Going into the 2025-26 season, hopes were high surrounding the Virginia Tech men's basketball team. Given the retention that head coach Mike Young got, along with some of the incoming transfer portal additions and incoming freshmen. There was an expectation to make the NCAA Tournament.
After going 11-2 in their non-conference slate, the Hokies saw mounting injuries and devastating losses in ACC games combine to have them finish in 10th place in the standings. Somehow, they were still a bubble team going into the ACC Tournament, but had a lot of work to do along with getting help in other tournaments.
Read More: Mike Young and Virginia Tech receive stunning grade for offseason roster overhaul
The Hokies would get eliminated in the first round of the conference tournament in overtime to Wake Forest, which ended up ending Virginia Tech's season. As with every offseason, there were some changes with the portal, with some players leaving and Tobi Lawal going to the NBA, but Young got some key retention. There is some momentum going into the season, and Jon Rothstein appears to be higher on the Hokies than some are.
CBS Sports college basketball analyst placed Virginia Tech in a curious spot in the ACC preseason rankings
We are still a couple of months away from practices starting for the 2026-27 season, and a lot can happen. Virginia Tech has yet to announce its schedule. However, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports released his ACC Power Rankings, which seem a bit early, and he had the Hokies in a very interesting spot.
Rothstein had Virginia Tech at No. 8, behind Duke, Virginia, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Clemson, and Syracuse. He had them above SMU, NC State, and Florida State, as some schools that could be considered better on paper than the Hokies.
ACC Preseason Power Rankings. pic.twitter.com/h2Tgfseo7K
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 28, 2026
Despite not releasing their full schedule yet as this article is being written, the Hokies have learned their ACC opponents and the home and away breakdown. They will not play Duke this season, which can be good in terms of a trip to Durham, but also not great in terms of building an NCAA Tournament résumé.
As is the case each season, the top of the ACC is going to be strong, and the Hokies are going to have their work cut out for them. However, if they could find a way to finish eighth in the ACC, then that would be close to a lock for the new 76-team NCAA Tournament field. Regardless, there is reason for optimism for Virginia Tech in 2026-27, but being ranked No. 8 in Rothstein's preseason power rankings is certainly an eye-opener.
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