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Virginia Tech Basketball: ACC preseason predictions are mixed results

By Scott Roche

Mar 30, 2023; Dallas, TX, USA; The NCAA Women’s tournament logo is seen on a Wilson game ball during team practice for the Virginia Tech Hokies at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2023; Dallas, TX, USA; The NCAA Women’s tournament logo is seen on a Wilson game ball during team practice for the Virginia Tech Hokies at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Thursday, the hype around Blacksburg was for the Virginia Tech football team and their game against Syracuse. Earlier in the day, the ACC released their preseason predictions for men’s and women’s basketball and the results were mixed for the Hokies.

Virginia Tech women preseason ACC favorite

The ACC’s Blue Ribbon Panel released their predictions for the 2023-24 women’s basketball season and the Hokies were a big favorite. They finished with 45 of the 61 first-place votes. Here is the remaining predicted order of finish,

  1. Virginia Tech
  2. Notre Dame
  3. North Carolina
  4. Louisville
  5. Florida State
  6. Miami
  7. Duke
  8. North Carolina State
  9. Syracuse
  10. Virginia
  11. Clemson
  12. Georgia Tech
  13. Boston College
  14. Wake Forest
  15. Pittsburgh

The Preseason Player of the Year is Virginia Tech’s talented graduate center Elizabeth Kitley, which should not come as a surprise. She was named a Preseason All-ACC Team member with teammate Georgia Amoore. It’s not surprising to see the Hokies picked as the preseason favorite after their run through the conference tournament last spring, before their run to the Final Four. Kitley is going to be a big part of a team that is going to find it a tough night each night in conference play. They get ready for conference play with some tough non-conference games against Iowa and LSU, who eliminated the Hokies in the Final Four last March in Dallas.

Virginia Tech men picked near the middle of the ACC

To nobody’s surprise, Duke begins the season as the ACC favorite, while Virginia Tech was picked to finish eighth by media panelists. Here is the predicted order of finish,

  1. Duke
  2. Miami
  3. North Carolina
  4. Virginia
  5. Clemson
  6. Wake Forest
  7. North Carolina State
  8. Virginia Tech
  9. Pittsburgh
  10. Syracuse
  11. Florida State
  12. Boston College
  13. Georgia Tech
  14. Louisville
  15. Notre Dame

The Hokies didn’t have any players make the First or Second ACC team or Player of the Year or Preseason Rookes of the Year. Earlier this week, it was announced by men’s coach Mike Young that Rodney Rice was leaving the program 13 days before the season opener.

The women begin the season Nov. 6 at home at 5 p.m. against High Point, followed by the men at 8 p.m. against Coppin State to kick off the 2023-24 campaign.

Elizabeth Kitley named to preseason watchlist. light. Related Story

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