Biggest Takeaways From Virginia Tech's 89-82 Loss to North Carolina

Virginia Tech went toe to toe with No. 18 North Carolina for a half in Chapel Hill. Then the Tar Heels flipped the game in less than ten minutes.

The Hokies fell 89-82 on Saturday night to the Tar Heels inside Dean E. Smith Center. Virginia Tech was able to stay within striking distance for most of the first half and entered the break tied 44-44, but North Carolina’s blistering second half proved too much to overcome.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Final from Chapel Hill pic.twitter.com/u0Nve7Vuru
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) March 1, 2026

1. Fouls ruined Tech’s chances of a comeback.

The Tar Heels did everything it could to keep Tech’s best players off the court with foul trouble. Amani Hansberry had three personal fouls going into the half, and eventually fouled out after playing just 19 minutes. Ben Hammond finished the game with four fouls. Neoklis Avdalas, Jailen Bedford, Tobi Lawal and Christian Gurdak all had three. This caused Mike Young to consistently sub his players in and out, making it difficult to get any consistency on the floor.

Often against the Tar Heels this season, sending their players to the free throw line hasn’t made or break games since as a team they shoot just 68.0 percent from the charity stripe. However, North Carolina shot at a much higher clip tonight than its season average, knocking down 23-of-30 free throw attempts.

“They’ve really struggled at the foul line,” said Young. “They didn’t tonight.”

The Tar Heels were also the much more disciplined team, committing 13 fouls compared to the Hokies’ 24. Coach Young expressed frustration with the officiating in the post game press conference.

“They’ve got to stop calling so many [fouls],” said Young.

2. The Hokies could not stop Henri Veesaar in the second half.

While Virginia Tech struggled to guard North Carolina in general, Henri Veesaar especially gave the Hokies trouble. The junior from Estonia finished the game with 26 points, 18 of which game in the second half.

In the first ten minutes of the second half that ultimately decided the game, Veesaar scored 13 of his points. During that stretch, he made seven straight field goal attempts. No matter who Virginia Tech put on him, he found a way to score.

“He’s big as a house,” said Young. “He’s got really long arms, incredible touch around the basket.”

North Carolina’s coach Hubert Davis attributed halftime adjustments to Veesaar’s success in the final 20 minutes.

“In the first half, he was letting Virginia Tech dictate where he was catching the ball, which was too far out,” said Davis. “His ability to catch the ball closer to the basket and he worked harder to allow him to have success in the second half.”

Veesaar’s 26 points tied a career high. Defensively, Veesaar was also very sound. He finished the game with seven rebounds, one block and one steal.

3. Neoklis Avdalas played well once again.

Despite the loss, it appears Avdalas has worked through his offensive woes that he had for much of conference play. The Greek freshman finished with a team-leading 19 points, shooting 7-for-16 from the field. He also tallied five assists and three rebounds.

“Thought he played well,” said Young. “They’re fighting, they’re trying. Neo had a pretty good day.”

Over the past two games, Avdalas has shot 43.3 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from three. It looks as if he is playing with the confidence he was playing with during non-conference play.

For Avdalas and the rest of the Hokies, they are in must win territory for the remainder of the season. That starts with Boston College, who Virginia Tech will welcome to Cassell Coliseum on Tuesday. Tipoff for the game is at 9:00 p.m. ET, and coverage will be on ESPNU.