BOYD: Virginia Tech Basketball's 88-54 Win Over Coppin State Showed Promise, but Questions Remain

The Hokies won their 11th consecutive season opener with a 34-point win over Coppin State.

Virginia Tech Athletics

Virginia Tech men's basketball opened up its season with an 88-54 win over Coppin State — the Hokies' 11th consecutive season-opener victory. There were plenty of moments that provided optimism for the season, and others that left questions about what lies ahead.

One of the bright spots was guard Ben Hammond, who led all players in points and assists with 20 and eight, respectively. The junior also set a career-high in steals with seven, just one shy of the Virginia Tech program record.

"Hammond was exceptional," head coach Mike Young said following the win. "He does a great job. He immerses himself in the scouting report and he understands actions and what's next."

Hammond's steals were no accident, as last season he was second in the ACC with 2.0 steals per game. His ability to anticipate and his speed allow him to be disruptive in the passing lanes.

"Coaches did a great job as a scout, so the plays that they were running, we kind of knew," Hammond said. "So just coming off every pin down, every stagger they had, just trying to either shoot the gap or chase, and I was able to get a couple steals."

Perhaps even more impressive was Hammond's ability to take care of the basketball. He turned the ball over just twice to his eight assists, a particularly encouraging number considering how the Hokies struggled to protect the ball throughout the night.

Virginia Tech turned the ball over a whopping 14 times, with six coming from Hammond's backcourt counterpart, Jaylen Curry.

Curry appeared to struggle against the Eagles' defense, especially when they moved into a full-court press. Several passes were either picked off or just not on target, and the six turnovers were a noticeable blemish on an otherwise productive Hokie debut.

That is not to say Curry's performance was bad by any stretch. He finished with 19 points and finished an efficient 50% (3-for-6) from beyond the arc. The most concerning aspect of his statline is the fact that he ended the game with just one assist, which comes out to a whopping 0.17 assist-to-turnover ratio.

"[Curry's] a good basketball player," Young said. "I don't know in 41 years of coaching that I've had a point guard with one assist and six turnovers. That's disgusting. He's a good player, but we've got to have better point guard play. He understands, but just atrocious. Just not as a tight as a Virginia Tech point guard must be.

The contrast between Hammond and Curry was perhaps one of the bigger storylines of the game, but there is definitely reason to believe that the two of them can become a productive and successful backcourt combination.

Both guards discussed their chemistry following the win, emphasizing how much they work together in practice.

"Playing with [Curry], a lot of people are gonna go at his scoring ability," Hammond said. "Try to send two sometimes, so I mean finding out I can space it, find an open shot for sure. Make it do the vice versa, so same thing for him."

The two guards have the potential to complement each other well and possibly be one of the better backcourts in the ACC. They both have the ability to facilitate the offense and create opportunities, while also being prominent scoring threats capable of stretching the floor.

However, the season opener showed that potential alone will not be enough. Both guards will need to take better care of the basketball as the season ramps up.

Outside of the backcourt, another familiar name, forward Amani Hansberry put up 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds. The senior was efficient shooting 6-for-11 (55%) from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.

"We're going to do a better job of getting Hansberry the ball," Young said. "He's got to have more touches. He made the most of his touches"

The Hokies also showed the potential to be a dangerous shooting team, knocking down 13 of their 28 (46.4%) shots from 3-point range. That level of perimeter production, which would be tough to sustain, combined with the team's ability to move the basketball and control the pace, could make them a very difficult team to defend.

Still, that offensive production against a clearly outmatched opponent should not completely overshaw the areas that need work.

Tech committed 14 turnovers and went just 17-for-26 from the free-throw line. While Coppin State couldn't capitalize on the Hokies' mistakes, better opponents throughout the season will likely make them pay.

There is plenty to like about this Virginia Tech roster and some questions need more than a season opener to answer.

The Hokies host Mercer this Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.