Virginia Tech guard MJ Collins helped off court after non-contact injury
Sophomore MJ Collins was injured on a non-contact play against FAU. The sophomore stole an incoming pass and his knee buckled on the ensuing fast break before being helped off the court by Hokie training staff. He was also called for a travel on the play.
In six appearances for Virginia Tech prior to Sunday, Collins averaged 3.7 points and 2.3 assists per game. As a freshman, he put up similar production with 4.1 points and 1.4 assists per outing.
He was a three-star guard in the 2022 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 187 overall player in his class and No. 28 shooting guard.
Virginia Tech would go on to lose to the Owls 84-50 during the ESPN Events Invitational Championship game, good for the Hokies’ second loss of the young season.
His status will be updated in the coming days, as the Hokies are set to travel to Auburn for a matchup against the Tigers on Wednesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. ET live on ESPN2 as a part of the ACC/SEC Challenge.
ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives Virginia Tech a 27.1 percent chance of leaving Neville Arena victorious before returning home next Sunday for a matchup against ACC foe Louisville.
Tyler Nickel shares thoughts following victory vs. Wofford
The Virginia Tech Hokies and sharpshooter Tyler Nickel created some serious separation in the second half against the Wofford Terriers on Sunday night and they coasted to a 98-76 blowout victory. The Hokies had four players score in double- figures and they torched the nets from three-point range, hitting 10 of their 10 attempts (50 percent).
Following the win, Nickel spoke with the broadcast crew about the game and the Hokies’ outlook moving forward.
“Definitely. I think I’ve always been a pretty versatile guy as far as being aggressive on the offensive end,” Nickel said, via On3’s Wade Peery. “I think tonight, I had a lot of opportunities to attack in transition in the half-court off of offensive rebounds. And also, just like I said, just guys finding me in rhythm. So, a lot of credit goes to my teammates.
How fun is it to play with the team when they get out and run in transition?
“It’s super fun,” he responded. “I mean, all these guys, we want to play as a team. We want to share the wealth and we’ve got so many guys that can make plays and make shots that it’s just a fun group to play with.”
What does he have to do to be playing his best basketball when the Hokies begin ACC play?
“Really I would just say staying in rhythm, Just mentally stay up,” the Virginia native said. “Stay stable. I think a lot of the game especially in somebody that can score the ball is mentally, you can’t be too high or too low. You’ve gotta stay consistent, focused, and locked in with your work and mentally.”
Nickel finished his high school career as the all-time leading scorer in Virginia High School League–pouring in 2,909 points in 202 games. For his career, he averaged 28.5 points per game for East Rockingham High School in Elkton, Virginia. Nickel was also named the Virginia Player of the Year in 2022.