After rolling past Coppin State by 34 points to begin the 2026-27 season, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team had a quick turnaround, just 48 hours, before hosting a scrappy Mercer team at Cassell Coliseum.
The Hokies used a strong first half and overcame a sluggish start to the second half to improve to 2-0 early in the season. Here are four buckets and two bricks as the Hokies get some time before playing their first non-conference test next week at Iowa.
Bucket: Ben Hammond
Against Coppin State, Ben Hammond had 20 points and seven steals. He couldn't come close to that again against the Bears, could he? Sure, why not? In the first half alone, Hammond had 11 points and four steals. The Bears made a run early in the second half, but Hammond had a big corner 3-pointer to shift the momentum. He finished with 16 points, five steals, and four rebounds.
Brick: Mercer turnovers
When you play the Hokies, you're going to face some pressure on the defensive end. Mercer hung around early, but Virginia Tech used their pressure defense midway through the half and going into halftime for a pair of big runs that gave them some separation at 47-24. The Bears turned the ball over 14 times in the first half, which led to 23 points, which just happened to be the halftime deficit. Funny how it works, no?
Bucket: Miles Heide
It's just been two games, but man, San Diego State transfer Miles Heide isn't going to average a double-double, but he does many of the little things at both ends of the floor. Against Mercer, he had just six points and five rebounds, but he does a lot of the little things that don't show up in the box score. In the first half, he had a nice tip-in rebound to Amani Hansberry on the offensive end for a layup. A role player who, so far, has done a good job.
Brick: Officials in the second half
It's tough being an official in any sport at any level, which is why you hate to blame them for anything in a game. However, in the second half, if they were wondering, yes, the whistles worked. Do you know how we know? Consider the following: just 2:03 into the second half, the Bears were in the bonus. Yes, you're reading that right. Before the second half was even half over, there were already more fouls called combined, 17, than in the first half, 15. Yes, the whistles worked just fine.
Bucket: Mike Young
After beating Coppin State, head coach Mike Young was less than pleased with the number of touches that Hansberry had on the offensive end. He vowed that he would get more, and 48 hours later, he wasn't kidding. Hansberry got touches, a lot of touches early on, and the Young wasn't kidding; the ball went through him when they set up in the half-court.
Bucket: Jaylen Curry
Oklahoma State transfer Jaylen Curry was impressive in the opener, but he did have six turnovers, which Young clearly wasn't happy about. Against Mercer, he handled the ball early and often, and it went much better. He knocked down a 3-pointer, but he had four assists and finished with 14 points. Curry and Hammond could be a dangerous backcourt this season.
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