The Virginia Tech men's basketball team closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule in December by going perfect in the month, and they entered ACC play at 12-2. That's where we'll begin this edition of Virginia Tech Men's Basketball News.
Virginia Tech picked up gut-check wins in December
It was a month full of gut-check wins for the Hokies. It started with an overtime road win at South Carolina in the ACC/SEC Challenge, where there was no Tobi Lawal, and Neoklis Avdalas fouled out in the extra session. Ben Hammond carried Virginia Tech that night with some huge baskets.
A bigger gut-check win came in the last game before their break at home against Elon in overtime. Might you be saying a gut-check win over Elon? Yes, they played the game without Lawal, Avdalas, who were out with an illness, and Antonio Dorn, who was out with an injury. Amani Hansberry fouled out in overtime, but the Hokies were able to get one extra stop to win by a point.
A lot of work to do as far as the NCAA Tournament goes
The good news about the ACC so far this year is that it appears to be better and deeper than it was a year ago. For teams like Virginia Tech that are going to be fringe NCAA Tournament teams, that's good news in terms of quality win opportunities.
Going into ACC play, there were eight ACC teams ranked in the Top 50 NET rankings, which provides plenty of Quad 1 and 2 chances over the next two months.
Injuries, Injuries, Injuries
The fact that Virginia Tech finished the month at 12-2 is rather surprising, given all the injuries Young had to endure. First, it was Lawal, then Hansberry for a game, Dorn, and now Johnson. In previous years, injuries would have completely derailed the Hokies, but the new roster Young and his staff built over the offseason is paying dividends this season, so far. That was evident in the win over Virginia.