The Virginia Tech Women End 2025 with Commanding Wins over FSU and Radford - A Deep Dive

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Don Henley, in his song “Dirty Laundry”, said to “kick em when they are up. kick em when they are down. kick em when they are up. kick em all around.”  That is exactly when the Hokies did to end 2025.

The Hokies Destroy Florida State, 79-54

The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team traveled to Tallahassee, Florida this past Thursday to battle the Florida State Seminoles. Just like Duke last week, FSU came into this game vulnerable. The Seminoles had struggled to a 4-8, 0-1 in the conference, record and were coming off a 75-70 loss to Charleston in which they were outscored 28-23 in the fourth quarter. In addition, FSU had to play Tech without two key players and lost a third during the game. Whereas the Hokies failed to take advantage of a wounded Duke team last week, they did exactly what Henley advised - kicked Florida State! 

The Hokies smoked the Seminoles from the start with an explosive offensive performance and their best defensive effort of the year. To put the start in perspective, Tech shot 44% from the field in the first half to FSU’s 30% shooting from the field (even that was an improvement from FSU's 21% first quarter). Tech scored 15 points off Seminole turnovers whereas FSU had scored zero points off only ONE Tech turnover. Tech finished the half with a 45-29 lead. The second and third quarters were more competitive or the score would have been worse. The Hokies shut the door in the fourth and, at one point, were up by 31 points before settling into the final 79-54 score.  The 25-point margin is the largest ever for a Virginia Tech win in the 45-game series with FSU   For more detailed coverage, read Sons of Saturday's Thomas Disharooon's article on Virginia Tech's dominating win over Florida State.

Virginia Tech Routs Radford, 79-47

Unfortunately, Tech could not take that same intensity and level of play to start Sunday’s game against Radford. The Hokies began slowly against Radford. The Highlanders hit two three pointers early and worked for rebounds while Tech struggled to put the ball in the basket (31% shooting in the first quarter). Radford actually shot worse (17.6%) despite giving themselves numerous second chance opportunities at the basket.

Radford kept the game close through the first quarter and much of the second quarter, and even had a 22-21 point lead with 2:54 left in the first half.  The Hokies went on a 10-2 run over those final three minutes.  Aniya Trent poured in two layups by putting back an offensive rebound and then sealing her defender for a nice entry pass from Carys Baker.  Baker then hit a jump shot off a pick and pop assist from Carleigh Wenzel to take the lead for good.  Leila Wells scored on an offensive rebound putback to put Tech up 27-22. A timeout by Radford did not stop the Hokies’ momentum. Transition layups after steals by Wells and Mackenzie Nelson allowed the Hokies to finish the half up 31-24.

The Virginia Tech team that strafed Florida State earlier in the week came out in the second half and did the same to the Highlanders.  The Hokies clamped down on defense, forcing the Highlanders into 25% shooting.  The Hokies themselves shot 50% in the third quarter and 62.5% in the fourth quarter, which allowed them to outscore Radford 20-10 and 28-13 in the final two frames. While Radford made Tech work early, the final score 79-47 score meant the Hokies finished 2025 on a stellar high.

Baker led the Hokies with 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting, including 4-for-7 from 3-point range. It was her third straight 20+ point outing. Baker also added 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Mel Daley joined her in double figures with 15 points from an array of driving layups and mid-range jumpshots, as well as 5 rebounds. Kilah Freelon approached a double-double with 9 points and 17 rebounds, including 6 offensive boards. Wells was strong off the bench with 8 points on 4-6 shooting (mostly from steals and transition layups to go with 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Trent continued making an impact with 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Neither Nelson nor Carleigh Wenzel had good shooting nights, but both found other ways to contribute: Nelson had 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal whereas Wenzel had 6 assists and 7 rebounds. Sophie Swanson, Samyha Suffren, and Kayl Peterson each chipped in with  4, 3, and 2 points respectively to round out the scoring.

"FOURTEEN POINTS" TO CLOSE OUT 2025

With the Hokies taking a break for the winter holidays, it is a good time to take stock of some team dynamics after closing out 2025 in dominating fashion.

Tech finishes 2025 with an 11-3 record, including 1-1 in the ACC with a loss to Duke and the win against Florida State. In comparison, Tech entered the new year last season with a 9-3 record and 0-1 in the ACC. While the Hokies experienced disappointing losses to JMU, BYU, and Duke, they own quality wins over Oregon State, Florida, and Florida State. There is a sense of tenacity and resilience to this group that will pay off down the road.

