Virginia Tech women's basketball to join men in Fort Myers Thanksgiving week

Last November, it was announced that the Virginia Tech men's basketball team would be heading to Fort Myers, Florida to play in the 2024 Fort Myers Tip-Off. After opening the tournament at Cassell Coliseum against Jacksonville on Nov. 20, before playing on Nov. 25 and 27 in Florida. Now the Hokies' men's team will not be the only team from Blacksburg playing in Florida the week of Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, Talia Goodman of On3 Sports reported that the Virginia Tech women will be part of the 2024 Fort Myers Tip-Off which will be broken up into two separate divisions. This will mark the second time in as many seasons for first-year Virginia Tech coach Megan Duffy to take part in the same tournament as she took Marquette there last November and came away a winner. Her Golden Eagles beat Boston College, 73-65, in the semifinals before beating Arkansas, 74-58, in the championship game a day later to capture the Shell Division.

Virginia Tech to play in the Shell Division this November

Goodman reports that the Hokies will be in the Shell Division with Belmont, Michigan, and Davidson, while defending National Champion South Carolina will headline the Island Division with Iowa State, Purdue, and Middle Tennessee State University.

Duffy will take her new team south with some key pieces being retained from Kenny Brooks' 2023-24 roster after he left for Kentucky in late March. Matilda Ekh, Carys Baker, Carleigh Wenzel, and Rose Micheaux headline some of the retainment for Duffy and her new staff that she quickly built in Blacksburg.

This will be a very good early-season test for the Hokies before they travel the following week to Georgia as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge before ACC play begins. It will be good for the Hokies to play away games as they learn a new system under Duffy and prepare for a tough ACC schedule ahead of them.