Early Takeaways and Analysis of Virginia Tech Basketball’s Preseason KenPom Ranking

BLACKSBURG – College hoops is nearly back. Squads have engaged in closed- and open-door scrimmages, and the start of the 2026-27 regular season – the first with a 76-team March Madness – is nearly here.

One of the squads looking to break an NCAA Tournament drought is Virginia Tech men’s basketball. The Hokies haven’t cracked the March Madness field since the 2021-22 season, and they haven’t done it via an at-large bid since the 2020-21 campaign. Virginia Tech went 19-13 (8-10 ACC) in 2025-26, with its season ending in the first round of the ACC Tournament via a 95-89 loss to Wake Forest.

Advertisement

Here’s a quick look at the Hokies’ records over the past five seasons:

2025-26 – 19-13 (8-10 ACC)

2024-25 – 13-19 (8-12 ACC)

2023-24 – 19-15 (10-10 ACC)

2022-23 – 19-15 (8-12 ACC)

2021-22 – 23-13 (11-9 ACC)

The Hokies enter this season ranked No. 52 on kenpom.com, a site run by college basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy. Pomeroy earned an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech in 1995. His metrics project a 21-11 (10-8 ACC) record for Virginia Tech entering the season. The Hokies’ ranking of No. 52 is their fourth-highest preseason mark under eighth-year head coach Mike Young, trailing his 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 units.

An Early Analysis of the Hokies’ Schedule

Four of Virginia Tech’s first five contests should be docile contests: Coppin State (99.7% win probability) on Nov. 3, Mercer (97%) on Nov. 5), Mount St. Mary’s (98%) on Nov. 13 and Richmond (88%) on Nov. 16. The one that isn’t? A netural-site clash with Iowa (46% probability; projected final score of 74-73 Iowa) on Nov. 10 in Sioux City, Iowa.

Advertisement

The Hawkeyes made it to the Elite Eight in the 2025-26 season for the first time since 1987 before losing to No. 3 Illinois. Along the way, Iowa defeated defending national champion Florida 74-73 in the second round. Iowa finished the year ranked No. 15 in the AP poll and enters this year ranked No. 46 on KenPom.

Virginia Tech’s non-conference…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/early-takeaways-analysis-virginia-tech-200004498.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-10-14 20:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.