Tis the Season for the Double-Double

This season is the year of the Double-Double as six players have notched double-doubles as of the Radford game:

• Kayl Peterson had a career high 17 points to go with 12 boards in the season-opening win over Towson.
• Kilah Freelon added her own 15 points and 11 rebounds against Towson.
• Carleigh Wenzel posted 23 points and a career-high 10 assists against Coastal Carolina.
• Carys Baker led Tech against Florida with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
• Mackenzie Nelson scored 18 points and dished out 12 assists against FSU.
• Mel Daley added 16 points and 10 rebounds also against FSU.

I am not sure how much this has happened in women's college basketball, where six different players notch double-doubles for one team in a season, but it feels exceptionally rare. Only top teams with depth might be able to claim this achievement. It is indeed a testament to Tech’s depth and the ability of any number of players to have a big night.

Given how many of those players have flirted with double-doubles, we will see more this season. It might be hard, however, to see any others achieving their own double double though Aniya Trent, Amani Jenkins, Leila Wells have the potential to get double digit points and rebounds in any given game.

Defense - Screens? What Screens!

Tech’s defense against Florida State was intense, tenacious, and smothering.  In addition, Tech only committed five fouls in the first half, with only two of those happening in the second quarter.  There were stretches where the 1-on-1 defense did give up some drives that led to fouls in the second half, but, on the whole, the defense was probably one of the best performances this group of players has demonstrated in the Duffy tenure. After some issues giving up drives or cuts early against Radford, the Hokies turned up the heat on defense in that game as well. 

In general, Virginia Tech’s defense this season has been very good:

• The defense is only allowing a 35.3% field goal percentage by opponents, good for 35th in the NCAA (by comparison, the 20th ranked team is allowing 34.2% so the difference between 35th and the top 20 is 1%.
• It ranks 5th in the ACC in giving up 55.9 points per game, which is good for 46th nationally. Again, the 25th nationally ranked team is only giving essentially 1 more point per game.
• Kilah Freelon ranks 8th in the ACC with 18 blocks for 1.5 per game. The team is 19th in the NCAA with 5.4 blocks per game.
• Virginia Tech has four players in the top 26 in the ACC in steals. Samyha Suffren ranks 8th with a 2.3 per game. Carleigh Wenzel, Mackenzie Nelson, and Mel Daley are tied (ranked 24, 25, and 260 with 1.5 steals per game.
• Freelon ranks 12th in the ACC  in defensive rebounding at 4.7 per game while Carys Baker comes in at 20th.

In my season preview, I pointed to defending screening action last season as an area that needed improvement coming into this year.  Defending screens generally comes in two varieties: defending the screen and roll where an opposing post screens for a guard leaving the Hokies having to figure out how to handle these situations. The second variety is when guards either drive or cut off teammates at the top of the key often resulting in defenders trailing the player.

The Hokies have been decent defending screens this year, but they were really hurt in two games.  Coastal Carolina experienced success on screen and rolls in the fourth quarter, but Tech had enough of a cushion that it didn’t hurt.  Screening action directly contributed to the loss against JMU.  Opposing post players who set screens were open at times for return passes around the basket. However, even if Tech defended the initial action well, teammates were slow to rotate over and gave up offensive rebounds. After both of those games, Coach Duffy discussed the tradeoff off preventing good shooters from going off versus being vulnerable to post players scoring.

The Hokies have improved their defensive execution, first against Presbyterian and put it all together against Florida State and Radford. Players like Amani Jenkins, Aniya Trent, Kilah Freelon, and Kayl Peterson are doing a great job hedging on screens and recovering back to their players. Guards are fighting through screens, switching, and keeping opposing players out of the lane.  When an opposing player has been able to drive off a screen, both Freelon and Trent have relentlessly switched and blocked several shots at the basket. It will be interesting to see if the Hokies can keep up this level of intensity and effort on defense against its slate of ACC opponents.

Baker's Rise to Prominence

The BYU loss may have been the low point of Cary Baker’s season. She scored 6 points in that game but only had 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks and was 0-2 from three.  Her impact in that game seemed minimal. Both she and Coach Duffy acknowledged her mental struggles and frustration earlier in the season and the need for a confidence-building reset.

