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NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 8 teams for 2019 Maui Invitational

By Tristan Freeman

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 21: The Gonzaga Bulldogs pose for a photo with the 2018 Maui Invitational championship trophy after beating the Duke Blue Devils 89-87 at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 21, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 21: The Gonzaga Bulldogs pose for a photo with the 2018 Maui Invitational championship trophy after beating the Duke Blue Devils 89-87 at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 21, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 24: The Virginia Tech Hokies mascot walks on the court in the second half against the Liberty Flames during the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 24, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 24: The Virginia Tech Hokies mascot walks on the court in the second half against the Liberty Flames during the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 24, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /

7. Virginia Tech Hokies

No matter what was going to happen, Virginia Tech was going to take a step back. Three key starters were graduating and their leading scorer Nickeil Alexander-Walker was good enough to enter the NBA Draft early. But Buzz Williams’ departure to Texas A&M caused others to depart, including Kerry Blackshear as a grad transfer.

Former Wofford head coach Mike Young is in charge of a depleted roster with a few intriguing pieces. Top-100 point guard Jalen Cone will be in charge of the offense, paired by Landers Nolley, a 6’7 wing who sat out last season after academic issues. He’s a former top-100 player himself who stuck around and will be the future of the Hokies.

Virginia Tech has rebounded well when it comes to the perimeter and its depth. The big question will be how they perform in the frontcourt. There’s not much size outside of three-star freshmen forward John Ojiako and grad transfer Branden Johnson, who averaged 5.5 ppg and 4.8 rpg in 68 games at Alabama State.

Compared to their first-round opponent Michigan State, the Hokies are likely to get pounded on the boards. It’ll also be a nice learning experience for Cone to go up against Cassius Winston. But the odds aren’t good for Virginia Tech to beat any D-I school in this tournament and even Chaminade could give them a big fight. Still, for a team that will be very young and take their lumps next year, they’ll gain valuable against the teams involved.

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