For the second time in three seasons, there has been a fairly big overhaul of the Virginia Tech men's basketball roster under head coach Mike Young. Three years ago, there was a mass exodus out of Blacksburg through the Transfer Portal and the Hokies struggled through a disappointing 2024-25 season.
Last summer, Young and his staff rebuilt the Hokies' roster, and they had a team that they thought was good enough to make the NCAA Tournament. It was. However, when push came to shove, there were a handful of losses that ended up costing them a berth in the 68-team field. Three ACC losses at the buzzer in very winnable games along with a first-round exit in overtime in the ACC Tournament again, this time to Wake Forest, ended the Virginia Tech season in mid-March.
There was roster turnover through the portal, and there is a lot of interest after the key retention that Young got. However, as currently constructed in mid-July, Joe Lunardi of ESPN doesn't see the Hokies as a team getting into the expanded 76-team field next March.
Joe Lunardi has Virginia Tech men's basketball out of his summer bracketology
I know, it's July and there are four months until the new season begins, but for a fanbase begging for an NCAA Tournament team, it's never too early to look ahead to next season. According to Lunardi, he has Virginia Tech in the "Next Four Out" in his latest bracketology, which would mean they are ranked among the 81-84 teams. The other schools in that group are Florida State, Mississippi State, and Utah State.
As for the "First Four Out" group that just misses the cut is West Virginia, Maryland, LSU, and Cincinnati. West Virginia is on the Hokies' schedule this upcoming season when Young takes his team to Morgantown. Talk about a huge game with NCAA Tournament ramifications.
Regardless of what the bracketology says in July, it's going to be another difficult road for Virginia Tech in 2026-27. The ACC will be tough, and the Hokies don't have to play Duke. However, they do have some résumé-building chances against West Virginia and Iowa in the non-conference, as well as Ole Miss. There is a lot of work to do, but this should serve as motivation for the summer workouts for Young and his team.
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