Virginia Tech is searching for its first ACC win against NC State tonight.

The Hokies went 15-7 overall and 9-4 in the league last year and return three starters. VT coach Mike Young, who used to coach at Wofford, brought in former Terriers point guard Storm Murphy this season. He had previously landed center transfer Keve Aluma and former Wofford signee Hunter Cattoor.

Virginia Tech hosts NC State at 7 p.m. tonight on the ACC Network. The Hokies are 8-5 overall and 0-2 in the ACC with losses to Duke and Wake Forest.

Virginia Tech won its first five games of the season, but have gone 3-5 since. The Hokies last played at Duke on Dec. 22, with games at North Carolina and vs. Pittsburgh postponed.

The Hokies won at Maryland 62-58 on Dec. 1, but also have losses against Memphis, Xavier and Dayton in non-conference action.

Rankings

Virginia Tech is No. 30 in the NET rankings this season, and NC State is No. 181.

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Hokies currently ranked No. 18 overall, and NC State is No. 120.

KenPom.com has Virginia Tech at No. 24, and NCSU checks in at No. 120.

RealtimeRPI.com has NC State ranked No. 163 in the country, and Virginia Tech is No. 88.

Shooting

Virginia Tech is shooting 45.9 percent from the field, a quality 39.1 percent on three-pointers and 72.9 percent from the free-throw line.

Five players have made at least 10 three-pointers, with wing Hunter Cattoor leading the way, going 30 of 67 for 44.8 percent. Freshman shooting guard Darius Maddox is shooting 12 of 24 for 50 percent beyond the arc.

Rebounding

Virginia Tech is averaging 33.9 rebounds per game, and opponents are averaging 31.9 boards per contest. The Hokies have 119 offensive rebounds, with center Keve Aluma grabbing a team-high 31.

Power forward Justyn Mutts averages a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game, with center Aluma right behind at 6.4 rebounds a contest.

Defense

VT has held opponents to 40.7 percent shooting from the field and just 25.9 percent on three-pointers.

Aluma has a team-high 12 blocks and David N’Guessan has 10 blocks. Virginia Tech has 69 steals with Mutts getting 17.

Depth

Maddox, post player N’Guessan and guard Sean Pedulla come off the bench. Maddox is averaging 5.8 points in 15.8 minutes per game, and had a season-high 14 points against Cornell on Dec. 8. Pedulla is 10 of 15 on three-pointers this season, and is averaging 3.2 points in 9.5 minutes per game.

The 6-9, 205-pound N’Guessan from De Lier, Netherlands, is averaging 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game. He opened the season with 15 points against Maine.

Keve Aluma has come a long way since his freshman year at Wofford in 2017-18.

The 6-9, 235-pounder from Berlin, Md., made a big jump last year, averaging 15.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game for the Hokies. He had 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a 83-72 loss at Pittsburgh on Feb. 3, 2021, and he had 29 points and 10 boards in the previous game vs. Virginia.

Aluma has held steady this season. He’s shooting 51 percent from the field and 75.6 percent from the free-throw line. Aluma is averaging 15.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He is fresh off of having 25 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in a 76-65 loss at Duke on Dec. 22.

Aluma has three double-doubles for points and rebounds this season, and has scored in double figures in every game but two. He had 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a 80-61 loss vs. Wake Forest on Dec. 4.

NC State

PG — 5 Thomas Allen (6-1, 175, R-Sr., 3.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.0 apg)

SG — 0 Terquavion Smith (6-4, 160, Fr., 14.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg)

SF — 1 Dereon Seabron (6-7, 180, R-Soph., 19.6 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.6 spg)

PF — 4 Jericole Hellems (6-7, 200, Sr., 14.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.5 spg)

C — 21 Ebenezer Dowuona (6-11, 225, Soph., 3.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.0 apg, 2.4 bpg)

Virginia Tech

PG — 5 Storm Murphy (6-0, 185, Sr., 8.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.7 apg)

SG — 4 Nahiem Alleyne (6-4, 195, Jr., 10.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.5 apg)

G — 0 Hunter Cattoor (6-3, 200, Jr., 10.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 spg)

PF — 25 Justyn Mutts (6-7, 230, Sr., 10.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.3 spg)

C — 22 Keve Aluma (6-9, 235, Sr., 15.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.9 apg)

.259: Opponents three-point field goal percentage this season. The Hokies lead the ACC in defending the three-point shot.

12 Games where Virginia Tech have won the turnover battle in 13 contests.

17.3: Points per game for the Virginia Tech bench. VT has scored over 30 bench points in three games, including a season-high 36 against Maine and Cornell.

The 6-4, 195-pound Alleyne from Buford, Ga., has been a double-digit scorer for the Hokies the last two years.

Alleyne helped carry Virginia Tech in the 75-70 overtime loss to Florida in the NCAA Tournament last year. He poured in 28 points and made 4 of 10 on three-pointers March 19. He also scored 20 points apiece against both Villanova and at Syracuse. He drained at least four three-pointers in five games.

Alleyne is averaging 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season, but shooting just 33.1 percent from the field. He’s 34.4 percent on three-pointers.

Alleyne flashed his streaky scoring ability when he had 21 points and three-pointers in the 69-61 loss vs. Memphis on Nov. 24. He also has scored 18 points against Xavier and vs. St. Francis (Pa.).

NC State freshman wing Terquavion Smith had 23 points and seven three-pointers in the loss at Florida State. He’s averaging 14.4 points per game and shooting 40.4 percent from the field and 36.7 percent on three-pointers.

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