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BLACKSBURG, Va. – A challenging non-conference slate, including an appearance in the NIT Season Tip-Off and a 16-game docket in the always-tough Atlantic Coast Conference, highlight the 2011-12 Virginia Tech men’s basketball schedule.

The Hokies could have at least 24 games televised, including the possibility of a school-record 16 nationally-televised games, plus one game that will be shown exclusively on ESPN3.com. All 16 of the Hokies’ ACC games will be televised this season. Virginia Tech will have 11 ACC games shown on ESPN3.com, as well as at least one non-conference game.

All games in the ACC Tournament will be televised by either the ACC Network or one of the ESPN family of networks. As a whole, the ACC will have a league-record 188 nationally-televised games.

The Hokies will participate in the NIT Season Tip-Off in November. Tech will be one of four seeded teams and will host a pod that will begin on Nov. 14 against Monmouth, on ESPNU. The other game in the Virginia Tech bracket will be George Mason versus Florida International. The winners of those two games will meet on Nov. 15, with that winner advancing to the event’s championship round on Nov. 23 and 25 in Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Hokies are guaranteed four games in the event.

“Our schedule will challenge us like no other we have played since we have been at Virginia Tech,” head coach Seth Greenberg said. “We have marquee nationally-televised road games, will play in a prestigious preseason event and will have, once again, a tough ACC slate. We feel our non-conference schedule will prepare us for the rigors of the ACC and position us, if successful to earn post-season play.”

The Hokies open the 2011-12 ACC conference season on Saturday, Jan. 7, as they travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., to face Wake Forest. Tech will open its ACC home slate on Tuesday, Jan. 10, as they host Florida State, in a game to be televised by ESPNU. The Hokies will later travel to league opponents Boston College, Virginia, Maryland, Miami, Florida State, Duke and Clemson. Tech will host ACC foes North Carolina, Duke, Clemson, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Virginia and NC State.

Tech will travel to Minnesota on Wednesday, Nov. 30, as part of the 13th Annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge, in a game televised by ESPN2 at 9:15 p.m. In late January, the Hokies will step out of league play to host 2010-11 NCAA Tournament team, BYU, on ESPN3.com. The Hokies will also play key non-conference games at home against 2010-11 NCAA Tournament team Kansas State on Dec. 4 on ESPNU, at Rhode Island on Dec. 7 and at Oklahoma State on Dec. 31 on ESPN2. Tech will host non-conference opponents East Tennessee State, St. Bonaventure, Norfolk State, Campbell, North Florida and Eastern Michigan.

As part of the ACC’s new contract with ESPN, all games televised by either ESPN or ESPN2 will also be shown on ESPN3.com. ESPN3.com will also show all ACC games broadcast by either the ACC Network or regional sports networks. The ACC Office will update dates and additional television coverage at a later date.

For updates on Virginia Tech men's basketball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_MBBall).