# 2018–19 Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hokies were led by fifth-year head coach Buzz Williams and played their home games at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia, as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the 2018–19 season 26–9, 12–6 in ACC play to finish in fifth place. They defeated Miami (FL) in the second round of the ACC tournament before losing to Florida State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Saint Louis and Liberty to advance to the sweet sixteen for the first time since 1965 where they lost to ACC member Duke.
On April 3, Williams left Virginia Tech to take the Texas A&M head coaching job. The Hokies hired Wofford head coach Mike Young as his replacement on April 7.

## Previous season

The Hokies finished the 2017–18 season 21–12, 10–8 in ACC play to finish in seventh place. They lost in the second round of the ACC tournament to Notre Dame. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round to Alabama.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Tyrie Jackson | 1 | G | 6'1" | 205 | Sophomore | Tifton, GA | Transferred to NW Florida State College |
| Khadim Sy | 2 | F/C | 6'10" | 240 | Sophomore | Dakar, Senegal | Transferred to Daytona State College |
| Justin Bibbs | 10 | G | 6'5" | 220 | Senior | Dayton, OH | Graduated |
| Devin Wilson | 11 | G | 6'4" | 195 | RS Senior | McKees Rocks, PA | Graduated |
| Nick Fullard | 21 | F | 6'10" | 235 | Senior | La Plata, MD | Graduated |
| Justin Ammerman | 22 | G | 6'3" | 185 | Junior | West Chester, PA | Left team |

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Isaiah Wilkins SF | Wake Forest, NC | Mount Tabor High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jul 30, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Landers Nolley II #23 SF | Fairburn, GA | Langston Hughes High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Oct 15, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Jon Kabongo #28 PG | Toronto, ON | Putnam Science Academy | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Oct 22, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Tyrece Radford PG | Baton Rouge, LA | McKinley High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NA Rivals: NA 247Sports: 23 ESPN: 19 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Virginia Tech Commit List for 2018". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 4, 2018* 3:00 pm | No. 15 | at Liberty Hurricane Relief Exhibition | W 86–70 | – | 20 – Robinson | 7 – Tied | 9 – Robinson | Vines Center (4,210) Lynchburg, VA |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 9, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 15 | Gardner–Webb | W 87–59 | 1–0 | 21 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 8 – Robinson | Cassell Coliseum (7,736) Blacksburg, VA |
| Nov 15, 2018* 11:30 am, ESPN2 | No. 16 | vs. Ball State Charleston Classic Quarterfinals | W 73–64 | 2–0 | 21 – Alexander-Walker | 7 – Blackshear | 6 – Robinson | TD Arena (2,648) Charleston, SC |
| Nov 16, 2018* 11:00 am, ESPN2 | No. 16 | vs. Northeastern Charleston Classic Semifinals | W 88–60 | 3–0 | 20 – Alexander-Walker | 7 – Outlaw | 7 – Alexander-Walker | TD Arena (2,752) Charleston, SC |
| Nov 18, 2018* 8:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 16 | vs. No. 23 Purdue Charleston Classic championship | W 89–83 | 4–0 | 25 – Alexander-Walker | 7 – Alexander-Walker | 6 – Robinson | TD Arena (3,985) Charleston, SC |
| Nov 24, 2018* 1:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 13 | Saint Francis (PA) | W 75–37 | 5–0 | 19 – Hill | 8 – Wilkins | 7 – Robinson | Cassell Coliseum (7,474) Blacksburg, VA |
| Nov 27, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 13 | at Penn State ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 62–63 | 5–1 | 19 – Robinson | 9 – Blackshear | 3 – Tied | Bryce Jordan Center (8,373) University Park, PA |
