Virginia Tech basketball pins its hopes on a superstar freshman

As we countdown to the start of the 2025-26 Syracuse basketball season on Nov. 3, The Juice Online will be doing a team-by-team opponent analysis of every single ACC opponent. Today, we analyze the Virginia Tech Hokies, who the Orange will play on Jan. 21.

After Syracuse's matchup against Boston College on Jan. 17, the Orange return home to face off against the Hokies.

Recapping the 2024-25 Virginia Tech Hokies season

The Hokies are coming off a disappointing season. After winning their first three tuneups against mid-major competition, it became clear that Virginia Tech would struggle against high-major competition, as they dropped six consecutive games against teams like Penn State, Michigan and South Carolina, but also an embarrassing 74-64 loss to Jacksonville from the Atlantic Sun Conference.

They did fare somewhat better in conference, going 8-12 to finish for a five-way tie for ninth place, which was a bit surprising given their metrics. They were 302nd in ppg (69.2) and 214th in ppg allowed (73.2). In not one team metric (FG%, 3P%, ASTs, REBs) were they ranked in the top 100.

Their last win of the season came against Syracuse at home in a 101-95 overtime victory. After tiebreakers put them as the 10th seed in the ACC Tournament, they were unable to move past the first round of the tourney, losing to California, 82-73, in double-overtime.

With an overall 13-18 record, they were not invited to either the NCAA or NIT Tournaments.

Analyzing the Virginia Tech roster

Relative to the age of the portal and NIL, the Hokies do maintain some semblance of roster continuity from last year to this year.

They are returning key scorers such as Tobiu Lawal (12.4 ppg), Jaden Schutt (7.7 ppg), Tyler Johnson (6.7 pts), and Ben Hammond (5.6 pts). Still, Jaydon Young, who averaged 8.1 ppg and 22.4 mpg for the Hokies last season, is off to UNC.

Their headline addition from the portal is Amani Hansberry (9.8 peg, 6.5 rpg) from West Virginia, who will provide a solid inside presence. Other additions include Jailen Bedford (10.2 ppg with 4.3 rpg) from UNLV and Izaiah Pasha (11.9 ppg) from Delaware.

But the most hyped incoming player is freshman Neoklis Avdalas, who is Virginia Tech’s first five-star prospect since 2011. The Greek superstar withdrew from the most recent NBA Draft process and landed with the Hokies, heading a class that is ranked 39th in the country.

Mike Young is on the hot seat

Head coach Mike Young has just one year left on his contract following the 2025-26 season, and the Hokies have missed the past three NCAA Tournaments. His seat is among the warmest in the ACC, but there is optimism in Blacksburg with an improved NIL spend in the offseason and a more talented, deep roster.

The Hokies come in at 71st in the Ken Pom and were picked 14th in the recent ACC preseason poll. But with this roster, Young has the personnel available to make a run at an NCAA Tournament bid.

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