Hokies exceed expectations, but momentum disappears
As satisfying as it may be for Virginia Tech guard Nahiem Alleyne to reflect on a thirdplace ACC finish and an NCAA Tournament bid in a season that started with the team picked to come in 11th in the conference, he senses more was within the Hokies’ grasp.
Playing four games in its last 40 days of the season because of coronavirus issues within and outside the program, Virginia Tech saw all of the momentum it built from a 14-4 start, including 8-3 in the ACC, disappear down the stretch.
Before the pandemic took its toll on Tech, Alleyne was dreaming big.
“I honestly thought we could’ve been first [in the ACC],” said Alleyne, who scored a career-high 28 points and made a game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation Friday in Tech’s 75-70 overtime loss to Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“We had a [coronavirus] pause and whatnot, and that just kind of took a toll on our body just to get back out there ... to go back out there not really fresh and get back in the groove. But this year has been a very good year for all of us. Everybody has gotten better.”
Virginia Tech (15-7, 9-4 ACC) was supposed to be too ill-equipped in the frontcourt, too lacking in scoring after the departure of Landers Nolley at the end of last season and too overmatched defensively and on the boards to challenge the blue bloods in the ACC.
Transfer forward Keve Aluma and a stunning upset win against then-No. 3 Villanova in November changed the outlook for Tech in a hurry.
With Aluma averaging 15.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game despite a late-season offensive swoon, Tech went on to spend most of the season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 and got off to a 7-2 start in the ACC — its best ever in the conference.
Wins against Villanova, Clemson, Duke and Virginia before the end of January helped the Hokies tie a school record for most victories against ranked opponents in a season. Aluma, who had a career-high 29 points in the win against U.Va., finished the season as a second-team All-ACC selection.
Aluma returns next season accompanied in the frontcourt by Justyn Mutts (9.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game). The Hokies also should be exceptionally deep in the backcourt, led by Tyrece Radford (12.2 ppg and 5.9 rpg) and Alleyne (11.1 ppg, 40.8% on 3-pointers), but experienced point guard Wabissa Bede just completed his senior season.
“The future is now,” said coach Mike Young, who was voted the ACC’s Coach of the Year. “I’m so disappointed that we lost [to Florida] — terribly disappointed — but we’ll bounce back. We’ll have a good spring and hope like crazy there are healthier times around the corner for all of us.”
Virginia Tech’s season took a turn for the worse in the second week in February, when the coronavirus started to create problems. Coming off an 11-day pause going into the ACC Tournament — its second pause in less than a month — Tech looked gassed in the second half against North Carolina in an 81-73 loss in the quarterfinals.
During the season, Tech had two games against Florida State and one each against U.Va., North Carolina, North Carolina State, Boston College, Temple and Louisville canceled because of coronavirus issues within and outside the Hokies’ program.
Without the gaps in activity that plagued Virginia Tech, just like they hampered so many other programs across the nation this season, Alleyne is convinced the Hokies had more games in front of them. He’s using the early NCAA Tournament exit as motivation going forward.
“I definitely think we could’ve made a run in the tournament, but this definitely set a fire in all of us, so we’re going to be back here, for sure,” Alleyne said. “We’re going to make sure to work in the offseason and just prepare.”