After being placed as the three seed, the Hokies will open their NIT schedule at home against Princeton. The winner of this game will likely travel to Utah to take on BYU, but that's not the Hokies' concern right now. Princeton, albeit an Ivy league team, posted a respectable 22-6 record this year including a 12-2 conference play record. Virginia Tech can't afford to come out flat. Tournament games are always crazy and competitive, and falling asleep early could dig the Hokies a hole too deep to climb out of.
One of the reasons a good start is imperative is due to Princeton's offensive efficiency.