, where she started all 26 games, averaged 8.6 points and 7, 0 rebounds a game, and earned ACC All-Freshman. Her high point as a freshman was a 23-point performance against Alabama.

She then, surprisingly, transferred to Tennessee. However, Coach Kim Caldwell’s non-traditional style of play in which she substituted frequently resulted in reduced playing time, role, and statistics. Her points per game dropped to 3.9 her sophomore year and then 4.7 last season as she became less and less of an offensive option.

Latham left Tennessee for her final season to, as she communicated at the ACC Tipoff “have a bigger role. I am very confident within myself and the type of play I am, and coming to Virginia Tech was a great opportunity to come and showcase that. Coach Duffy has given me the ability to do so, and I am excited to do it.” She also recognizes and embraces the expectations that come with having a more starring role.”

Latham is a versatile player who has back-to-the basket post moves as well as the ability to face up in the lane as well as from outside. She has the wingspan and quickness to rebound, block shots, and defend multiple positions. Latham is likely to be more of a go-to player than Kilah Freelon ended up being last year and should score in double digits, not just from offensive rebounds but as a focal point of the offense.

Duffy commented on Latham’s versatility, saying, “Alyssa Latham is a veteran post-player who is new but obviously has a lot of college basketball experience between the ACC and SEC. I like her game so much. She has the ability to put pressure on another team’s defense with the way she can move to different spots on the floor. She can score inside, and that is going to look different. It is not like this is her one move. She can face up. She can get to her power game. She has always been able to extend out with her face up game, whether that is a three or 15-footer. That fits into what we do, obviously. So, for her, it is just getting her acclimated into the new team and new system, and building her confidence everyday. Where she is now will not be where she is at the end of the year. She will have some great growth but a phenomenal young woman who will help our team tremendously.”

Aniya Trent - Sophomore

Aniya Trent, a former four-star recruit, is a sophomore forward from Springsboro, Ohio. Going into last season, the lack of post-depth meant a freshman forward was likely to get playing time. How much might have been the real question, especially in ACC conference play.

The quickest way for any freshman forward to play is to be able to play defense and take care of the ball. There are probably “Five Defensive Requirements” to be trusted by the coaches:

Don’t get lost and not know what you are doing. Don’t lose track of opposing plays and the ball.
Body up in 1-on-1 situations and don’t get beat. Don’t foul as much as possible.
Deal with screening action, whether having to switch, hedge and recover, or drop and take on a guard. Help against opposing guards who use the top of the key as screens.
Rebound on defense (and work to be in the right place at the right time for offensive rebounds).
Get back on defense in transition.

Trent excelled at those defensive mandates, which contributed to her increased playing time as the season went along. She provided a physical presence without fouling and developed into a blocking machine. She showed good recognition on defense, moving into help position as needed, as well as hedging and rotating back to her player in the lane. Offensively, she was an efficient passer from the top of the key, showed recognition of when to move to the weakside to clear away for a driving guard, and showed savviness in pick and roll situations.

After emerging as a freshman, Trent is now poised to take on a bigger role this coming season both offensively and as a leader. In the Maryland exhibition game, she ran the blocked shots, ran the floor well, and assertively looked to score in the lane.

Duffy said, “Aniya Trent has been someone who has made a big jump from freshman year to sophomore year. She got some good minutes her freshman year. We threw her into the fire in a lot of ways. I remember one of her early games against Florida in the SEC-ACC Challenge. She is guarding someone 6-5. No fear. Was Physical. Had a huge block for us. And then as you transition into this prominent off-season after her freshman year, she is doing everything right. She came into my office pretty early and said, ‘Coach, I want to help with your leadership. I want to help with the post group. I want to be an example of what an interior player should be.’ Duffy added, “I just have a lot of respect for a young player being able to come in with confidence to say that. Not just say it; she backs it up. She is working extremely hard. She has a great attitude. She wants to win, and I think there are so many storylines like people are worried about the wrong things. She is worried about exactly the right things: helping her teammates produce for us. She has always been such a great passer and defensive player. Now, she is trying to expand her offense, and we have seen some great strides with that. So, she will be a leader of that.”