| Dec 1, 2018* 1:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 13 | Central Connecticut | W 94–40 | 6–1 | 24 – Hill | 6 – Outlaw | 13 – Robinson | Cassell Coliseum (9,275) Blacksburg, VA |
| Dec 5, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 15 | VMI | W 89–68 | 7–1 | 18 – Robinson | 11 – Outlaw | 5 – Robinson | Cassell Coliseum (7,748) Blacksburg, VA |
| Dec 9, 2018* 1:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 15 | South Carolina State | W 81–44 | 8–1 | 19 – Alexander-Walker | 13 – Blackshear | 6 – Robinson | Cassell Coliseum (5,305) Blacksburg, VA |
| Dec 15, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 13 | vs. Washington Boardwalk Classic | W 73–61 | 9–1 | 24 – Alexander-Walker | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Boardwalk Hall (5,456) Atlantic City, NJ |
| Dec 19, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 13 | North Carolina A&T | W 82–60 | 10–1 | 20 – Alexander-Walker | 9 – Blackshear | 6 – Robinson | Cassell Coliseum (6,681) Blacksburg, VA |
| Dec 28, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 10 | Maryland Eastern Shore | W 85–40 | 11–1 | 20 – Hill | 7 – Bede | 6 – Tied | Cassell Coliseum (7,632) Blacksburg, VA |
| ACC regular season |||||||||
| Jan 1, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 10 | Notre Dame | W 81–66 | 12–1 (1–0) | 21 – Blackshear | 7 – Blackshear | 8 – Robinson | Cassell Coliseum (8,008) Blacksburg, VA |
| Jan 5, 2019 12:00 pm, ACCRSN | No. 10 | Boston College | W 77–66 | 13–1 (2–0) | 25 – Alexander-Walker | 8 – Robinson | 5 – Robinson | Cassell Coliseum (7,009) Blacksburg, VA |
| Jan 9, 2019 7:00 pm, ACCRSN | No. 9 | at Georgia Tech | W 52–49 | 14–1 (3–0) | 15 – Hill | 10 – Blackshear | 6 – Alexander-Walker | McCamish Pavilion (6,166) Atlanta, GA |
| Jan 15, 2019 8:00 pm, Raycom | No. 9 | at No. 4 Virginia Rivalry | L 59–81 | 14–2 (3–1) | 19 – Alexander-Walker | 4 – Alexander-Walker | 3 – Alexander-Walker | John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) Charlottesville, VA |
| Jan 19, 2019 4:00 pm, ACCRSN | No. 9 | Wake Forest | W 87–71 | 15–2 (4–1) | 24 – Alexander-Walker | 7 – Alexander-Walker | 5 – Bede | Cassell Coliseum (9,275) Blacksburg, VA |
| Jan 21, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 10 | at No. 11 North Carolina | L 82–103 | 15–3 (4–2) | 20 – Hill | 17 – Blackshear | 6 – Robinson | Dean Smith Center (21,148) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Jan 26, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN | No. 10 | Syracuse | W 78–56 | 16–3 (5–2) | 35 – Robinson | 7 – Outlaw | 8 – 2 tied | Cassell Coliseum (9,275) Blacksburg, VA |
| Jan 30, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 12 | at Miami (FL) | W 82–70 | 17–3 (6–2) | 25 – Alexander-Walker | 9 – Blackshear Jr. | 5 – Alexander-Walker | Watsco Center (6,860) Coral Gables, FL |
| Feb 2, 2019 12:00 pm, Raycom | No. 12 | at No. 23 NC State | W 47–24 | 18–3 (7–2) | 13 – Blackshear Jr. | 13 – Blackshear Jr. | 3 – 2 tied | PNC Arena (19,500) Raleigh, NC |
| Feb 4, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 11 | No. 16 Louisville | L 64–72 | 18–4 (7–3) | 21 – Blackshear Jr. | 7 – Outlaw | 5 – Bede | Cassell Coliseum (9,275) Blacksburg, VA |
| Feb 9, 2019 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 11 | at Clemson | L 51–59 | 18–5 (7–4) | 17 – Blackshear Jr. | 8 – Outlaw | 3 – 2 Tied | Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000) Clemson, SC |
| Feb 13, 2019 8:00 pm, Raycom | No. 22 | Georgia Tech | W 76–68 | 19–5 (8–4) | 20 – Outlaw | 6 – Tied | 8 – Blackshear Jr. | Cassell Coliseum (9,275) Blacksburg, VA |
