VIRGINIA TECH'S HISTORIC YEAR ENDS AS BAYLOR ADVANCES TO SWEET SIXTEEN

Topher Wagner

March 24, 2021

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — One of the best comeback seasons in college basketball this year came to an end Tuesday evening as No. 2-seeded Baylor took out No. 7-seeded Virginia Tech 90-48 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.

Entering the 2020-2021 season, Virginia Tech had high expectations after having its NCAA Tournament berth taken away following the cancellation of last year’s tournament. Following a 7-7 start to the year, the Hokies adopted the mantra of “going 1-0 every day” to finish the season in dominant fashion and qualify for the “big dance” for the first time in 15 years.

There was plenty to celebrate all year long, but a win over Marquette in the opening round was simply the icing on the cake for head coach Kenny Brooks, who has worked tirelessly since his hiring in 2016 to turn this program around.

Unfortunately for Tech, the dream year finally came to an end in the Round of 32 at the hands of the defending champion Lady Bears.

“One game doesn’t make a season, that was my message to the team after the game,” Brooks said. “They were just way more physical, they overpowered us for the duration of the game. They’re the defending national champions and we’re starting three sophomores, a freshman and a senior, so we’re working our way up to that level. But it was a hard fought game, they were the better basketball team and this is something that we’ll take and use motivation throughout the spring and summer and we’ll be back.”

After being ranked in the top five all year, it was a slight surprise when the defending national champions were picked to be the final No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Selection Monday. Playing with a chip on their shoulder, Baylor came out dominant from the start against Virginia Tech.

Baylor blew out the Hokies enroute to its 12th straight Sweet Sixteen appearance behind a complete team effort on both ends of the court.

The duo of Moon Ursin and DiJonai Carrington was excellent all game with 21 points apiece, while Big 12 Player of the Year NaLyssa Smith dropped 15 points as well. However, it shows the depth of Baylor when despite those amazing performances, the player of the game was truly Queen Egbo.

Egbo was a force to be reckoned with in the blowout win, as the center neutralized Hokies star Elizabeth Kitley all night while putting up a 12-point double-double to go with a career-high seven blocks.

“They were physical and athletic, they took Liz out of her spots and really keyed in on her,” Brooks said about Kitley’s struggles. “But she’s only 19 years old, this was the first time she experienced something like that on this magnitude and she’ll take it, she’s a competitor. She’s probably watching film right now to see what she has to do to get better and that’s what you want. You want those kinds of kids in your program.”

In the first quarter, the Hokies looked sloppy on offense, going down 11-6 early as Baylor’s paint presence stopped Kitley from getting in any kind of offensive rhythm. In fact, Tech didn’t register a single 2-point field goal in the opening frame, trailing 17-9 after 10 minutes. To make matters worse, Kitley and fellow All-ACC first teamer Aisha Sheppard were held to zero points as Sheppard was still not 100% after suffering a high ankle sprain several games ago.

As the second quarter began, Baylor started to run away with it behind dominant defensive play. After being so consistent for Tech all season, Kitley struggled mightily against Egbo in the paint, as the Lady Bears’ center held her to just one-of-six shooting in the first half.

Despite Smith sitting the entire second quarter due to foul trouble, the Lady Bears didn’t miss a beat. By halftime, they had extended the lead to 24 points. Tech was also outrebounded at the break, 26-13, as Baylor’s countless second chance opportunities doomed the Hokies.

One of the few bright spots this game for VT was the stellar play of freshman guard Georgia Amoore. After finishing the season on a tear enroute to All-ACC freshman team honors, Amoore didn’t shy away from the spotlight in her NCAA Tournament debut. She led the Hokies with 18 points including connecting on four three-point shots, the most of any player.

“I think knowing those two [Sheppard and Kitley] are a focal point of our offense obviously when stuff isn’t going their way someone has to step up and I kind of took onus of that,” Amoore said. “Honestly, I probably could have made a lot more shots but I think when they drew so much attention, I knew I had to make a play.”

To start the second half, the Hokies began to show some fight as Sheppard hit her first triple in nearly three games to wake herself up on the offensive side of the ball. She clearly wasn’t herself throughout the game, but the senior showed great grit to play through her ankle injury. Unfortunately for Tech, Carrington continued to excel off the bench to build on Baylor’s big lead.

Shockingly, Tech’s first points in the paint didn’t come until late in the third quarter, but by then it was already too late. Baylor outscored the Hokies 18-6 in the fourth quarter, flexing its defensive muscles one last time to produce the final margin of victory.

Even after the loss, as the season comes to an end for Virginia Tech, the Hokies have plenty to look forward to in the future. Amoore and Kitley proved to be bonafide stars in the making down the stretch this season and with a postseason of experience under their belt, should come back hungry and ready to play once again next year.

“I don’t know what team doesn’t go through hardships that are going to help build their character and determine who they’re going to be,” Brooks said. “I told them, ‘it doesn’t matter if you lose by one or you lose by 40, if you lose, you’re going home.’ We had a tremendous year to get back to the tournament and advance. This is just going to be fuel. These kids are young, smart and talented and they will learn from this opportunity that we had to come to the NCAA Tournament.

This doesn’t mention the largest question looming over Virginia Tech; will Aisha Sheppard stay or go?

The senior has an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA and Brooks has expressed optimism that the star guard may come back for one final season, but only time will tell. Regardless of whether Sheppard returns or tests the WNBA waters, she can hold her head high knowing she helped turn her school’s program around, cementing herself as an all-time Hokies great in the process.

“She has set the standard here,” Amoore said, speaking on Sheppard’s legacy. “She’s picked me up when I’ve done things wrong and from there, we just grew our relationship.”

For Baylor, the Bears played one of their best games of the season when it mattered most, as they punched their ticket to yet another Sweet Sixteen. They will take on No. 6-seeded Michigan in the next round, hot off its upset win over Tennessee.