Mike Young evaluates Rodney Rice's play in loss against Duke

Virginia Tech freshman guard Rodney Rice played in only his third game of the season this past weekend against Duke. It has been an injury-marred season for the highly-regarded recruit out of the DMV.

But with those injury woes hopefully behind him, Rice had his best performance on a college floor versus the Blue Devils. He played 22 minutes and scored 11 points on 3-for-7 shooting.

Head coach Mike Young was really happy with the freshman’s performance.

“He’s really good,” Young said after the game. “He’s a very good basketball player. That was his third game as a college player and trying to bring him into the fold, I thought he had a nice outing. I thought he had a couple of quick shots. I thought he got dotted up a couple of times defensively, but it’s great to have him on the floor. Every rep he gets is is going to be beneficial for us as we move along.”

Rodney Rice’s injuries only part of Virginia Tech’s up-and-down season

While Rodney Rice played well in the game Saturday, Virginia Tech still lost to Duke by 16 points. The team shot only 40.4% from the field while the Blue Devils made 56.6% of their shots from the field.

It was another loss in a weird season for the Hokies. They have a non-conference record of 10-1 but their mark in the ACC stands at just 6-12.

They have also won only five games in the new year.

“Well we’re playing pretty good teams in this league. I don’t – nothing I can pinpoint, Mark. Goodness knows I’ve given it thought and consideration. What do I need to do better? What do I need to do differently? To put them in better spots. But, I certainly can’t disagree with your assessment,” Young said when asked about the inability to string together wins.