Akin to a phoenix rising from the ashes, Baker has emerged over the last seven games as the leading offensive force for the Hokies.  She has averaged 17.1 points per game on 55.4% shooting/44.11% from three, with fewer than one turnover per game. She has scored over 20 points In five of the seven games. There also seems to be a concerted effort on the boards: coming out of the BYU game, Baker was averaging 4.57 rebounds per game; she has raised her average to 7.7 boards  per game.  Lastly, she is only committing fewer than 2 fouls per game despite guarding opposing inside players around the basket. After a hiccup against Duke, she capped off this seven-game run leading the team with 23 and 21 points respectively against Florida State and Radford.

Baker has acknowledged benefitting from passes in the right spots from teammates like Mackenzie Nelson, Carleigh Wenzel, and Aniya Trent, but she has gotten on her own heater since the Oregon State game.  Her rise as Tech’s go-to player has brought her into a near-tie as the team leader in points per game (13.4 ppg alongside Carleigh Wenzel’s 13.5 ppg). Her ability to score across three levels will be vital as the Hokies head into the remaining portion of their ACC schedule.

Regarding  Baker's turnaround and need for patience, Head Coach Megan Duffy said, “I think Carys has just really fallen in love with that process. I know she’s a little bit disappointed in the beginning of the year with how she was playing, and  we were just talking about resetting herself. She’s a very versatile player, and sometimes when you’re focused on only one aspect of your game, you lose that mindset of you have so many different ways to help our team."

“I think that’s what she’s done in the last couple weeks, just buying into her inside game. Obviously, she can stretch the floor. Her rebounding has gotten better. I think she’s settled into what she’s always wanted to be this season. It’s just a matter of being a little patient with herself to get her going and getting her to the right spots on the floor.”

Nelson Can Score

Mackenzie Nelson is thriving as the full-time starter at point guard, providing stellar defense and running the offense with poise. She is 1st in the ACC and 14th in the country averaging 6.5 assists per game, which is an increase of three per game from last season. Her assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.7 is 6th in the nation. Nelson already has two games with double digit assists, including a career-high 12 against Florida State. She is a threat to pass from anywhere on the court; it feels like she is hitting a teammate with a full-court pass for a transition layup in every game.

Nelson, however, is more than just an assist queen. She is scoring this year at a higher clip than last year.  In 2024-25, Nelson played in 32 games (starting 1). She has already shot more three pointers in 12 games this season than her total last year (27 to 24). Her shooting percentage from deep remains a work-in-progress at 25%, but the fact that she has the confidence to take the shot is far more important than her actual percentage right now.  In fact, she was third on the team behind Wenzel (7) and Baker (6) with four three point attempts against FSU, making one in the fourth quarter  to cause a bench celebration. 

Nelson thrives, though, with her drives. She continuously pressured the Seminole defense with slashing drives to the basket:

• Nelson scored six points in the first quarter against FSU, two on driving layups into the teeth of the defense and another on a steal leading to a full court layup
• She added a driving layup high off the glass where she was also fouled in the second quarter and another score off a give-and-go with an assist by Aniya Trent in the third.
• Nelson added to her total in the fourth with a full-court transition layup off a missed FSU three pointer and a slice through traffic for a layup before being subbed out.

While she did not finish many of her drives against Radford (she shot 3-for-10), Nelson did finish with a team-high seven assists.

Nelson’s continued growth as a strong two-way floor general who draws charges, grabs steals, plays excellent defense, gets the ball to teammates, and can score herself makes her the ultimate engine that will help Virginia Tech have a successful season.

Pure Speed - Especially in Transition

The Hokies play fast (maybe too fast at times) and continually push the pace.  First, they are  always looking ahead.  They have opened several games scoring either off the jump ball or within the first couple of possessions when either Nelson or Wenzel has hit a streaking Freelon or Baker for a transition basket. In the third quarter against Florida State, Nelson passed ahead to Aniya Trent running the floor who then made her layup with contact. Late in the fourth, Nelson made a full court layup when no one stopped her after a missed three by the Seminoles. Then she hit a full court pass to Kilah Freelon against an unsettled zone defense for another layup.

The Hokies also possess blazing speed and quickness with the ball in their hands.  Samyah Suffren can get downhill quickly either by driving into the lane or driving full court off one of her patented steals. Wells and Nelson also bring speed to the team! In the FSU game, Baker grabbed a steal near the top of the key and got the ball to Nelson who turned on the jets for a  transition score. Nelson then raced back on defense reminiscent of a play earlier in the season against Coastal Carolina when she got a pass from Suffren to start a fast break, sped down the court, finished the layup under duress, and then was the first player back on defense!

