Virginia Tech Men’s Basketball Weekly Recap

Virginia Tech vs. Louisville | Sunday, December 3, 4:00 p.m. | Blacksburg, VA

Final: VT 75, Louisville 68

Tech took home its first ACC win of the year against Louisville. They put up quite the battle, but the Hokies came out on top with strong performances from MJ Collins and Lynn Kidd. Collins had his biggest game of the season, draining all three shots from behind the arc. He hasn’t surpassed six points in any other game this year but had 20 on Sunday. Collins’ four assists is also tied for a season-high. Kidd had another great performance with 19 points.

This was a good win for the Hokies. Louisville (4-5, 0-1 ACC) is a deceptively good team for its record. The Cards recently had narrow losses to No. 19 Texas and Indiana, both close games until the final few plays.

Sean Pedulla sustained a minor sprain on the final play of the game. Coach Mike Young expects him to be available to play against Vermont on December 16th.

Virginia Tech vs. Valparaiso | Saturday, December 9, 12:00 p.m. | Blacksburg, VA

Final: VT 71, Valpo 50

VT had a dreadful first half against Valpo. Tech had 11 turnovers that led to 12 points for the Beacons in just 20 minutes. While they weren’t playing well, they managed to hold a lead. They didn’t get as many shots off as they should’ve, but they made the ones they did.

Whatever Mike Young said in the locker room cleaned up the Hokies game immensely. Four turnovers in the second half and 11 second-chance points made a clear difference to the team, the crowd, and the scoreboard.

Brandon Rechsteiner got his first collegiate start with Pedulla out. He held his own, protecting the ball well and keeping it moving all over the court.

Takeaways from this Week

VT should feel confident about heading into conference play at the end of December. There have been lows, but there have been equal highs. The team has a lot of talent in the starting group. The depth is finally starting to show 10 games into the season as players get acclimated.

Rechsteiner looks like a solid backup who can provide Pedulla and Hunter Cattoor with a few minutes of rest. Kidd is proving to be a very efficient, very consistent player on the team. His confidence between this year and last is night and day.