As the 2021-2022 college basketball season has come to an end, the Virginia Tech Hokies have ended yet another successful season, finishing 23-13. While a first-round departure in the NCAA Tournament might be disappointing, their season was nevertheless successful after earning their first ACC Tournament Title in team history. 

The Hokies started their season 5-0, in part due to their stifling defense, which held their opponents to less than 60 points. Two straight losses to ranked opponents had the Hokies at 6-2 before narrowly defeating Maryland, 62-58. Early on, the Hokies were led by fifth-year senior Keve Aluma, leading the team in scoring nearly every game. After taking the next two of four, conference play saw the team sitting at an 8-4 record. There would not be great news for the Hokies in the next stretch of play, as they started conference play 2-7 and dropping to 10-10 overall, including a crucial rivalry loss to the University of Virginia. 

Sitting at 10-10 and coming off of a 3-game losing streak, the season did not look promising for the Hokies. Many fans became worried that another promising season would end before it even started. From here, the team would need to earn more solid wins for a chance at a postseason, and that’s exactly what they did. Virginia Tech ended the season 9-2, including a revenge victory over The University of Virginia, 62-53. 

Even with a strong end to the regular season, the Hokies would still need to make some noise in the ACC Tournament to earn a spot in March Madness. The Hokies faced Clemson in the first round, and after a hard-fought 40 minutes, the game was deadlocked. Trailing by 2 in overtime with one shot left, Darius Maddox hit a buzzer-beating 3 to send Virginia Tech to the next round. 

Playing second-seeded Notre Dame, a strong first half was enough to push them ahead of the Fighting Irish, 87-80. They met the North Carolina Tar Heels in the semifinals, one of the hottest teams in the nation and coming off of a 6-game win streak. 

Maddox, who hit the game winner versus Clemson, came off the bench to score 20 points and lead the Hokies to the ACC Final, where they would play top seeded Duke, ranked #7in the country. In a game where many people thought they had little chance to win, they earned their first ACC Tournament title with a 82-67 victory, achieving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Even after falling to the University of Texas in the first round, Virginia Tech’s season was nothing short of historic to their standards. A notable mid-season turnaround followed by their first ACC Title in team history, the Hokies will end the 2021-2022 season with their heads held high.