Virginia Tech Falls to Vanderbilt in Lopsided SEC/ACC Challenge

The Hokies came up short against the Vanderbilt Commodores 80-64 Wednesday night in Cassell Coliseum, continuing their now five-game skid and adding to the ACC's 2-14 record against its SEC foes. Entering the contest with a record of 3-4, Mike Young’s squad looked to turn things around against a visiting team that featured two former Hokies in Tyler Nickel and MJ Collins. Ultimately, Virginia Tech proved unable to improve the inefficient offense that it had displayed all season long and struggled to play sound defense on the other end. The result was another double-digit loss, during which the Hokies seemed overmatched for the majority of the game’s 40 minutes. 

Led on offense by Jaden Schutt’s 15 points, the Hokies shot just 38% from the field, including 28% from three-point range, and scored just 28 points in the paint. Despite winning 14 offensive rebounds, the Hokies’ poor shooting couldn’t capitalize on these second-chance scoring opportunities, a familiar theme that seems to plague this squad. An insult to injury, the Hokies were blocked six times by the Commodores.

On defense, Virginia Tech allowed 28 points off of 15 turnovers, a season-high, along with 12 fast break points. The Hokies defended the three-point line reasonably well, holding the Commodores to 33%, but Mike Young’s team didn’t seem to have an answer for Vanderbilt’s other offensive sets, allowing the Commodores to score at a 53% clip overall.

MJ Collins proved to be a reliable scoring option off the bench for Vanderbilt's head coach and former Salem High School standout Mark Byington, adding 15 points of his own. Collins, after doubling the scoring average that he recorded during his time at Virginia Tech, stated in a post-game press conference that he “had something to prove” against his former team.  

The Hokies open conference play on Saturday against the #18 Pittsburgh Panthers in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech will then play three final tune-up games before facing the Duke Blue Devils in Durham on New Year's Eve to begin the ACC schedule in earnest.