Ranked No. 13 in the Preseason AP Poll and predicted to be the second-best team in the ACC Coaches Poll, The Hokies didn’t exactly come out of nowhere to make the Final Four.
The expectations were higher than ever in the program’s history, and somehow, they overachieved and find themselves in Texas with a shot at the national championship.
The regular season had its share of ups and down. Virginia Tech went 31-4, but all four losses were against ACC opponents, including two losses against Top 25 teams. Despite their record and finishing the season on an eight-game winning streak, they entered the ACC Tournament as the third-ranked team in the conference.
The Hokies went on to dominate the ACC tourney beating Miami, Duke and Louisville to win the tournament and ultimately secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In the Big Dance, Virginia Tech had a smooth first couple of rounds, blowing out Chatanooga and cruising to victory against South Dakota State. The Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight were a lot tougher. With Tennessee and Ohio State being so press-heavy, Virginia Tech struggled to break the press and control the games, but came out on top, punching their ticket to Texas.
Now in uncharted waters, Virginia Tech will rely on the inside-outside game of Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore to win it all. Kitley has been dominant as a center, averaging 18.2 points and 10.7 rebounds, and where would the Hokies be without Amoore’s 16.3 points and 5.3 assists? With this duo playing at their highest level, they’ll have as good a chance as anyone at the title.
To accomplish that, they’ll have to beat an LSU team playing their best basketball of the season. Can the Hokies slow down Angel Reese? We know she is unstoppable, but if they can slow her down and get her off the boards, that will give them a better chance of pulling off the upset.
LSU has only lost two games this season: one against the current champions, the South Carolina Gamecocks and the other against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament. Defeating the Tigers will be no easy feat, but Virginia Tech has the bigs and guard play to pull it off. They’ve surpassed most people’s expectations of them so far and are now just two wins away from the ultimate goal. They’ll face off against LSU at 7 p.m. ET on Friday.