Mid-Range Mel

Modern basketball has evolved where so many players either shoot threes or try to score in the lane. Other shots tend to be denigrated!  Well, the mid-range jumpshot is alive and well in Blacksburg courtesy of “Mid-Range Mel.”

Here is what I wrote about Mel Daley in my pre-season preview. While she has scored slashing to the basket in transition, she has largely been money with her patented mid-range jumpshot:

When you watch her film, Daley reminds me of Lani White from Virginia Tech’s 2024-25 season…without the 3-pt shot.  Daley didn’t bring the ball up a lot for the Wildcats and did not serve in what you would think of as a true point guard role. She tended to set up in the corner and then curl up the 3-pt line to receive a pass or hand-off for a drive, pull up, or other next action, similar to White’s role in the VT offense.  She took 7 three-pointers all last season and only 4 the season before, so - unless the VT coaches are encouraging her to expand that part of her game - don’t look for a flurry of 3-pt shots from Daley this year. She is more of a pull-up shooter/slasher. Daley has a very nice pull up mid-range jump shot off the dribble.  She is going to be a player who should be on the receiving end of passes in transition and can finish well under duress. Defensively, she has good anticipation at the top of the key that can lead to steals.”

Daley is averaging 11.3 points per game, having scored in double-digits in 9 of the team's 14 games. Howeer, after a season-low 2 points in the loss to JMU, she has elevated her game starting with the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands, when she helped keep Virginia Tech in the BYU game early and then scored 24 points against Oregon State. Daley is averaging 13.3 points per game since that wake up call against JMU.

Daley is not the only one with a great mid-range. Baker has a smooth, deadly shot from around the free throw line and along the baseline. Wenzel is also capable of shooting off the drive and hopefully will get that groove back.  Samyha Suffren is developing her mid-range shot but, for now, she is inconsistent as an outside shooter.

Attacking Zone Defenses

Over multiple games, this team has shown that it knows how to attack a zone defense., even if missed shots make people think a zone is working against Tech.  The team is organized and has great patience and ball movement. The temptation for many teams is to shoot threes, but a zone defense wants you to take outside shots. Tech will typically go into a high-low look with a player flashing to the free throw line area for an entry pass.

The ability to attack the zone was a key to defeating Oregon State.  Mel Daley took advantage of holes against Oregon State’s zone in the first half with jump shots from the free throw line. Baker sealed the win in the fourth quarter with shots from there as well. Against Florida State, after a pass to Freelon was deflected, Leila Wells got the loose ball, dribbled baseline, drew a defender, and passed to Baker in the mid-post for a jumper. In the fourth quarter, Tech moved the ball around the perimeter before passing into Freelon in the high post.  Freelon then hit Baker flashing along the baseline for a layup.  When Baker’s outside shot was not falling, she made a living around the free throw line. 

Tech will undoubtedly face more zone defenses over the course of season, and the players willingness to move the ball to look for a good shot offers confidence that it can overcome various looks.

Freelon Owns the Boards

Kilah Freelon, the high energy transfer from Texas Tech, has made an instant impact for the Hokies.  She did have a tough three-game stretch against Oregon State, Florida, and Duke when foul trouble limited her ability to stay on the court. However, Freelon has had four games in which she grabbed double-digit rebounds, including bringing down 17 against Radford! Six of those were offensive boards that kept possessions alive for Tech and resulted in five second chance points

Freelon is averaging 9.3 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game, which means she has basically doubled her production in both statistical categories from the 2024-25 season at Texas Tech to this season at Virginia Tech.

While that stretch of games where she struggled allowed for the emergency of Amani Jenkins and Aniya Trent, it is clear that the Hokies need a productive Freelon to challenge the rest of the ACC pecking order and have a chance to make it to March Madness.

Twin Towers - Anita Trent’s Emergence

Virginia Tech has two 6’3” freshman forwards, “Twin Towers” Amani Jenkins and Aniya Trent. Both bring size and length, and are clear upgrades over last year’s freshmen posts. Given the lack of real depth inside, at least one was going to be needed to contribute this season. Both have gotten minutes during the non-conference schedule, but the real question is how quickly would they be ready for ACC play?

