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2009-10 Virgnia Tech Basketball Predictions

Written November 10, 2009 by Rock Henderson

Seth Greenburg’s squad underperformed in a sense last season as they were coming off back to back 20 win seasons and had the majority of their team back. The Hokies managed a 19-15 record as seven of those wins came in conference play. They missed out on a NCAA appearance and were bounced in the second round of the NIT by a tough Baylor team. Will this be the season that Virginia Tech takes the next step and becomes one of the elite teams in the ACC or will they continue to be mediocre? The NCAA basketball odds to win the 2009-10 National Championship list the Hokies at 100 to 1.

The Hokies lost two major contributors from last year’s team. F A.D. Vassallo had been a signature player in the program the past couple seasons. Finishing fifth on Va Tech’s all time scoring list. Vassallo averaged 19 ppg and was second on the team in rebounding. He was one of the more versatile players in the ACC a year ago and earned all conference honors. The other player who saw significant action was Cheick Diakite. He was known mainly for his defensive play and shot blocking ability. The jewel of the recruiting class is 6-4 true point guard Eric Green. With no true point guard on the Hokie roster, Green will most likely step into a starting role right away if he is ready or not. Joining Green in the class will be three point specialist Manny Atkins, defensive stopper Cadarian Raines and shooting guard Ben Boggs. Get a $20 free play that you can use to bet NCAA basketball when you open a new account with Sportsbook.com.

Good news for this team is that the top returning scorer in the ACC G Malcolm Delaney returns. With the addition of Green at the point, Delaney will be able to move over to his more natural two guard position. He ranked third in assists, second in FT percentage and tied for the league lead in three pointers made last season. F Jeff Allen will get the majority of the touches down low as he has saw significant minutes since his freshman year. Allen is capable of stepping out and hitting the three ball, but needs to stay down low this year as he is the only major threat the Hokies have on the block. Senior F Lewis Witcher is the lone senior on the team and is a nice role player, but has never been a starter in his three years. 6’8 sophomore Victor Davila showed flashes of brilliance on the offensive end a year ago and should earn a starting spot alongside Allen if he put in the work over the summer. There is no doubt that this is Delaney and Allen’s team. Eric Green could turn into the third scorer on this team, but everyone else is more of a role player that will play sporadic minutes throughout the season.

Virginia Tech should come close to matching their 19 win total from last season. They have two players that are capable of carrying the offensive load, but do need to improve on the defensive end. Even though there is just one senior on this team, a lot of their younger players have extensive ACC experience. Look for a return trip to the NIT for the Hokies.

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