Full Game Preview and Score Prediction for Virginia Tech vs. NC State
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Virginia Tech men's basketball takes on N.C. State today, looking to raise its record back above .500 in league play against the Wolfpack.
on the road to Raleigh 🫡
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 6, 2026
🤝 @CarilionClinic pic.twitter.com/GL1K6KoZdL
The Hokies (16-7, 5-5 ACC) enter their clash at the Lenovo Center on the precipice of the NCAA Tournament field, currently listed by ESPN's Bracketology as the No. 69 seed — the first team out of the March Madness bracket. Today's matinee qualifies as a Quadrant 1 victory and would represent a significant resume-boosting win for Virginia Tech if it can pull it off.
NC State's lineup is balanced in scoring; the Wolfpack sport five players averaging over 9.5 points per game, spearheaded by forward Darrion Williams' 15.1. Williams was tabbed as the Preseason ACC Player of the Year. Though he toiled through a near-month-long lull, where he logged just one double-digit scoring output spanning six games from Dec. 6-Jan. 3, Williams has scored at least 17 points in all but two of the last eight contests.
His effort was punctuated by a 25-point performance last time out against SMU, in a narrow 84-83 Quadrant 1 victory on Tuesday.
There's also Ven-Allen Lubin, the Wolfpack's leader on the boards with a 7.0 nightly average. Lubin played at North Carolina last year, which thumped Tech 91-59 in the Hokies' home finale; he logged 11 points and seven rebounds against the Mustangs.
In regard to assists, guard Quadir Copeland is the name to monitor for the Wolfpack; he averages 6.9 assists per game, No. 1 in the ACC and No. 11 nationally, while also sporting a 47.7% clip from beyond the arc.
Where this team's true strength lies is in three-pointers. N.C. State is No. 7 in the nation — and first in the ACC — in three-point shooting percentage, averaging a 40.1% clip from deep. Against the Mustangs, 16 of their 28 buckets (57.1%) came from beyond the arc; moreover, NC State cashed in on 16 of their 36 (44%) from deep.
N.C. State is one of the most potent teams that Virginia Tech has faced in many facets of the game; the Wolfpack rank No. 12 in turnover percentage, No. 18 in effective field goal percentage and No. 15 in steal percentage.
Virginia Tech, though, is no slouch in regard to defending the three-ball. The Hokies currently sport a 29.5% clip allowed on average to their opponents, No. 17 in the country and second-best in the ACC, only behind California (29.4%).
Ahead of the contest, Virginia Tech enters the contest with several key players whose efficiency is either peaking or waning. Guards Ben Hammond and Jailen Bedford have come on in conference play, averaging 16.4 and 14.1 points per game, respectively. Moreover, Hammond is close to the 50/40/90 shooting line in conference play, shooting 48.5% (50-for-103) from the field, 50% (17-for-34) from beyond the arc and 88.7% (47-for-53) from the charity stripe.
Meanwhile, guard Neoklis Avdalas has struggled as of late. In conference play, the freshman wing has averaged 10.1 points per game, 4.6 assists per game and 2.8 turnovers. In his last three games, he has logged 5.5 points per game on 5-for-31 (16.1%) shooting for the field, including a 2-for-15 (13.3%) from long range.
Virginia Tech will not have guard Tyler Johnson for Saturday's showdown; the sophomore remains sidelined with a foot injury that forced him out on Dec. 21. He has not played since.
So, with that, what do I think unfolds on Saturday?
While Virginia Tech has proven that it can hang with the upper echelon of the conference, I'm not sure whether the full effort will translate for the full 40 minutes and result in an upset victory in Raleigh. For the Hokies to claim a victory, they'll need a strong performance from Hammond again, Avdalas to rebound from his recent struggles and for NC State to struggle from deep. I think that two can happen, but I'm not sure about all three.
Virginia Tech's clash against the Wolfpack kicks off at 12 p.m. ET on The CW Network.
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Thomas is a sophomore at Virginia Tech majoring in multimedia journalism with a minor in creative writing. He currently works with Collegiate Times, Virginia Tech's student-run newspaper, as a staff writer for its sports section. In addition, he also writes for 3304 Sports as a staff writer and on-air talent, as well as Aspiring Journalists at Virginia Tech as a curator. You can find him on X: @thomashughes_05.
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