Virginia Tech Basketball: 3 big takeaways from the 2024-25 ACC/SEC Challenge schedule

Wednesday, the second annual men’s and women’s ACC/SEC Challenge schedules were released for the 2024-25 season. This season, the Virginia Tech men will get to play at home after a trip to Auburn this past season, while the women will once again be on the road in their first year under Megan Duffy after losing at LSU last November.

This season’s games will be played on Dec. 3, 4, and 5, but as far as Virginia Tech fans go, both the men and women play on the same night, Dec. 4, which is going to be a long night of hoops. With the pairings announced, here are three big takeaways from the matchups in December.

Virginia Tech men get rebuilding program

There were several ways that the schedule makers could have gone with the men’s matchups from a Hokies perspective. They could have had former coach Buzz Williams return to Blacksburg with Texas A&M or they could have matched up Virginia Tech and Ole Miss with former Hokie Sean Pedulla landing with the Rebels in the transfer portal. Instead, it will be a homecoming of sorts for a first-year SEC coach when Vanderbilt visits Blacksburg.

Mark Byington will begin his first season at Vanderbilt after leaving James Madison to replace Jerry Stackhouse in Nashville. He’ll be bringing back former Hokies, Tyler Nickel and MJ Collins back to Cassell Coliseum. Nickel only spent one season with coach Mike Young while Collins was a surprise last season at both ends of the floor and gave Young flexibility in handling the ball. It will be interesting the reception that both Collins and Nickel get.