BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech men's basketball team enjoyed a historic season that ended with the Hokies' loss to Duke in a Sweet 16 matchup held at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
The team became the first since the 1966-67 squad to win two games in an NCAA Tournament. Also, the Hokies set the school record for victories in a season. Their 26 victories surpassed the 25 accumulated by the 2009-10 and 1994-95 squads.
On Wednesday, Buzz Williams left to become the head coach at Texas A&M. Williams departs with a 100-69 record at Tech and has won more than 62 percent of his games as a collegiate head coach.
Below is a list of 10 of the better wins during the Williams era in chronological order:
Virginia Tech 70, Pittsburgh 67 OT (Jan. 27, 2015) – Adam Smith drilled a 3-pointer with three seconds left in overtime to lift the Hokies to the win at Carilion Clinic Court, handing Williams his first ACC victory as the Hokies' head coach. Pittsburgh had tied the game at 67 on a layup with 1:07 remaining, and the Hokies' Malik Muller missed a layup with 29 seconds to go on Tech's ensuing possession. But the Hokies got the rebound, setting up Smith's heroics. Smith scored five of his game-high 26 points in overtime and hit six 3-pointers to pace Tech.
Virginia Tech 73, Michigan 70 (Nov. 30, 2016) – Zach LeDay and Seth Allen came off the bench to score a combined 28 points to lead the Hokies to the road victory in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. LeDay scored 15 points in the second half, but Allen made the big shot, hitting a 3-pointer with 1:02 left to give the Hokies a four-point lead. Justin Bibbs' two free throws with three seconds left sealed Tech's biggest victory in the Challenge.
Virginia Tech 80, Virginia 78 2OT (Feb. 12, 2017) – Seth Allen made maybe the biggest play of his career, scoring on a layup with three seconds left to lift the Hokies to the double-overtime victory at Carilion Clinic Court. Virginia had taken the lead on a layup with 17 seconds to go, but Allen answered moments later, ending one of the series' most memorable games. In a game filled with big plays, Tech's Ty Outlaw tipped in an Allen miss at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. Allen scored 20 points off the bench in 41 minutes of action, while Justin Bibbs added 16.
Virginia Tech 80, No. 10 North Carolina 69 (Jan. 22, 2018) – Justin Robinson scored 19 points and handed out four assists, and the Hokies hit 12 3-pointers in pulling away in the second half at Carilion Clinic Court. Tech never trailed in the second half against the Tar Heels and built a 16-point cushion in the final couple of minutes. Ahmed Hill added 16 points, and Kerry Blackshear Jr. chipped in 16 to aid the cause, as the Hokies handed Williams his first victory over the Tar Heels.
Virginia Tech 61, No. 2 Virginia 60 OT (Feb. 10, 2018) – Kerry Blackshear Jr.'s layup with six seconds left in overtime was the difference, as Tech – which lost to the Cavaliers by 26 earlier that season – stunned Virginia in Charlottesville. Tech trailed by four with 29 seconds to go in overtime, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker hit a clutch 3-pointer with 20 seconds left, and Virginia missed a free throw on the ensuing possession, setting up Blackshear's late-game heroics. Justin Robinson led Tech with 20 points and seven assists, while Blackshear finished with seven points.
Virginia Tech 64, No. 5 Duke 63 (Feb. 26, 2018) – Taking on a team that featured future NBA lottery picks Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr., the Hokies rallied past the Blue Devils, outscoring Duke by seven in the second half in the win at Carilion Clinic Court. Tech shot 52 percent in the second half and forced 11 Duke turnovers, but the game wasn't decided until Chris Clarke scored on a stick-back after Nickeil Alexander-Walker missed a jumper with four seconds left. Alexander-Walker paced the Hokies with 17 points, and Justin Bibbs added 14.
No. 16 Virginia Tech 89, No. 23 Purdue 83 (Nov. 18, 2018) – The Hokies trailed by 12 points in the first half against the Boilermakers in the title game of the Charleston Classic played in Charleston, South Carolina, but gradually chipped away at the lead behind Ahmed Hill, who scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half. Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the Hokies with 25 points and seven rebounds, while Justin Robinson added 23 points and six assists. The victory enabled Tech to take home the Charleston Classic tournament title – their first nonconference tournament title since 2008.
No. 12 Virginia Tech 47, No. 23 NC State 24 (Feb. 2, 2019) – Playing its first game without Justin Robinson, Tech turned in a historical defensive performance, holding the Wolfpack to just nine field goals and 16.7 percent shooting from the floor in an ACC game played in Raleigh, North Carolina. NC State's 24 points were the fewest scored by a Division I team in a conference game since 2008, and the Wolfpack's field-goal percentage was the lowest in a game in ACC history. Kerry Blackshear Jr. led the Hokies in the low-scoring affair with 13 points.
No. 20 Virginia Tech 77, No. 3 Duke 72 (Feb. 26, 2019) – Kerry Blackshear Jr. played a stellar game, scoring 23 points to lead the Hokies to the upset of the Blue Devils at Carilion Clinic Court. Blackshear went 7 of 11 from the floor and 9 of 11 from the free-throw line, and he also grabbed 10 rebounds, including a clutch offensive rebound late in the game that led to two Nickeil Alexander-Walker free throws, which gave the Hokies a 75-70 cushion. Ahmed Hill added 17 points.
No. 16 Virginia Tech 67, Liberty 58 (March 24, 2019) – With a Sweet 16 berth on the line, Tech stepped up its defense in the second half, holding Liberty to just six field goals and pulling out a nine-point victory in a second-round NCAA Tournament game played in San Jose, California. Kerry Blackshear Jr. scored 10 of his game-high 19 points in the second half, and Ty Outlaw recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Ahmed Hill finished with 14 points, and Robinson scored 13, all of which helped Tech advance in the tournament and hand Williams his 100th victory as the Hokies' head coach.