Hokie Club
BLACKSBURG – Kicking off the much-anticipated 2020-21 season on Wednesday, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team will play host to Radford at noon ET on ACC Network Extra.
The Hokies will go up against the Highlanders for the first time in three years, and this marks the second-ever meeting between the two schools for the season opener.
Tech, which has won two in a row against the Highlanders, leads the all-time series 8-2, which dates back to 1988.
In the last meeting, Tech won 95-68 in 2017 behind 20 points apiece from Justin Bibbs and Kerry Blackshear Jr.
Tech has fared well in season openers since 2000, owning an 18-2 record its last 20 games.
Tech coach Mike Young is 15-3 in home openers, including last year's 74-42 win over Coppin State on Nov. 8. Young has never faced Radford or RU coach Mike Jones in his 18 years of coaching.
The matchup will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra, with Bailey Angle (play-by-play) and Mack McCarthy (analyst) on the call, while Jon Laaser (play-by-play) and Mike Burnop (analyst) will broadcast on Virginia Tech Sports Properties.
GAME INFORMATION
Wed. | Noon ET vs. Radford | Stats | Watch | Radio | Notes | Gameday Central
The last time out, the Hokies took on 14th-seeded UNC in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina, and lost 78-56 in the first round despite 14 points from Hunter Cattoor. Tech did not shoot it well (29%) and was outscored in the paint 32-12.
Tech returns three starters and six lettermen, while welcoming nine newcomers, which is the most in the ACC and tied for the fourth most among high-major conference teams.
As announced earlier this month by Virginia Tech athletics, due to recent action steps set in place by governor Ralph Northam, sports venues in the Commonwealth of Virginia cannot exceed 250 people, including Cassell Coliseum.
Therefore, due to the statewide order, there is no opportunity to offer tickets to the public for Hokies athletics events held in Cassell. Tech athletics will continue to monitor the situation and work to provide updates on future plans as it learns more and adapts to the information available.
SCOUTING RADFORD
• The Highlanders, in somewhat similar shoes to the Hokies, welcome a bunch of newcomers to their squad this year with eight. Losing all five starters from a year ago, Radford was picked to finish sixth in the preseason Big South standings out of 11 teams.
• Mike Jones enters his 10th season as the head coach at Radford, following a two-year stint at VCU where he saw great success working under then-head coach Shaka Smart, contributing to a Final Four run in 2011. Since his arrival to the NRV, Jones has led Radford to three conference championships (two regular season) and 159 wins for the red and white.
• Radford's returning leading scorer is Chyree Walker, a 6-foot-5 forward who averaged 3.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game last season.
• Last season, one of the reasons the Highlanders went on to win 21 games was because of their offensive rebounding ability, averaging 10.7 offensive boards a game.