The Day After: Hughes' Stock Report on Virginia Tech Men's Basketball After Stanford Loss

The Hokies blew a 12-point lead in the waning minutes to fall to 1-2 in league play.

Jan 7, 2026; Blacksburg, Va.; Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie (1) drives with the ball as Virginia Tech guard Ben Hammond (3) defends. | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Last night was a rough one. After leading for 36:10 of the 40-minute contest against Stanford, Virginia Tech men's basketball toiled through an utter collapse. Leading 67-55, the Hokies allowed 14 Cardinal points and only scored one over the final 2:18, suffering their second straight loss by a possession.

Final

Stanford 69
VT 68

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 8, 2026

Yet, it still seems as if it's an incomplete roster that delivered last night's loss. Yes, forward Tobi Lawal was back Wednesday, delivering his first minutes since Nov. 26, back when Virginia Tech stood at 6-2. In his absence, the Hokies went 6-0 with a perfect December. That slate was bookended by a pair of two-game skids, the latter concerning a Jan. 3 three-point loss to Wake Forest and now, yesterday's one-point collapse vs. Stanford.

Even given the absences, it's hard to justify blowing a game where the Hokies led by 12 with just over two minutes to play. Stanford logged eight uninterrupted points while guard Ebuka Okorie rolled up 26 second-half points on Virginia Tech. Against a team that may also be on the bubble side for the NCAA Tournament, it was a game that the Hokies may reflect back on and regret not having as a win come tournament time.

Ditto for the Wake Forest game. Virginia Tech was competitive or leading in both games with scant time on the clock, but yielded leads in both and let winnable games slip away. In the first game against the Demon Deacons, Tech faltered early, with guard Neoklis Avdalas committing four turnovers in as many minutes. Though the Hokies clawed their way back into the contest, forward Amani Hansberry fouled out late, leaving Tech down its primary connector as the contest reached its zenith.

Against Stanford, the Hokies didn't have that problem. Hansberry was in the contest towards the end. Virginia Tech simply collapsed down the stretch and didn't play a solid brand of basketball. That, and Okorie took over the contest at the end. 11 of Stanford's final 14 points came from the freshman guard, who's going through his first tour of ACC basketball.

Stanford got the matchup they desired on the final possession, with Okorie escaping free and draining the game-winning three with 3.3 seconds to spare right in front of Avdalas' outstretched arm. That marked his third 30-point game this season; all three contests have come in the months of December and January. Since Dec. 20, Okorie has dropped 32 points on Colorado, 30 vs. CSUN, 28 against then-No. 16 Louisville and now, 31 against Okorie. The lone outlier was seven points against Notre Dame, where Okorie shot 3-for-14 in an insipid 47-40 loss for the Cardinal.

Though it's not a loss that dooms Virginia Tech's season, it is one that could matter down the line and could represent one of the marks that keeps the Hokies out of the NCAA Tournament if things don't break Tech's way. Only time will tell, however.

Virginia Tech's next chance to add to its resume comes on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 4 p.m. ET, as the Hokies host California in Cassell Coliseum. The contest is available for viewing on the ACC Network.