2022-23 Virginia Tech Basketball: More Talent, But More Volatility?

Mike Young, Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young has more talent and more versatility in 2022-23. (Jon Fleming)

Last year was a great year for Virginia Tech, despite what it *felt* like at points in the year. Mid-way through the year I made a post about “expected outcomes”. The gist was that for a team who was scoring and defending at an efficiency level like VT was, their W-L record was not reflecting as such. I predicted that if they were to continue with the current efficiency levels then the wins and losses would work themselves out.

The Hokies went on to finish the season 13-3 and become ACC Champions. If the wins and losses had reflected their efficiency for an entire year, you’re looking at a 23+ win team and a better seed in the NCAA Tournament. So were the close losses unfortunate and heart-breaking? Sure. Was VT as a team any different in the beginning of the year as they were at the end? Not really (outside expected growth). They just won.

So let’s take a look at what worked and what didn’t, and then how this year’s squad might fit within that framework.

What Worked For Virginia Tech

VT made a jump offensively and stayed solid defensively in 2021-2022. They did this despite losing two big-time scorers in Jalen Cone and Tyrece Radford, as well as their defensive-minded coach Chester Frazier as well and good defenders in Wabissa Bede and the aforementioned Radford.

...