Virginia Tech Basketball: 6 observations from Hokies win over Campbell

Sometimes it’s not always pretty. That was the case for the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team Wednesday night against Campbell at home.

The Hokies struggled offensively in the first half, but their defense was much better than they showed against South Carolina last Friday night and they used a 34-point second half to pull away from the Camles and win, 60-44, to get into the win column after a frustrating loss to the Gamecocks five nights earlier.

There is plenty to discuss from the win and here are some observations from the Hokies’ second win in three games to begin the 2023-24 season.

Top Virginia Tech observations from win over Campbell

• What a night for Lynn Kidd. He scored a career-high 24 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. Every time in the second half Virginia Tech needed a basket, they went to him in the post and he was able to score, including two huge dunks late in the game. If they can get double digits each night from Kidd, that’s going to open things up for the shooters as the season goes along.

• Hunter Cattoor struggled in the first half, but he kept trying to find a rhythm, going 1-for-5 from 3-point land. In the second half, he knocked down three treys and all 12 of his points came from behind the arc. He finished 4-for-9 on 3-pointers and pitched in with four defensive rebounds.
• It was a tough night from the field for point guard Sean Pedulla, going 2-for-9 for five points, but he did finish with five assists. In the first half, he did a nice job of getting into the paint and feeding Kidd for easy baskets. He can still affect a game offensively for Virginia Tech when he’s not scoring.
• Mylyjael Poteat was big off the bench, scoring eight points, while Robbie Beran had just six points, but knocked down two big jumpers in the second half for key some baskets.
• Defensively, the Hokies forced the Camels into 12 first-half turnovers, which was a big reason why they went into the locker room with a 10-point lead at 26-16. Campbell did a better job in the second half handling the ball and turned it over just four times.
• Things are going to get tougher for Virginia Tech on Sunday when they welcome Wofford into Cassell Coliseum for another non-conference game. It is going to be a big night for Mike Young facing his former team he was coaching before he was hired in Blacksburg.

A win is a win and right now, early in the season, the Hokies need to collect all the wins they can as the non-conference schedule will get tougher before ACC play begins in December.