Virginia Tech vs. Marshall NCAA Tournament Round 1: How to watch, odds and predictions for March madness

The Virginia Tech women's basketball team will kick off their 2024 NCAA Tournament run Friday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum when they play Marshall. The fourth-seeded Hokies in the Portland 3 Regional will host the 13th-seeded Thundering Hurd one day after it was announced that three-time ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley will miss the tournament with a torn ACL.

That is going to make things tougher for head coach Kenny Brooks and his team, but there is no shortage of talent and that includes point guard Georgia Amoore. Yes, more pressure will be put on her, but she will be surrounded by veterans like Cayla King and Olivia Summiel. If there is one thing the Hokies are going to need, it's that their freshman steps up off the bench, including Clara Strack, Carleigh Wenzel, and Carys Baker.

Marshall, who won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, is a team that pressures all over the court and plays 12 or 13 players. They shoot a lot of 3's and average over 80 points a game, which is going to test Virginia Tech without Kitley.

How to watch Virginia Tech vs. Marshall in the NCAA Tournament Round 1

• Date: Friday, March 22
• Time: 3:30 p.m.
• Channel: ESPN2
• Streaming: FuboTV
• Announcers: Jay Alter and Kelly Gramlich

Virginia Tech vs. Marshall NCAA Tournament Round 1 prediction

This game took a different turn Thursday with the news of Kitley's status, something that Brooks and Virginia Tech clearly knew was going to happen. Expect Marshall to focus more on Amoore and get the ball out of her hands as much as possible, which is going to put more pressure on King and Wenzel to handle the ball.

Playing at home in front of another sell-out crowd should serve as an advantage for Virginia Tech as well as playing at home where they are 15-0. With the struggles the Hokies have had shooting the ball in their last four games, playing at home should give them confidence and they need to see some early shots go through the basket.