One huge takeaway from Virginia Tech's 2026-27 men's basketball schedule was that veteran head coach Mike Young is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to the Hokies schedule. After falling short on an NCAA Tournament berth, Young was setting his team up for success in building a résumé.
The first test was a "neutral site" battle on Tuesday night in Sioux Falls, Iowa, against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Sure, it will go down a neutral site game, but it was far from one. The crowd was a pro-Iowa one, which was expected and it was a back-and-forth battle where really no team was able to seperate.
In the end, the game went to overtime, tied at 79-79, and the Hokies were able to do something they struggled to do last season: they closed out a close game with a 93-88 win to improve to 3-0. After the game, Young had a blunt statement about his club that could serve as a warning for future opponents.
Mike Young drops blunt statement after Virginia Tech's statement overtime win over Iowa
When you go on the road, or heck, when you win a game at home or anywhere, and score 93 points, you have a lot of people step up offensively, and that was the case for the Hokies against the Hawkeyes. Young didn't mince words about his club and the weapons he has that can score at times.
"We're pretty damn hard to guard,'' said Young, per David Cunningham of Tech Sideline.
Virginia Tech feels like they have more options this season when it comes to the offensive end of the floor. Their five starters combined for 86 of the 93 points the Hokies put up, with Ben Hammond leading the way with a career-high 32 points, grabbing five rebounds, and dishing out four assists.
It didn't end there. Jaylen Curry, who came over from Oklahoma State in the portal, had just two points at halftime. In the second half, he dropped 14 points, but he overcame two missed free throws with six seconds left at the end of regulation and scored nine points in overtime to lead the Hokies to a much-needed road win, finishing with 25 points. His ability to get to the basket was tough for Iowa to defend at times.
Amani Hansberry finished with 16 points, which included some big shots, but the ball got through him offensively, something Young said he was going to do more of after a season-opening win over Coppin State. Florida Atlantic transfer Isaiah Elohim had his best game early in the season with 12 points and six rebounds. He scored 10 of his 12 points in the opening half.
At 3-0, Virginia Tech returns home to host Mount St. Mary's on Friday night at Cassell Coliseum before Richmond visits next Monday. However, this win and team effort is one that could end up being huge come March for both the Hokies and the ACC as a whole. Sure, it was a neutral-site win, but it felt like a true road game win.
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