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Both Basketball Teams are Finally Ranked
The Women’s Team is #6 (with the Coaches still waiting to check in for the week)
The Women have been steadily climbing from their initial showing at #13 in the AP Poll, to a roaring #6 (just behind Notre Dame -which is about to visit on Sunday). The current USA Today Coaches’ Poll hasn’t been updated but it shows Tech at #7 where they were in the parallel poll on December 6th. We’ll have to wait and see what the coaches have to say. But the AP poll remains the top rating in the media-natch.
Movin’ again #Hokies pic.twitter.com/h01Hy4M5k2
— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) December 12, 2022
The underappreciated women’s basketball program is currently perfect, with a 10-0 record, which frankly deserves a bit better notice from the sports media and coaches, but also from the fans. The basketball is fun to watch, and the players are excellent. It’s an entertaining sport that Hokie fans should be tracking every bit as much and as closely as the men’s team.
It’s time that Hokie Nation get proud about names like Kitley, Amoore, King, Soule, Awusu, and Traylor along with the likes Pedulla, Cattoor, Poteat, and Basile...
Sunday the 5th ranked (for no other reason than being Notre Dame) Irish from South Bend show up in the Cassell to give the Hokies a chance to prove that they deserve a better ranking. Kitley is one of the best (ACC Player of the Week, BTW), if not the best Centers in the women’s game, and Amoore is grabbing serious attention as a major star Point Guard.
Proud of this young lady. Proud of this team. Proud of this program! #culture #family https://t.co/f0HMvQzFQP
— Kenny Brooks (@CoachBrooksVT) December 12, 2022
Sunday the Tip-off is at 4:00 PM, so let’s cheer on the Hokies. We’ll be guarding the Cassell.
The Men’s Team Has Finally Broken Through the Poll Drought
The men’s team has been, probably unfairly, frozen out of the Top 25 in the polls for the entire beginning of the season. Tech didn’t get much notice, and if it wasn’t for a slight trip up and single game close loss, would be as perfect as the Lady Hokies. It seems that winning the ACC Tournament didn’t garner much in the way of analytical interest. No, crashing out of the Beeg Shew too early doesn’t help, but winning the ACC Tournament should have put some gloss on the Virginia Tech pumpkin.
It’s taken an entire month, but the men have finally gotten that poll notice. The AP Poll has them ranked 24th while the USA Today Coaches’ Poll has them in at a tie for 23rd with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Rank{ed} us pic.twitter.com/NOUwHAZHoL
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) December 12, 2022
Grambling State visits the Cassell on Saturday for a 4:00 PM Tip. Then the Hokies head out to Chestnut Hill to try and repeat what the women did at Boston College. Then it’s off for a Christmas break for both teams.
It’s Nice to Be Ranked, But It Means That You’re expected to Live Up to It.
Both of these teams are playing at a high level. The sad news is that Ashely Owusu is out for an indefinite period with a surgically repaired broken pinky finger on her shooting hand. That means Traylor isn’t the designated #1 Bench, she starts. And the rest of the bench is going to have to step up to fill in the gap.
The men haven’t run into any serious injury issues, so let’s hope that they stay healthy and keep up the positive momentum. They are 3 points from being undefeated.
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