The quickest way for any freshman forward to play is to be able to play defense.  There are probably “Five Requirements” to be trusted on defense:

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

Both Jenkins and Trent have been called on to play, even against P4 opponents and have done well. Jenkins’s defense against Oregon State helped win the game. She did a great job hedging on screens and recovering to her player throughout the game, but, with the Hokies nursing a five point lead with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Jenkins was in the game, even blocking a shot late to help stifle Oregon State.

Each has had her moment to shine. Jenkins, for example, scored a career high 8 points off 4-for-4 shooting against Presbyterian.  Trent sealed her player for a layup and then had the offensive rebound putback against Radford. She also showed she can run the floor and finish against contact when she got that transition pass from Nelson against Florida State.

Aniya Trent, however, has been the one emerging over the past six games, even playing twenty minutes against Florida State. Trent has excelled in all five defensive areas identified above. She has become a blocking machine. She knows where the ball is and has shown the savviness to help when needed. For example, against Florida State, she came down to double and help Baker in the post and later moved down to impede a layup and easily block a shot that led to a fast break by Wenzel. Trent is averaging 3.3 defensive rebounds in 16.2 minutes of playing time and she is not getting beaten back in transition.

Their offense does not have to be strong. The key is to know their role on offense, not try to do too much, and not turn the ball over. Both Jenkins and Trent have been good at getting the ball around the free throw line in Tech’s offensive sets and then finding an open player, especially on those give and gos to Nelson or Wenzel. In addition, they are called upon to set screens for guards. Given the emphasis  by officials on setting legal screens, it is worth noting that neither Jenkins nor Trent have really been called for illegal screens.  They also have shown the ability to work together when on the court together as exemplified by their high-low interaction in the Presbyterian game.

Wenzel Finding Her Way

Carleigh Wenzel is one of the key players and leaders on this team. She leads the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game and has four games in which she scored at least 18 points (and 9 double digit games).

She is scuffling both from a long distance and with finishing layups right now and had her lowest point total this season and a season high 6 turnovers against Radford. However, Wenzel remains a threat and is second on the team behind Baker with a 29.5 percent mark from three. 

Despite, her struggles, Wenzel is finding other ways to help the team as Nelson stressed after the Coastal Carolina game:

• Wenzel had ZERO turnovers against FSU.
• Even with the drop in her shooting percentage from three, Wenzel is sixth in the ACC in three pointers made.
• You want her to hit layups? On one play against Florida State, she drove baseline, hesitated like she was going to dribble back out, and then re-attacked underneath for a reverse layup. She did miss a transition one off a pass from Nelson and got her shot blocked on another attempt, but she came back and hit another layup. Against Radford, Wenzel made a layup in the second half while being fouled and raised her hands to the sky in relief, so you know it is weighing on her.
• Wenzel is the main player who gets to the line as she is second in the ACC in free throws made, second only to Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo.
• She is second on the team in assists with 3.5 per game and tied for second with 1.5 steals per game. Even though she did not shoot well against Radford, she was second on the team with 6 assists.

Wenzel is playing very well defensively, often taking another team’s best player. For a greater look at her contribution on defense, see the Deep Dive of the game against Florida where she made several game saving defensive plays to seal the win.

Virginia Tech will need a confident, productive Wenzel to have a successful ACC season run. Hopefully, the Holiday break will give her space to breathe and find herself going into 2026.

Leila Wells and Samyha Suffren Bring the Pressure

Leila Wells has been quietly establishing herself as the reliable  and versatile first option at guard off the bench. She started against Presbyterian in place of Nelson and proceeded to post career highs with 13 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals. She added 2 steals and 8 points against Radford. In fact, Wells reached the 100th career point milestone against Radford.  Even more importantly, she can orchestrate the offense when either Nelson or Wenzel take a breather.

Coach Duffy commented on lafter the Radford game, saying. "Leila is just growing in her role every day. No nonsense, unselfish, like she’ll guard anybody we need her to guard, she’s playing point for us, she’s playing on the wing. Just whatever duty is assigned to her, as I say, and just doing it with a positive attitude. I thought she was a huge spark for us in that second quarter with small things."

Samyha Suffren has had several games in which she has scored in double-digits, including a career high 17 points against Presbyterian. However, all of those performances have been against non-P4 teams (Towson, Gardner-Webb, Niagara, Presbyterian, and ETSU). That is not to say that Suffren hasn’t made an impact in other games; when she does make plays, they seem to come in a run.. Against Florida State, for example, she ended a quarter with two straight plays. Suffren sliced through the lane, seemingly switching hands to avoid blocks for a layup. On the defensive end, she caused a FSU mishandle, stole the ball and sprinted downcourt until she dropped a bounce pass to Baker for a layup.

