After a season that saw the Virginia Tech women's basketball team get back into the NCAA Tournament in Megan Duffy's second season in Blacksburg, some big changes are happening for the Hokies.
Following her first season at Virginia Tech, Duffy got a ton of retention with some players returning. That won't be the case this upcoming season, as some players are exiting the program through the Transfer Portal. To compound matters, they are both remaining in the ACC.
Forward Carys Baker left and is headed to Louisville, while point guard Mackenzie Nelson left for Clemson. As is the case whenever players leave, some players are coming into the program through the portal. In terms of additions through the portal, Duffy picked up a pair of commitments from Tennessee's Lauren Hurst and Alyssa Latham.
Along with getting retention from some other players, including Carleigh Wenzel and Samyha Suffren, the Hokies are going to have a little bit of a different look in 2026-27. Like the men, the women are going to be part of the fourth ACC/SEC Challenge next winter, and on Friday, their opponent was announced. Let's just say, it'll be a spicy one.
Virginia Tech women's basketball to host Tennessee in ACC/SEC Challenge
Get the popcorn ready on Dec. 3. That's when the Hokies will host the University of Tennessee at Cassell Coliseum. That's right, that'll pit Hurst and Latham against the Vols and their former head coach, Kim Caldwell. If there is someone who is used to visiting Cassell, it's Caldwell.
The SEC/ACC Challenge is back in Cassell! 🏰#Hokies host Tennessee on Thursday, December 3.
— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) June 5, 2026
🔗 https://t.co/DmG4KWaHFy pic.twitter.com/KBR54iCFsv
In the 2024 NCAA Tournament, her Marshall team was matched up with Virginia Tech that season in a first-round battle in Blacksburg, which was won by the Hokies. A lot has changed since then, with Kenny Brooks leaving Virginia Tech for Kentucky and Caldwell ending up in Tennessee. Let's not overlook Duffy replacing Brooks in Blacksburg.
As far as the matchup with the current head coaches and rosters, this will be a very interesting game for Hurst and Latham. Both are big additions to the Hokies program, but they were part of a major mass exodus out of Tennessee through the Transfer Portal, and Caldwell will have a much different-looking lineup than the one she ended with this past season.
This will be the 13th all-time matchup between the two programs. The last won? That was in the Sweet 16 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament in Seattle, which was won by the Hokies, 73-64. Virginia Tech would beat Ohio State in the Elite 8 before falling to LSU in the Final Four. Tennessee holds an all-time advantage of 8-4 over the Hokies.
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