Amani Jenkins - Sophomore

Amani Jenkins is a 6’3” sophomore forward from Johnston, Iowa. A former top 100 four-star recruit, she didn’t play as much as Trent but she had key moments that helped the Hokies win. For example, her defense against Oregon State, especially late, was key to winning that game. She is also good at hedging and recovering on defense, as well as distributing the ball from the top of the key on offense.

About Jenkins, Duffy said, “I like where Amani Jenkins is at, another freshman who has a year of experience under her belt as a sophomore.” Indeed, even though Virginia Tech brought in players to help in the interior, Jenkins will have opportunities in her second year to make a bigger impact.

Jessica Dimaro - Freshman

Jessica Dimaro is a 6 '4 freshman center originally from Nigeria who moved to Japan as a junior high student in 2019. She has played in Japan’s W League for the past two years, winning the League’s Rook of the Year award in 2024-25.

Coach Duffy said, “I give Jessie Dimaro a lot of credit for just transitioning into her situation. She came in mid-summer, and we got her in classes and started the training for what a high level basketball program looks like here in the United States. She has just been a breath of fresh air. She is so coachable. She is trying to listen to everything she needs to do to be successful on both sides of the ball.I think her and Aniya have been a great combination for us, and kudos to Aniya for helping her transition in as a new player.”

Dimaro is going to bring more size inside that can protect the rim. She has the ability to score but has to adapt to the strength and speed of the game in the United States For example, in the exhibition game against Maryland, she showed both the strengths and issues that she will face in the ACC: she put the ball on the floor and drove into the lane, including showing off a spin move. However, she struggled in the first half to finish, often getting too deep to finish cleanly.

As Duffy added, “It is going to be about experience and acclimated to games right away. That is what has been so good about our exhibitions and scrimmages, what the refs are going to call, what it means to play five straight minutes before the media comes. There are differences from where she is coming from. We are all really happy with her progression. She will be a young woman who continues to improve as the season goes on.”

Arianna Harris-Mott - Freshman

Arianna Harris-Mott is a 6’4 four-start forward from Columbia, Maryland. Per Coach Duffy, Harris-Mott can “sprint the floor, block a shot, and be a force inside. She is just transitioning to this level but doing a great job.” Duffy also describes her as providing loud, vocal leadership in practice.

While she will likely see time during the non-conference portion of Virginia Tech’s schedule, whether or not she sees as much court time during ACC play will depend on the development of Latham, Trent, and Jenkins. Odds are, one of either Jessica Dimaro or Arianna Harris-Mott will likely carve out a backup role.

Lauren Hurst - Sophomore

Lauren Hurst is a 6’3 guard-forward who transferred to Virginia Tech after her freshman season at Tennessee.

Hurt will be out for the season with a knee injury, which is a disappointing loss for the Hokies. The coaches expected her to make significant contributions this year. As Coach Duffy indicated, “We had big expectations for her. She fits our system really well with the way she can play inside and out. We hurt for her obviously with the news, but she has been awesome, trying to be a great teammate. She is a mini-coach on the floor now, trying to keep her busy around her rehab to help our program be successful this year.”

Regarding the interior situation, Coach Duffy said, “I think we have a great group of interior players. It will be fun to see how our young post players develop, whether that is practice reps, game reps, whether that is actual game minutes they have to go through.”

Virginia Tech does have more length and more depth compared to last season. Alyssa Latham will be featured whether posting up with her back to the basket, pick and roll situations, or facing up making a move to the basket or taking outside shots. Aniya Trent and Amani Jenkins are poised to take the next step as sophomores. Jessica Dimaro and Arianna Mott-Harris have the potential to be great rim protectors. With the pace that the Hokies will play at, the forwards will transition scoring opportunities as well.

