Virginia Tech MBB vs. Coppin State Live Updates: Score and Analysis From Season Opener
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BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech men's basketball opens its 2026-27 season tonight, ushering in its eighth year under head coach Mike Young. Read below for a game thread, organized in reverse chronological order.
H1 12:08 | Virginia Tech 19, Coppin State 9
Coppin State calls time after an Amani Hansberry tip-in. Hansberry and Hammond have combined for 15 of Virginia Tech's first 19 points on 6-of-10 (3-of-5 from 3-point) shooting.
The Hokies have taken 15 shots to Coppin State's eight and have a 4-0 steal differential. Virginia Tech has seven second-chance points to the Eagles' zero.
H1 13:30 | Virginia Tech 15, Coppin State 7
Hammond with the steal-and-score. He's now 3-of-4 for eight points and two steals. The 5-foot-11 guard was in the perfect spot for that takeaway.
H1 13:53 | Virginia Tech 13, Coppin State 7
Coppin State thinned the lead off a Brendan Johnson 3-pointer — he's still got all of the Eagles' points — but Virginia Tech countered with a Jaylen Curry jumper.
H1 14:53 | Virginia Tech 11, Coppin State 4
Out of the timeout, Hammond buries a triple on the #Hokies' first post-U16 possession. He's 2-of-3 for six points, all off 3-pointers.
H1 17:05 | Virginia Tech 8, Coppin State 2
The first VT newcomer on the board is Miles Heide. The 6-foot-10 center got to the rack for two points. The Hokies are on an eight-point run.
H1 17:28 | Virginia Tech 6, Coppin State 2
Who else? #Hokies' first two buckets are both threes. Came from Ben Hammond, Amani Hansberry.
Q1 18:14 | Virginia Tech 3, Coppin State 2
Who else? The Hokies' first bucket is a Ben Hammond trey from the left wing.
Q1 18:40 | Coppin State 2, Virginia Tech 0
First bucket is a Brendan Johnson jumper on the left. #Hokies trail.
Q1 18:55 | Virginia Tech 0, Coppin State 0
The ball was poked away from Jaylen Curry, who saved it but had to force up an off-kilter three. No good — the Hokies are 0-for-2 to start.
Q1 19:40 | Virginia Tech 0, Coppin State 0
Virginia Tech's first shot was an Isaiah Elohim drive off the left that was stuffed out of bounds by Coppin State's Brendan Johnson.
Q1 START | Virginia Tech 0, Coppin State 0
Coppin State wins the tip. And Virginia Tech's 2026-27 season is underway.
Pre-Game Notes
The Hokies' starting lineup is as follows:
- No. 0 - guard Jaylen Curry
- No. 2 - guard Isaiah Elohim
- No. 3 - guard Ben Hammond
- No. 6 - center Miles Heide
- No. 13 - forward Amani Hansberry
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Hughes serves as Virginia Tech On SI's lead editor, a position that he has held since July 2025. Hughes is a junior at Virginia Tech majoring in sports media and analytics. He also serves as the open-wheel correspondent for the motorsports outlet Steering Wheel Nation, where he has written on Formula 1, the NTT IndyCar Series, the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Hughes has previously authored bylines in 3304 Sports, Virginia Tech's multimedia student journalism outlet.
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