Three Takeaways From Virginia Tech Men's Basketball's Non-Conference Schedule

Virginia Tech's 13-game non-conference schedule has finally come to a close. Virginia Tech went 11-2 and will enter conference play with four Q2 wins while sitting at just 0-1 in Q1. (This is as the NET rankings stand on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 6:00 PM).

We've gotten used to this team and how Mike Young likes to handle the rotation. Here are a few takeaways from Virginia Tech Men's Basketball's non-conference slate.

No. 1: The Hokies need to get healthy.

When this team is finally able to get healthy, they have every opportunity to be not only at the top of the ACC, but also a top-25 team in the country by the time that the ACC and national tournaments roll around.

Virginia Tech has found different ways to win all season long. More than anything, they've learned to win without the likes of Tobi Lawal. Mike Young described it as "having two different teams" when talking about the rotation with and without Tobi. The loss of Lawal brings a ton of versatility to Virginia Tech's lineup going forward.

Tyler Johnson suffered what appeared to be a pretty rough injury during overtime against Elon. He rolled his ankle, which could range from a minor ankle roll to a torn Achilles, so there isn't much room for speculation. We will likely find out more about his situation as the Hokies get closer to their matchup against UVa.

The Hokies will likely not have Lawal back for the UVa game.. They missed Dorn during the Elon game. Neo was sick, and Jailen Bedford was recovering from it, and he didn't really seem himself. Already, the Hokies should be much healthier when conference play rolls around in 10 days.

No. 2: This is a much better shooting team than was expected.

All summer and coming into the season, Mike Young said that his biggest worry about this team was their ability to shoot the ball. Well, they put those worries to rest pretty early in the season. Even with missing Jailen Bedford for a game along with his recent cold streak, the Hokies are shooting nearly 36% from three on the season - good for fifth in the ACC.

Virginia Tech currently has four players averaging multiple threes per game while shooting over 35% from beyond the arc. Amani Hansberry still has room to improve, as does Ben Hammond. Hammond has been on fire as of late, shooting nearly 37% from three since the Hokies left the Bahamas. He has averaged nearly 13 points and over two assists per game during that stretch.

No. 3: This is an elite passing team.

Most expected this team to be a good passing one. They brought in Neo Avdalas, who is an elite passer. They also got an offseason to develop Ben Hammond while also bringing in Izaiah Pasha. The real game-changer on this team is Amani Hansberry's ability to pass from the post, which has given this team a huge boost.

Right now, Virginia Tech leads the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio. They are also second in the conference in turnover margin, meaning they are creating extra possessions for themselves while not giving opposing teams more opportunities.

The passing ability brings this team to a new level. It's incredibly difficult to consistently slow down a passing team that has a three-level scoring threat like Neo Avdalas.