Miller's Half-Court Buzzer-Beater Stuns Hokies Basketball In 77-76 Loss at SMU

The Hokies lost on a game-winning buzzer beater from half court by SMU's Boopie Miller.

Virginia Tech Athletics

Yes, that happened. For the third time in the last four games, Virginia Tech men's basketball lost a game via a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

SMU wins 77-76

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 15, 2026

It's hard to win a Division I game on the road. It's levels harder when that Division I game on the road comes against a Quad 1 opponent ranked No. 26 in the NET rankings entering the contest. It gets even harder when that Division I Quad 1 game on the road is in Dallas, Texas, with Moody Coliseum sitting nearly 1,000 miles away from Cassell Coliseum.

Virginia Tech (13-5, 2-3 ACC) nearly did all three against SMU (13-4, 2-2 ACC). But it came up short on just one possession. With one second remaining, guard Boopie Miller took a look from half-court, guarded by Hokies guard Ben Hammond. Somehow, improbably and inconceivably, the shot was nothing but net, granting the Mustangs an improbable victory and snagging Virginia Tech's hopes of a second Quad 1 win right out of its fingers.

Thus, the Hokies dropped their fifth game of the season in a 77-76 heartbreaker and slipped to 2-3 in league play. Had Virginia Tech won, it would have been the Hokies' second Q1 win of the season, joining a Dec. 31 triple-overtime thriller of a victory over then-No. 21 Virginia. Alas, Virginia Tech did not win.

While Virginia Tech restrained SMU guard Boopie Miller from beyond the arc until the buzzer-beater — the senior guard missed all three of his looks from deep against the Hokies — it couldn't limit him entirely. Miller, who entered the day averaging 20.6 points (21st in D-1 and third in the ACC) and 7.1 assists (7th-most in D1, first in ACC) a night, totaled 24 points on 6-of-15 shooting against Virginia Tech, adding six assists and four rebounds for good measure. And more importantly, he hit that shot from half court to keep SMU an unblemished 11-0 at home.

Two other Mustangs scored in double-figures: centers Jaden Toombs (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Samet Yigitoglu (14 points, 7-for-9 from field), plus guard Jaron Pierre Jr. (13 points, nine rebounds). That effort did just enough to carry SMU to its second ACC win of the season.

Despite being outrebounded, 23-16, in the opening frame, Virginia Tech recovered on the glass and outrebounded the Mustangs, 20-15, in the second half. The Hokies were also active in the passing lanes, accumulating nine takeaways to SMU's five.

Virginia Tech also outdid the Mustangs on the specialty stats, logging a 1.50 assist-to-turnover rate to SMU's 1.27 and a 12-4 fastbreak points advantage.

More importantly, the Hokies restrained SMU from deep, holding the Mustangs to a 2-for-14 clip from three-point land — until Miller's triple from behind the timeline. Virginia Tech itself went 9-for-28 from beyond the arc, though wing Neoklis Avdalas missed all seven of his looks from beyond the arc.

Avdalas wasn't discouraged, however, and ended the day with 10 points and five assists on a 4-for-11 clip from the field. Five Hokies in total scored in double-figures, paced by guard Jailen Bedford's 22 points. Forward Tobi Lawal notched 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in his third game back from injury, while guards Ben Hammond and Jaden Schutt logged 11 and 15 points, respectively.

Schutt was once again pinpoint from beyond the arc, knocking down four of his six looks from deep.That included a three-pointer with 29 seconds left to play that lifted Virginia Tech to a four-point game that presumably put the contest out of reach if the Hokies could keep the Mustangs off the board on the subsequent possession.

And they did, forcing Miller into a miss that led SMU to foul. But then on the subsequent possession, the ball knocked off Avdalas on a baseline inbound, giving SMU the ball. With five seconds left to play, B.J. Edwards scored immediately off the inbound. Following that play, SMU fouled Hammond.

He missed his only free throw. However, Lawal gobbled down the rebound and was immediately fouled, giving the Hokies another chance, this time with three seconds to spare.

But again, Lawal missed the free throw. This time, it was Pierre Jr. that came down with the rebound, and coming out of the timeout, Edwards found Miller, who cut left and rose up for the improbable, heart-pounding triple that saved SMU from a loss — and subsequently cut into the hearts of Virginia Tech.

That now marks the Hokies' sixth game where with a minute to go in regulation, the game is within a possession. In that stretch, Virginia Tech has gone 3-3. Though the Hokies have won several close games, with victories over Virginia and California, it hasn't moved them up much relative to their ACC foes, with the ACC Tournament starting to loom in the background. That tournament kicks off on March 10 in the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., with the next two months and the ACC tourney the determining factors in whether the Hokies go dancing for the first time since 2022 this March.

The loss to the Mustangs, while an attainable one, isn't a net negative for Virginia Tech's tournament hopes. The Hokies entered a Thursday tilt where they were near-double-digit underdogs, per ESPN, and nearly came out with the victory, save for allowing that aforementioned half-court buzzer beater. It's not a backbreaker of a loss — SMU ranked No. 26 in the NET rankings coming into tonight — but it is the feeling of a missed opportunity, with a chance to beat a potent Quad 1 team right on their home floor.

Virginia Tech's next opportunity to rebound comes against Notre Dame on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 12 p.m. ET. The game will be carried on the ACC Network as the Hokies look to restore their conference record to an even .500.