Virginia Tech basketball: 17-18 season preview for the Hokies

Overview and Ranking

Virginia Tech will have an extremely dangerous offense with multiple returning double-figure scorers. The Robinson-Bibbs-Hill trio has played a lot of minutes together which will help with the Hokies’ cohesiveness. All three players are capable long-range shooters which will create more floor spacing for the frontcourt players.

Speaking of frontcourt players, Chris Clarke and Kerry Blackshear are the X-factors. Both players are coming off injuries, but are crucial pieces to this team. Virginia Tech has very little frontcourt depth so if either of them goes down, the season could take a turn for the worse.

It will be interesting to see if Buzz Williams goes super small and uses Clarke at the five for extended stretches. Clarke will certainly have a quickness and athletic advantage over opposing bigs, but the Hokies would certainly struggle on the glass with that tiny lineup.

If Virginia Tech can get production from their freshmen reserves, they will be an extremely difficult team to face in the ACC. Alexander-Walker, Bede, and Horne will all play, but, if they can produce and earn bigger roles, the Hokies will have one of the deepest teams in the conference.

Next: Providence 17-18 Preview

In terms of rankings, I have Virginia Tech finishing No. 7 in the ACC and No. 34 nationally. Finishing No. 7 in the ACC would almost ensure that the Hokies return to the NCAA Tournament and would put them in that 8-10 seed range that they were in last year. I have them behind Notre Dame and ahead of Wake Forest, but there is a big gap between the Hokies and the teams on either side of them. If they can get bench production and solve their frontcourt question marks, they could easily be a top 25 team.