OVERALL PREVIEW

Megan Duffy’s key mantra since she became Virginia Tech’s head coach has been “relentless growth”, to be a gritty, hard working team that makes life difficult for opposing teams. The emphasis has been on always striving to grow.

During a pre-season press conference, Duffy said. “We have been talking so much about putting our blinders on and diving into this process. I think it is so easy to look too far ahead to Monday or Wednesday or Sunday, the three games next week. Just pour into each other. Just be so relentless with trying to get better every day. That is what we talked about this past week of practice : What steps can we make from our last scrimmage to the next day of practice the following day. So, trying to keep it simple. We have a lot of growing to do.”

For the Hokies, the approach remains the same. They want to get out and play as fast as they can, but there is an emphasis on being smart and efficient. Efficiency seems to be the code word as both Wenzel and Duffy mentioned the need to be more efficient in different interviews.

PREDICTION FOR THE 2026-27 SEASON

In Megan Duffy’s first year, the Hokies finished 18-9 overall and 9-9 in the ACC. That team saw players like Carleigh Wenzel and Leila Wells really start to get their first real experience leading the team. Last year, Virginia Tech won over 20 games and finished 6th with a 12-6 record in the ACC, winning the games it should and mainly losing to the teams in the top tier of the ACC. In addition, Virginia Tech reached the NCAA March tournament.

The program seemed to be on an upward trajectory, with the next steps being pushing into the top 5 of the ACC and moving past the first round of the NCAA tournament. A veteran roster of guards and shooters who had remained and grown together seemed positioned to take that next step. The freshmen forwards showed promise. The remaining elements of the formula for success were to add an active inside player and a wing could play inside and outside. Landing Alyssa Latham and Lauren Hurst are the perfect fits. However, the roster experienced a shake up with some key departures. In addition, Hurst is out for the season with an injury. Will those dynamics hurt the Hokies, or will young players like Kate Sears, Kaleo Anderson, Amani Jenkins, and Jessica Dimaro rise to the occasion and

The ACC media types predict a 8th place finish in the conference. Virginia Tech’s women’s basketball's upcoming schedule includes thirteen out-of-conference games. The Hokies face a challenge in the first week when JMU comes to Blacksburg. The Dukes upset the Hokies last year in Harrisonburg, 65-56, which will likely motivate Virginia Tech to be on its A game. Tech will win this game.

The other key out of conference matchups will come from Tennessee and potentially Michigan State, if the Hokies play the Spartans in the Emerald Coast Classic. I think that the women can win all of these games, but playing Tennessee and Michigan State will both be tough. Virginia Tech may suffer at least one hiccup to complete the non-conference slate 12-1.

How will Virginia Tech fare in the ACC? Virginia and Syracuse are predicted to finish ahead of Virginia Tech. Syracuse finished with a 12-6 record like the Hokies whereas Virginia finished 11-7. The Hokies are not likely to sweep Virginia again. In addition, that middle grouping of Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Clemson, and UVA are interchangeable and can all finish in different orders at any given time. Virginia Tech took care of business against those teams last year but that might be hard to expect two years in a row.

Can the Hokies upset one of the top tier teams in the ACC like Duke, Louisville, NC State, UNC, or Notre Dame and move up? They had Notre Dame and UNC on the ropes at times last year but could not finish. Against the other elite teams, a single poor quarter doomed the Hokies. The efficiency that Coach Duffy is preaching may be the key to defeating any of those teams.

The Hokies can finish with the same record but finish in 7th or even 8th in the ACC this year. I think they will likely finish with an 11-7 or 12-6 record in the ACC and win 23 games overall to go Dancing for the second consecutive year.

Michael Turner

Women's Sports Analyst

I have been a Hokie since 1985. I graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in international relations and received my Master’s in international relations as well, which included spending time in Romania, Russia, and Ukraine.