| Feb 16, 2019 12:00 pm, ACCRSN | No. 22 | at Pittsburgh | W 70–64 | 20–5 (9–4) | 29 – Blackshear Jr. | 9 – 2 Tied | 7 – Bede | Petersen Events Center (10,289) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Feb 18, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 20 | No. 3 Virginia Rivalry | L 58–64 | 20–6 (9–5) | 23 – Blackshear Jr. | 13 – Blackshear Jr. | 4 – Alexander-Walker | Cassell Coliseum (9,275) Blacksburg, VA |
| Feb 23, 2019 4:00 pm, ESPN | No. 20 | at Notre Dame | W 67–59 | 21–6 (10–5) | 22 – Blackshear Jr. | 14 – Blackshear Jr. | 3 – Tied | Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,787) South Bend, IN |
| Feb 26, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 20 | No. 3 Duke | W 77–72 | 22–6 (11–5) | 23 – Blackshear Jr. | 10 – Blackshear Jr. | 6 – Alexander-Walker | Cassell Coliseum (9,275) Blacksburg, VA |
| Mar 5, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 15 | at No. 14 Florida State | L 64–73 $^{OT}$ | 22–7 (11–6) | 19 – Alexander-Walker | 9 – Hill | 4 – Blackshear Jr. | Donald L. Tucker Center (10,611) Tallahassee, FL |
| Mar 8, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 15 | Miami (FL) | W 84–70 | 23–7 (12–6) | 21 – Alexander-Walker | 10 – Alexander-Walker | 8 – Alexander-Walker | Cassell Coliseum (9,275) Blacksburg, VA |
| ACC Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 13, 2019 2:30 pm, ESPN | (5) No. 16 | vs. (12) Miami Second Round | W 71–56 | 24–7 | 19 – Blackshear Jr. | 10 – Blackshear Jr. | 6 – Alexander-Walker | Spectrum Center (19,691) Charlotte, NC |
| Mar 14, 2019 2:30 pm, ESPN | (5) No. 16 | vs. (4) No. 12 Florida State Quarterfinals | L 63–65 $^{OT}$ | 24–8 | 21 – Alexander-Walker | 9 – Blackshear Jr. | 4 – Alexander-Walker | Spectrum Center (19,691) Charlotte, NC |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 22, 2019* 9:57 pm, truTV | (4 E) No. 16 | vs. (13 E) Saint Louis First Round | W 66–52 | 25–8 | 20 – Alexander-Walker | 7 – Outlaw | 2 – Tied | SAP Center (12,824) San Jose, CA |
| Mar 24, 2019* 7:10 pm, TBS | (4 E) No. 16 | vs. (12 E) Liberty Second Round | W 67–58 | 26–8 | 19 – Blackshear Jr. | 11 – Outlaw | 6 – Alexander-Walker | SAP Center (14,802) San Jose, CA |
| Mar 29, 2019* 9:45 pm, CBS | (4 E) No. 16 | vs. (1 E) No. 1 Duke Sweet Sixteen | L 73–75 | 26–9 | 18 – Blackshear Jr. | 16 – Blackshear Jr. | 5 – Blackshear Jr. | Capital One Arena (20,006) Washington, D.C. |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Player statistics

| No. | Player | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 1 | Isaiah Wilkins | 14 | 14.4 | 47.2 | 46.4 | 73.7 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 5.5 |
| 3 | Wabissa Bede | 15 | 19.7 | 44.7 | 43.3 | 0.0 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 3.7 |
| 4 | Nickeil Alexander-Walker | 14 | 32.5 | 54.6 | 42.4 | 79.1 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 17.8 |
| 5 | Justin Robinson | 15 | 32.4 | 44.7 | 36.7 | 80.0 | 3.8 | 5.8 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 13.1 |
| 10 | Jonathan Kabongo | 8 | 5.9 | 33.3 | 25.0 | 33.3 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.8 |
| 11 | Brendan Palmer | 3 | 0.7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 13 | Ahmed Hill | 15 | 33.1 | 46.3 | 44.8 | 93.3 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 12.7 |
| 14 | P.J. Horne | 15 | 16.9 | 65.4 | 0.0 | 80.0 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 5.1 |
| 24 | Kerry Blackshear Jr. | 15 | 25.7 | 54.2 | 34.8 | 66.2 | 6.2 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 14.1 |
| 42 | Ty Outlaw | 15 | 25.1 | 46.7 | 49.3 | 33.3 | 5.1 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 7.9 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 15 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 16 | Not released |
| Coaches | 17 | 17^ | 14 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.