Virginia Tech basketball: Hokies continue to rise in AP men’s basketball poll

The Virginia Tech Hokies picked up three wins in the past seven days to improve to 11-2 on the season, including a 5-1 mark in ACC play.

After coming in at No. 20 in last week’s AP top 25, the Hokies moved up four spots this week and are now ranked No. 16.

The Hokies lost their first ACC game on Jan. 6, a heartbreaking two-point loss at Louisville. Head coach Mike Young and his team responded in a big way, defeating Notre Dame last Sunday and Duke just two days later.

The Hokies went down to Winston-Salem this past Sunday and escaped with a four-point win against a feisty Wake Forest team. Tyrece Radford led the Hokies with 20 points and, for his work, was named ACC player of the week.

Freshman forward David N’Guessan had his best performance as a Hokie, scoring 13 points and giving Tech several key minutes off the bench.

Other ACC teams ranked this week include Virginia at No. 13 and Clemson at No. 20. Somehow, Florida State was not ranked.

Notably absent in this week’s poll are Duke and North Carolina. It is the first time since 1982 that neither school was ranked. This was also the first time since 1961 that Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky were all left out of the top 25.

The times, they are a-changing.

The Hokies return to the hardwood on Wednesday when they host Boston College.