There are two areas where Suffren needs to grow her game. First, she needs to continue to work on her outside shot, including the mid-range and three pointer.  She is currently shooting 23.5% from three and her mid-range is just as inconsistent. Secondly, Suffren needs to grow her ability to orchestrate the offense, as well as her vision and decision-making when it comes to scoring or passing. On most of her drives, you want her to attack the rim, but there have been times a pass to a teammate might have been a better option.  For example, against Florida State, she had a screen and roll situation with Freelon where she drove into the lane for a pull-up. She had Freelon open for an easy pass but shot (and missed the jumper).

Pending / Don't Open Until…. 

There are four players whose playing time has been limited or their debut has been delayed. It will be interesting to see how they develop and contribute to the program both this season and in the future. 

Kayl Peterson made a splash last season, especially with her 12-pt performance that helped seal the upset of Louisville.  While her playing time this season has been erratic, she is averaging 14+ minutes a game and continually reminds us of how fundamentally sound and under control she plays on offense.

Sophia Swanson transferred from Purdue with a reputation as a quality three point shooter.   Swanson has played in eleven of Tech’s first fourteen games; however, whether due to an early season incident that has caused her to wear a protective mask or due to coaches’ decisions, her playing time has been limited. Unfortunately, she has not been able to find her form from three yet, hitting just 1 out of 19 attempts so far. In another example of exultation and relief, Swanson had those highlight moments against Presbyterian that included the spin between two defenders for a layup and the harm. Here’s hoping she has a breakout moment soon.

Spela Brecelj, the Slovenian guard/forward added late in the summer, has seen spot duty in five games. While she presumably has to adapt to the speed of the college game, she has shown the ability to hit the three as well as put the ball on the floor to get to the basket.

4-star freshman Kate Sears is out for the season after suffering a foot injury during the pre-season. While it was always uncertain how much playing time Sears might have gotten this season given the team’s depth at the guard position, her playing making ability and 30.6 point scoring average as a high school junior promise potential next year. 

Plenty of Cheers. Any Jeers?

With a 11-3 start to the year, including a 1-1 mark in the ACC, the Virginia Tech women have a lot to cheer about as 2025 closes. Are there any Jeers or things to worry about?

• Free throws - Tech shot 50% from the line in the Radford game and is shooting 72.6% overall. While the 72% is not horrible, the main reason it is a Jeer is that the normally reliable Nelson, Wenzel, and Baker have shown themselves to be human lately.  Baker and Wenzel will likely finish the season in the high 70s-80s but right now they are leaving points on the table.
• Layups - The Hokies like to threaten the basket. They have to convert more layups….
• Slow Starts - Virginia Tech brought intensity and efficiency from the beginning against Florida State. However, there have been other games in which cold shooting and defensive lapses have led to slow starts. Tech has largely overcome these with the Duke game being the main casualty; still, Tech needs to avoid debilitating slow starts.
• JMU Loss - Will the loss to JMU hurt Tech? With a Net ranking of 60, JMU represents a Quadrant 2 loss for the Hokies right now (Away game NET rating of 46-80). It is worth noting that JMU has a higher Net rating than Oregon State.

Looking to 2026 - Predicting - Chance to Finish 11-7 in the ACC

If Tech is going to improve on its record from last year and go Dancing in March, it has to follow the formula of beating the teams it “should” beat consistently and steal some games from a group of supposedly better teams. Going into this season, Florida State was likely one of those games that seemed like a hill to climb, especially after last year’s result. However, beating FSU - pre-season ranked #9 and one spot ahead of the Hokies in the ACC - was doable. With that win in their belt, the Hokies are aiming for more success. After facing Miami and Louisville to start the New Year, they face a key six-game stretch against Syracuse, Boston College, SMU, Clemson, Wake Forest, and Pittsburgh. If the Hokies  play like they did against Florida State and take care of business, they could enter the home game against UVA on February 1 with an admittedly optimistic 9-2 record in the ACC. There will be tougher stretches after that against the top teams in the league, but the path is there to exceed 20 overall wins.

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For Readers Who Want To See HIghlights:

Youtube Video - Full Game Against Florida State

Youtube Video - Condensed Game Against Radford