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Early ‘21-22 Predictions for Hokies Basketball

A quick look at how the Men’s and Women’s teams are projected to fare next season.

By Nathan Reynolds

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NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-Virginia Tech at Florida Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

By now you may have seen that ESPN’s way-to-early college basketball rankings for next season are very high on the Hokies. Mike Young and Virginia Tech surprised everyone outside of Blacksburg this past year, finishing third in the ACC and making the NCAA Tournament. With a core unit of that team returning and several exciting transfer additions, ESPN has Tech as the #10 school in the country heading into the 2021-22 season.

Now it’s important to keep in mind that not only are these predictions extremely early, a lot will change in the coming weeks and as we head into next fall. Since ESPN’s article the Hokies have already added 7’0” center Michael Durr from South Florida. Players will continue to move around the country using the transfer portal as depth charts adjust, seniors make their decision to return for an extra season or not, NBA prospects elect to enter the draft or not, and high school seniors finalize their destinations.

Beyond ESPN’s bold prediction, here is a roundup of how other outlets are projecting the Hokies in these early days of the off-season.

  • CBS Sports isn’t feeling as confident in Virginia Tech’s chances next year of being a contender. They excluded Mike Young’s squad from their early ‘21-22 top 26 but included four ACC schools, with Duke topping the conference in 4th place.
  • USA Today has the Hokies such edging out a spot, coming in at #25 thanks to the veteran players returning to Blacksburg.
  • VT didn’t make the NCAA’s Power 36 prediction, instead falling in their ‘Under consideration’ group. Neither did Tech fall onto Sports Illustrated’s ranking.

But if you are feeling bullish about the Hokies chance of winning the Men’s Championship next year William Hill Sportsbook has their odds currently at +7500.

And finally, much like ESPN’s favorable rating of Virginia Tech’s Men’s team heading into next season, they are also high on the Women’s team. In their NCAAW way-too-early top 25, the Hokies came in at 23rd as they expect to welcome back all five starters that earned the first NCAA bid for the Women’s team since 2006.

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