The 2012-2013 Virginia Tech basketball season was all about Erick Green. He scored early and often for the Hokies, and when he wasn't scoring, you wondered how the team could score. Green accounted for 35.6% of the Hokies points last season. The bad news? Green is gone, and there is a lot of slack to be picked up by the rest of the team.
Backcourt
The Hokie backcourt is going to look a lot different this year compared to last year, not just because of Green's departure, but because of Robert Brown's transfer over the offseason. Enter Adam Smith, a transfer from UNC-Wilmington who was a decent scorer, averaging nearly 14 points per game in his lone season in Wilmington. He likely won't score as much, but he should be able to put up some points. Smith's counterpart in the backourt should be Marquis Rankin. Rankin shot 39% from the field, but had more turnovers than assists last season. Backing up the point guard position should be freshman Devin Wilson. Look for another freshman, Ben Emelogu, to push for minutes. At 6-5, 190 pounds, Emelogu has impressed early in practice. Freshman, Malik Mueller, a German import would have found minutes, but was ruled ineligible this season.
Frontcourt
One good piece of good news for the Hokies is the frontcourt returns in good shape. The number one scorer back on the Hokies this year is Jarell Eddie, but his shooting dropped considerably last season. He hit more than 50% of his shots in just eight games last year, and shot just 39% from the field for the year. Cadarian Raines was the team's leading rebounder, averaging over six rebounds per game, and also averaged six points per game. Also retuning is C.J. Barksdale. He did not score much, but he did shoot 52% from the field. Behind them, Marshall Wood returns after missing some of last year due to injury. The most intriguing name of the bunch is Trevor Thompson, a 6-11 freshman who will be playing quite a bit, but does need to bulk up from his 210 pound frame.
Schedule
The Hokies nonconference schedule is not very tough. There are only three games of note in it, starting with West Virginia in Blacksburg, followed by a game with Michigan State in the Coaches vs. Cancer classic in Brooklyn. The third game is a game against VCU right in front of Christmas. The conference schedule begins with three games at home, featuring the conference opener against Syracuse, followed by five of the next seven on the road, with dates at Notre Dame and Virginia included, before hosting three straight at home, facing Virginia again, before closing the season with three of the final four on the road, finishing the season at Georgia Tech.
Prediction
Wins will be hard to come by for the Hokies this year. There is not a lot of great talent on the roster this year, and the best of it is still really young. What you should be looking for if you are a Hokies fan this year is to see how this team grows together, because the bulk of it will be around for the next few years. The Hokies will be near the bottom of the ACC this year, but the future does look bright for the program.
Assuming his shooting percentage improves from last year, Jarell Eddie will be the main option for the Hokies this year. He was the only other person besides Erick Green to average double digits per game in scoring, and he will do the same this year. He is also a solid rebounder, and can block a shot when needed.
