Virginia Tech Women's Basketball Releases 2026-27 Non-Conference Schedule

After a summer of hard work, the Queens of Cassell are two months from taking the court again. 

The Virginia Tech women’s basketball program announced its non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season this past Monday.  The team plays 13 non-ACC games, with 10 of those matchups taking place in Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg.

Here is a look at the full non-conference schedule and some key points about each opponent, including past games that may provide an indicator of how this year’s matchup might go  The NET rating for each opponent is from the 2025-26 season.

Virginia Tech starts the season with three straight home contests. The Hokies play North Carolina Central on Nov. 2 in Cassell. The two teams have placed twice in the past, with the Hokies winning 70-52 in 2011 and 80-44 in 2014. The Eagles went 9-20 in in 2025, with a 5-9 record in the MEAC Conference that was good for 5th in the 8 team conference. While the Eagles lost 90-42 to then #11 ranked North Carolina, it lost a close 68-65 game against Wake Forest. NC Central did play UNC Greensboro last year, an opponent that Virginia Tech has this  season, and lost 54-47. 

Delaware visits Blacksburg on Nov. 4 The Blue Hens and Hokies have played twice before, the last time in 1985 with Virginia Tech winning 74-61. Delaware went 13-19 overall and 6-12 in Conference USA, finishing 8th in the 12-team league in the 2025-26 season. Notable games included a 67-55 win over Loyola, MD and a 91-80 win over Towson, both teams that Virginia Team defeated - by 44 and 16 points, respectively. The Blue Hens also lost to LaSalle, a team that the Hokies will play this year, 65-48.

Virginia Tech finishes its initial homestand to kick off the season with James Madison coming to Cassell on Nov. 8. The Dukes handed the Hokies an upset loss in Harrisonburg last year with the JMU’s screen game really hurting Virginia Tech on defense.  The Dukes made the NCAA Tournament last year as a 12-seed and lost to Kentucky in the first round, so there will be several story lines that make this a pivotal early season matchup.

The Hokies stay in state and travel to Richmond on Nov. 12 to kick off the front end of a home-and-home series with VCU. Virginia Tech will host the Rams in the 2027-28 season.  VCU went 8-23 overall and 4-14 in the Atlantic 10 last season. VCU lost twice to common opponent LaSalle, and lost 81-63 to JMU, but only lost by an average of 13 points to Georgia, Texas A&M, and Penn State.  The Rams will have a new coach as VCU let go of former coach Beth O’Boyle and hired Chelsea Banbury, who had spent the past seven years at High Point.

The Hokies return home for a Nov. 15 matchup against former Atlantic 10 foe La Salle. Virginia Tech holds a 7-4 advantage in the all-time series, with the Hokies winning 64-57 the last time the two teams met in 2000. The Explorers went 19-14 last year and 10-8 in the Atlantic 10, owning wins over Virginia Tech opponents such as VCU, Loyola (MD), and Delaware. La Salle played in the WNIT post-season tournament in 2025, winning its first round game against Binghamton before losing to Army.

The Virginia Tech women then travel to Destin, Florida to play in the Emerald Coast Classic. The Hokies will face UT Martin on Nov. 23 for the third time in program history, the last time being a tight 54-49 Hokie win in the San Juan Shootout in 2021. The Skyhawks went 13-17 overall and 9-11 in the Ohio Valley Conference where it finished sixth in the eleven team conference. Notable games for UT Martin are a relatively close 72-61 loss to then no.8 ranked Tennessee.

Virginia Tech will play either Michigan State or Alcorn State in the second round of the tournament on Nov. 24. Michigan State finished 7th in the 18-team Big Ten Conference with 11-7 conference and 23-9 overall records. The Spartans earned a 5-seed for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, beating 12-seed Colorado before losing a close battle to then no. 4 seed Oklahoma.  In match-ups against ACC opponents, Michigan State defeated Clemson, 72-64.  Virginia Tech holds an all-time 3-1 record against MIchigan State, having won 72-66 in Blacksburg the last time they played in 2013.

Alcorn State finished 2nd in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) with a 14-4 conference and 17-14 overall record. Virginia Tech and Alcorn State have only played once before, a 87-44 shellacking by Virginia Tech in 2010.  While losing big to national power LSU, the Lady Braves played teams like Mississippi State, Ole Miss and , and Auburn relatively close.

The Hokies close out the first month of the season with a game in Blacksburg against UNC Greensboro on Nov. 29. The Spartans went 14-16 on the season, finishing seventh in the eight team South Conference with a 4-10 record. To put UNC Greensboro’s performances in perspective, it beat teams like Presbyterian and Gardner-Webb by 2-4 points, teams that Virginia Tech defeated by 30-56 points.

Virginia Tech’s partner in the ACC/SEC challenge this upcoming season is Tennessee The Volunteers will visit Cassell on Dec. 3. The Gators finished 6th in the SEC with an 8-8 conference record and a 16-14 overall record. After a promising 6-0 start in SEC play last year, Tennessee then proceeded to lose 10 of its next 12 games, including ending the season on a seven game losing streak.  The off-season for the Volunteers was tumultuous, with eight players transferring out of the program. What makes this game even more interesting is that two of those transfers - Alyssa Lathan and Lauren Hurst - are now Hokies!! 

Appalachian State will visit Cassell on Dec. 9 as the first game of a three-game series. The Aggies finished 13th in the 15-team Sun Belt Conference with a 4-14 conference record. App State lost twice each to common Virginia Tech foes Coastal Carolina and JMU while defeating Gardner-Webb. When the program faced a Power 4 program like Clemson or West Virginia, it lost by 20-30 points.

To wrap up its non-conference schedule, Virginia Tech will play three more home  games: Campbell on Dec. 13, Radford on Dec 21, and Charleston on Dec. 28. Campbell finished second in the Colonial Athletic Conference with 13-5 conference and 20-12 overall records. The Camels did not play a Power 4 team last year to put their level in perspective, but they played two common Virginia Tech opponents, losing twice to Towson and splitting with Charleston. 

Virginia Tech has defeated Radford by 79-47 and 73-34 scores the last two seasons. Even so, the Highlanders earned a 23-13 overall record and advanced to the second round of the WNIT before losing to Arkansas State.

The Hokies then finalize their preparations for ACC play with a home game against Charleston. The Cougars finished ahead of Campbell, first in the standings for the Colonial Athletic (CAA) with a 16-2 conference record. One game from last year is worth highlighting:  Charleston defeated the ACC’s Florida State 75-70 in a game that was tied going into the fourth quarter. Cougar guard Taylor Barbot torched the Seminoles for 20 points. She is no longer there, having transferred to Pitt for her senior year. However, Charleston will likely still be a dangerous task as it is coming off an NCAA 1st Round appearance as well as a CAA championship.

Virginia Tech will play four NCAA tournament teams and two teams that made the second round of the WNIT. 

The average NET Ranking from last year for the thirteen non-conference opponents is 189. This does not include Michigan State (NET 19) or Alcorn State (NET 307) until it is clear who Virginia Tech will play in the second game of the Emerald Classic. However, the Hokies have the potential to play four teams that finished in the top 100 of the NET rankings last season. Tennessee, Michigan State, and JMU represent the most dangerous teams on Virginia Tech’s schedule and the best opportunities to bolster Virginia Tech’s resume.

Virginia Tech is likely to start ACC conference play in early December. Last year, for example, the Hokies played Duke on December 7 and then Florida State on December 18 before beginning the full ACC slate in the new year. I would anticipate only one ACC game in September given the Charleston game on December 28. The ACC schedule will likely be released in early September.