After losing two out of three games in the Battle 4 Atlantis, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team has a quick turnaround on Tuesday night in the third annual ACC/SEC Challenge. The Hokies will hit the road to Columbia, S.C., and play South Carolina.
Virginia Tech had a promising start to the Battle 4 Atlantis as they beat former Hokies guard Brandon Rechsteiner and Colorado State, 66-64, in the opening game. In the semifinals, they were beaten by a very good Saint Mary's team before dropping the third-place game to VCU, 86-68. The loss leaves Tech at 6-2 heading to South Carolina.
Virginia Tech looking for first ACC/SEC Challenge win
Mike Young is looking for his first ACC/SEC Challenge win, as they dropped their first two games the last two seasons, at Auburn and at Cassell Coliseum against Vanderbilt. This will not be an easy task for the Hokies on the road for several reasons.
First off, the health of Virginia Tech forward Tobi Lawal is in question. He missed the last two games in the Bahamas with a lower-body injury. His left foot was in a walking boot. Young did say that they were getting out in front of an injury. It's better to be safe than sorry; however, the lack of defense and rebounding against Saint Mary's and VCU was eye-opening.
Both teams hit the boards at both ends, and while they struggled on the boards, the Hokies also struggled defending. They allowed over 80 points in both games, and there was little resistance at times. Neoklis Avdalas was frustrated by both teams, and teams are going to start defending him differently, with more and more film becoming available. If there was one bright spot in the Battle 4 Atlantis, it was the way Jaden Schutt shot the ball for Virginia Tech. They will need more of him connecting from behind the arc, especially if Lawal is going to be out again.