Virginia Tech tries to return to March Madness for 1st time since 2022 behind 3 returning starters

The Hokies are chasing their first March Madness bid since winning the program's lone Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title in 2022. Last year's team had a chance before losing seven of its last 10 games. Eighth-year coach Mike Young's Hokies return three starters and have added through the transfer portal to build a team picked to finish ninth in the ACC race.

Amani Hansberry (senior, F, 6-8, 240). Hansberry led the team in scoring (14.3) and was second in rebounding (7.4) last year, giving the Hokies an experienced player to build around. Hansberry started his career with a year at Illinois then a year at West Virginia as a starter before last year's run in Blacksburg.

Ben Hammond (junior, G, 5-11, 170). Hammond was the team's No. 2 scorer last year (13.2) while also averaging 3.2 assists to offer playmaking potential. Hammond shot 43.1% and hit at least three 3s in seven games against league opponents last year.

Tyler Johnson (junior, G, 6-5, 208). Johnson averaged 8.0 points and 4.5 rebounds while starting 13 of the 17 games he played in a year interrupted by a lower-body injury that cost him 15 ACC games.

The Hokies lost a pair of valuable forwards from last year. Tobi Lawal (12.3 points, 8.5 rebounds) is now part of the Dallas Mavericks' organization in the NBA, while the versatile Neoklis Avdalas (12.1 points, 4.6 assists) transferred to North Carolina.

Virginia Tech's transfer additions include Florida Atlantic junior guard Isaiah Elohim (12.4 points) and 6-10 forward Miles Heide, a starter at San Diego State who averaged 5.6 points and 4.5 rebounds last year. Newcomers to the program include former N.C. State center Musa Sagnia and former Oklahoma forward Kuol Atak, while the Hokies also added Clemson guard Butta Johnson after he won a court battle for a fifth year of eligibility.

Virginia Tech opens at home against Coppin State on Nov. 3. The nonconference schedule includes power-conference opponents Iowa (Nov. 10), Oklahoma State (Nov. 22), Ole Miss (Dec. 1) and West Virginia (Dec. 5). The Hokies open ACC play on Dec. 30 with a home game against No. 11 Louisville. That slate includes a home game against No. 14 Miami (Jan. 23) and two games against ninth-ranked rival Virginia (Jan. 30 and Feb. 23).

The Hokies had back-to-back first-round NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021 and 2022 as their last March Madness trips. .... Virginia Tech has gone one-and-done in the past three ACC tournaments and has won just one game there since claiming its only title in 2022. ... The Hokies went 4-1 in overtime games last year, including a triple-overtime win against Virginia.

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