For an hour on Sunday, the national spotlight in women’s college basketball will be on No. 8 Virginia Tech with ESPN’s College GameDay in town.
The show will air at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN inside Cassell Coliseum before the Hokies’ (22-4, 13-2 ACC) senior day clash with North Carolina (18-9, 10-5). It’ll highlight a team which sits atop the conference standings, has a chance to clinch a share of the regular-season crown with a victory and has won nine consecutive games.
“When you get into February, you want to be peaking, and that’s what I see from Virginia Tech,” College GameDay analyst and Hall of Fame coach Carolyn Peck told reporters on Saturday evening. “And it’s no surprise — it’s the same thing they did last year, February was a good month for them.
“Part of that is coaching, but part of that too is the players because when you look at what they lost from last year with Kayana Traylor and Taylor Soule, how do you fill those spots? And when you get the transfers in, along with the freshmen, it takes until about February for all of that to come together, and Virginia Tech looks again like one of those teams that we could possibly see in Cleveland.”
The Hokies are the sixth school to host the production, joining UConn, Tennessee, South Carolina, Iowa and LSU, and are the first ACC member. It’ll be anchored by Elle Duncan and she’ll be joined by Andraya Carter, WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike, Hall of Famer Holly Rowe and Peck. Jenn Hildreth and Kelly Gramlich are on the call for the game against the Tar Heels at 2 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.
Among the segments on the show, Peck said Carter and Ogwumike will break down Tech’s dynamic duo of Georgia Amoore and Elizabeth Kitley and why it works so well. Peck will have a segment with Tech head coach Kenny Brooks analyzing Amoore’s infamous step-back shot, too.
“The show that Liz and Georgia put on makes you want to come out and watch because, talking to Kenny [Brooks] today and the step-back she did last year at Georgia Tech, I don’t know if y’all have seen the movie Friday, but in that movie, they go, ‘Damnnnn.’ That’s the kind of response you get when you watch these teams.’”
The crew will also discuss topics like why Caitlin Clark and No. 4 Iowa dropped their most recent game to No. 14 Indiana and what teams around the country can challenge No. 1 South Carolina (26-0).
A great crowd is expected for the event, especially considering the game vs. UNC is the team’s fifth regular-season sellout of the season. Gramlich, who has called a number of games in Blacksburg on the ACC Network this year, knows what to expect — and said the nation is in for a treat.
“It’s just great to showcase the [ACC] fans, and specifically at Virginia Tech,” Gramlich said. “We know Louisville has great fans, we know Notre Dame, we know NC State has great fans. But this atmosphere, some people have probably not seen before, and it’s become one of the best in the country.”
If history is any indication, Sunday should be quite the chess match between Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Brooks is 11-3 against the Tar Heels in his tenure, and his program has won the last five, including a 70-61 overtime thriller in Chapel Hill on Feb. 4. All five of the last games were decided by fewer than five points or went to overtime.
Having a sharp backcourt will be crucial. While Kitley is well on her way to being a three-time ACC Player of the Year — Gramlich said she’s got the two-time All-American on her Mount Rushmore for all-time ACC women’s basketball players — the key matchup is Amoore vs. Deja Kelly.
“Kelly was a great facilitator the other night [vs. NC State], I think she needs to score more in this game,” Gramlich said. “Both her and Amoore have played well in these matchups. Kitley’s going to do what Kitley does, … but I think the guard play is really what it comes down to.”
“I think the key to this game tomorrow is going to be who controls the boards,” Peck said. “Both teams can make shots, but both teams can miss shots, and when they do, who can capitalize on those?”
The Hokies won the ACC Tournament title last season and ripped off 15 consecutive victories en route to a Final Four. The personnel is different this year, but the pieces appear to be there to get back to that stage, at least in Gramlich’s mind, and, should they sweep in Greensboro again, they’ll deserve a No. 1 seed.
They’ll have an opportunity to prove themselves in the national spotlight on Sunday afternoon against the Tar Heels after College GameDay spends an hour discussing women’s basketball from Carilion Clinic Court.
“I think the ceiling is the Final Four, yet again,” Gramlich said. “I think when you get to a Final Four, you see what happens. South Carolina I would say is the favorite right now, I think that’s very fair. And then you have Caitlin Clark, who beat South Carolina last year, it’s just unbelievable, and some other great teams in the Pac 12, even here in the ACC with NC State.
“But I think the Final Four should definitely be on the radar for Virginia Tech, and when you go back to last year, it was very similar to what they did last year. They lost at Duke in January and then didn’t lose again until the Final Four against LSU. It feels like they’re peaking, and there’s something to be said when you’ve done it before. Kitley and Amoore and King and Coach Brooks, they know what it takes to get back.”