Virginia Tech women's basketball barely moves in AP Top 25 poll after NC State win

Since losing to LSU on Nov. 30, the Virginia Tech women’s basketball team slid down in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Add in a loss to Caitlin Clark and Iowa earlier in the month, the Hokies were in the bottom half of the poll. Recently, they have been moving slowly up and they moved up just two spots following their win over previously undefeated North Carolina State Sunday afternoon.

Trailing by 14 points with eight minutes remaining in the game, the Hokies had an incredible comeback, outsourcing the Wolfpack, 14-2, to close out the game for a 63-62 win that moved Virginia Tech to No. 11 in the latest AP Top 25 poll, which is surprising that they’re not a Top 10 team after the win over NC State who was ranked No. 3 at the time.

Sunday’s win was one that Hokies fans won’t forget for a long time. They struggled offensively, but their failure to get stops on the defensive end in the first three quarters was even more frustrating. Then, all of a sudden, they turned up the defensive pressure and got stops and key baskets from Georgia Amoore and Elizabeth Kitley to close the deficit. Kitley gave the Hokies a 61-60 lead with a basket off an offensive rebound before the Wolfpack regained the lead at 62-61 on a layup from Saniya Rivers with 2.1 seconds left.

Following timeouts from both teams, Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks had Cayla King make the inbounds pass and she lobbed the ball to the opposite side of the basket to Kitley who caught it and banked in a shot with 0.9 seconds left after an Amoore screen. It will be a key win for the Hokies come seeding time in March for the NCAA Tournament.

The remaining ACC games over the next two months will serve as a huge test for Brooks and his team before the NCAA Tournament. It’s safe to say that the Hokies and every other ACC team that makes the tournament will be battled-tested come March.