After the Virginia Tech men's basketball team came up short on an NCAA Tournament bid in March, they announced that they were not going to accept an NIT bid, and their season was over following an overtime loss to Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
It was a disappointing end to a season that began with so much hype and promise and ended with complete frustration. There were several reasons why they were a bubble team that just never quite got over the right side of the bubble following a handful of buzzer-beating losses in conference play.
When they announced that they were ending their season, the writing was on the wall for an exodus out of Blacksburg through the portal. That was the case, but head coach Mike Young got some key retention from forwards Tyler Johnson and Amani Hansberry, along with point guard Ben Hammond. Virginia Tech picked up some veteran players through the Transfer Portal to surround the returning players. The Hokies ACC opponents were recently released, and some of their non-conference games have been dropped for 2026-27.
On Friday, their opponent in the annual ACC/SEC Challenge was announced, and they'll host Ole Miss at Cassell Coliseum the first week of December. One college basketball writer had a message for Young and the Hokies surrounding that game.
The Athletic sends clear message to Mike Young and Virginia Tech about Ole Miss matchup
Brendan Marks of The Athletic ranked the ACC/SEC Challenge matchups, and he had the Hokies and Rebels as the eighth-ranked matchup. He did have a subtle message for Mike Young and Virginia Tech about the game.
"Virginia Tech coach Mike Young quietly had a nice offseason, retaining Amani Hansberry and point guard Ben Hammond. If the Hokies are going to make it back to the Big Dance, they need to win games like this,'' wrote Marks.
Marks isn't wrong. Given how much the SEC gets glazed every season, a win over an SEC school could prove to be big in March. What makes this game even more important is that the Hokies catch a break with their ACC schedule, with no Duke this year. If they were to play the Blue Devils, it would have been in Durham, after Duke visited this past season.
Now, going to Duke would present a big résumé-buolding opportunity, but that is not happening. That makes this matchup with Ole Miss even more vital for the Hokies to win, even though it's going to be in Blacksburg.
If Virginia Tech is going to get to the NCAA Tournament, the field expanding to 76 teams might be a big help. Not exactly something to write home about. However, if the Hokies are going to be on the right side of the bubble in 2027, winning their matchup with the Rebels is an all-most must.
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