Hokies Claim Comfortable Victory Over Western Carolina, Still Searching for More

Virginia Tech claimed its ninth win of the season, doing so by 22.

Virginia Tech Athletics

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Anchored by a 30-point performance from Greek wing Neoklis Avdalas and an 18-point outing from forward Amani Hansberry, Virginia Tech men's basketball improved to 9-2 with a comfortable 96-74 victory over Western Carolina Thursday evening.

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Head coach Mike Young wasn't satisfied with the victory, however, remarking during post-game media availability that the team needs to improve, particularly on defense.

The culprit? ACC play, which looms on New Year's Eve and has only a pair of games separating it from now. Virginia Tech has now played 11 games through this campaign, with two remaining before it kicks off its 18-game ACC slate. When asked about Avdalas' performance, Young spotlighted his scoring but remarked that improvement on defense is sorely needed, both when it comes to Avdalas and to the team as a whole.

"Got to guard better," Young said. "He scored well but has to defend better. They all do."

Hansberry equated that to effort, stating that the team should refrain from playing down to competition. Western Carolina entered the contest sitting at No. 273 in the NCAA's NET rankings; following the Catamounts' loss to Virginia Tech, they slipped to 0-6 in Quad 1/2/3 games.

For Young, improving in those two areas is a paramount area of concern. To Young, that will win games in a highly competitive ACC that looks to improve from the 2024-25 campaign, when the conference sent four teams to the 68-team NCAA Tournament. On the offensive end, things continue to trend in the right direction. Virginia Tech’s win over the Catamounts was a steady, controlled performance against a team that prefers to play fast.

Western Carolina came in ranked No. 56 nationally in adjusted tempo, per Ken Pomeroy’s metrics; however, the Hokies still dictated the pace, finishing with a 64-57 shot advantage over the Catamounts.

Tech was also stellar from beyond the arc, nailing 13 of its 27 attempts against Western Carolina. Avdalas knocked down a team-high four, with four other Hokies - guards Jaden Schutt, Ben Hammond and Tyler Johnson, plus - knocking down two. Tech displayed a balanced inside-out attack, sporting a 56.8% rate from inside the arc and 48.1% outside it.

Tech's success against. Western Carolina opted to spread out its defenders to cover Hansberry and Schutt; consequently, Avdalas was less impeded en route to 17 shot attempts — his second-highest mark in a single game, only behind Providence (33 points on 23 attempts).

That effort is also the first time that Avdalas has attempted more than 11 shots from the field since the Hokies' third game, a 94-59 blowout win over Saint Joseph's. Through 11 games, the freshman has averaged 14.5 points and 4.8 assists, anchoring the Hokies' distributing efforts and serving as the team's second-highest scorer behind Hansberry.

During post-game media, Hansberry remarked that one of the biggest areas of improvement that Avdalas has made is in creating natural contact rather than flopping.

"[He's] growing up, I think he's grown up a lot since he's been here," Hansberry said. "He doesn't flop as much. We've been on him about that, just playing through contact. The speed of the game and the physicality [here] is way different than overseas. So, just getting adjusted to that.

"It can take a toll on you mentally. I think he's just grown up all around. He plays harder. I think it was a possession where he damn near blocked the shot twice, got up, dove for the ball. So, all those type of things, I think he's really just embracing this role in the team."

Hansberry himself was stellar Thursday, producing 18 points, six rebounds, a team-high six assists and a career-high four steals. His efforts were part of a robust collective effort; five Hokies tallied double-digit scoring outputs — Avdalas (30), Hansberry (18), Johnson (13), Hammond (13) and Schutt (10).

According to Hansberry, his four steals came as a result of him playing more off-ball. Consequently, Hansberry being able to double onto the ball rather than being restricted to the paint has opened up the mobile big. Through 11 games, the junior has produced 16.1 points and eight rebounds an outing. In the last three contests, Hansberry's tallied 18.3 points/game and 9.3 rebounds/game.

"I'm able to play more off-ball on the perimeter since I play in the four now," Hansberry said. "So, it's easy, kind of knowing what the guards are thinking, how they scheme going into the game, scouting and stuff like that. Really, just trusting my judgment."

Hansberry's shift to the four was a result of the absence of Tobi Lawal, who remains out of the lineup with a left foot injury. When asked if he had a specific game that he would target for Lawal's return, Young responded with a simple "no."

No matter, at least in this one. Though the Hokies held only a slim 36–34 edge on the glass, they piled up eight blocks and owned a 36-26 advantage in paint points, stymieing Western Carolina’s offense before it could build any real momentum.

Western Carolina's aggressive style of play on the offensive end forced several Hokies into foul trouble, though. Both Johnson and Hansberry exited the game late after fouling out, while guard Jailen Bedford accrued four fouls in a quiet three-point effort. In total, 42 fouls were called in Thursday's contest, an average of 1.05 fouls per game minute.

"It felt like every other possession, there was a whistle being blown," Hansberry said. "But like I said, it's more mental than anything. You got to always be ready to play, be ready to guard, be ready to step up and hit a shot."

Virginia Tech stays home for its next contest, which will be against Maryland Eastern Shore on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 12 p.m. ET. The game will operate as a doubleheader with women's basketball, which tips off against East Tennessee State at 4 p.m. ET.

It's the first of two remaining pre-Christmas chances for the Hokies to establish more confidence ahead of ACC play, which starts vs. Virginia on Dec. 31. Until then, the focus is on retaining that confidence for the contests to come. At least for Hansberry, the team's appeared to recapture its swagger, one it possessed during the early goings of the season and briefly surrendered.

"I think we're playing with a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence," Hansberry said. "I think we got to keep that up. And I think we're buying into our rules and being a complete unit... I thought we had it early in the year, first of that swagger. But I see it now more consistently, even like in practice, the way we talk, how we move, how we carry ourselves."