Virginia Tech is off to a 14-3 start, with a 1-2 record in the ACC. Fans are excited about the Hokies, who have improved by leaps and bounds since that trip to Philadelphia in late November.

Rewind back to November 28. The Hokies had just beaten a bad Delaware team 74-66 in overtime. That was their fourth win of the season, with the previous three being unimpressive outings against Brown, UNC Greensboro and Campbell. Tech couldn’t score, and the only time they faced decent competition in the month of November, they were handled easily by Temple.

At that point, the Hokies just didn’t look good. They just didn’t pass the eye test. Many of us, yours truly included, weren’t expecting much from Tech in ACC play. Nearly two months later, as I’m polishing off a healthy meal of crow, we’re right back to where we were the last three seasons: worrying about the RPI and whether or not the Hokies are going to make the NCAA tournament.

There are plenty of reasons for the turnaround, but for this observer of the program, three in particular stand out.

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