In four years as coach at James Madison, Mark Byington never had an opportunity to take on in-state foe Virginia Tech.
But now in his first year at Vanderbilt, Byington gets that chance by way of the SEC/ACC Challenge, as the Commodores face the Hokies on Wednesday in Blacksburg, Va.
While Byington and Vanderbilt (7-1) are off to the school’s quickest start since the 2010-11 season, Mike Young and Virginia Tech (3-4) are grasping for answers after losing four straight.
The success of the Commodores has been propelled by a bevy of transfers, including Virginia Tech imports Tyler Nickel (10.3 points per game) and MJ Collins Jr. (7.0 points).
Vanderbilt’s top scorer is North Texas transfer Jason Edwards, who is averaging 18.1 points per game.
Michigan State transfer AJ Hoggard averages 11.7 points and a team-high 4.4 assists, while former Boston College standout Devin McGlockton produces 11.6 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds per game.
Despite the quick start, Byington is still making tweaks and juggling his lineup, trying to find the Commodores’ most cohesive combinations.
“I told the guys the other day, âI think you’re watching some teams right now that maybe they’re playing their best basketball, their peak. And we’re not, and that’s OK,” Byington said. “I’m excited about that because we’re gonna get better and better.”
Vanderbilt’s lone loss came against Drake, 81-70, in the Charleston Classic championship game Nov. 24.
Virginia Tech is coming off a pair of losses in the Fort Myers Tip-Off. The Hokies fell to Michigan 75-63 and to South Carolina 70-60.
VCU transfer Toibu Lawal recorded 24 points in the tournament, matching the output of Hokies reserve Jaydon Young, who scored 12 points in each of the games.
During their losing streak, each of the Hokies’ losses have come by double-digit margins. They are now last among power-conference teams in both the KenPom.com and NET rankings.
Virginia Tech has been plagued by turnovers during its skid, averaging 16.5 per game.
“We don’t play with the best basketball IQ and that’s on me,” Young said. “I’ve got to teach it better.”
