When Virginia Tech hired Megan Duffy to replace Kenny Brooks two years ago as the next women's basketball coach in Blacksburg, it didn't take her long to put her fingerprints on the program. She got a ton of key retention from the roster Brooks left, and she was able to keep them this year and hopefully next.
After having a roster that came up one game short of the NCAA Tournament after the Hokies were the first team left out of the 68-team field last year, Duffy did some great portal work, and it all added up to a team that secured a single-digit seed in their year's tournament. Their season came to an end on Friday afternoon in Austin, Texas, against Oregon, but they were a fun team to watch all season long. After the loss, Duffy didn't beat around the bush about her feelings on the 2025-26 team.
Megan Duffy said what fans knew about the 2025-26 Virginia Tech women's basketball team
When the pairing was announced on Sunday night, you knew right away that the Hokies got a tough draw with Oregon in the first round. They fell behind by 11 points after the first quarter, cut the deficit to six at halftime, but an 18-0 run in the third quarter all but sealed the deal for the Hokeis Big Ten foe in a 70-60 win. Even though the season ended, Duffy enjoyed her team this year.
"Yeah, this has been such a fun group to coach and I don't know, like Mackie said, if every head coach can say that about their team,'' said Duffy. "They make me laugh every day. They drive me crazy other days. They're really good young women that are trying to figure out how to build a program and love each other, but push each other every day. And that's been the most fun of just being around them.''
There is a good chance that there will hopefully be more fun next season. Mel Daley and Kilah Freelon, who transferred last year, are the two seniors, and assuming Duffy can have another good year of retention, 2026-27 could be an exciting one with all the experience and growth they had this year. Losing stinks, but the future is bright. Fans enjoyed watching this team as much as Duffy did.