The Good, Bad, and Ugly from the Hokies' 69-68 Loss vs Stanford

Virginia Tech dropped their second straight loss in ACC play.

Jan 7, 2026; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) drives with the basketball as Virginia Tech Hokies guard Jailen Bedford (0) defends during the second half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

The first two games of the new year haven't gone the Hokies' way. Their last-minute loss marks the second straight game of that nature. Against Wake Forest, it was Nate Calmese having his best outing of the year, topped off with a game-winning three-pointer. Their matchup against Stanford told the same story through a different lens.

Stanford's star guard, Ebuka Okorie, continued his strong campaign with a 31-point day. His late three gave the Cardinal their second straight ACC win. These are the types of games that come back to bite as March approaches. The Hokies are still firmly in contention for the upper echelon of the ACC, but being unable to take down Wake Forest and Stanford in games that were ripe for the taking fails to set them up as one of the elite teams in the conference.

It was a strong performance against one of the nation's top scorers, but it wasn't enough. Here's the good, bad, and ugly from their 69-68 defeat.

The Good - Neo Bounces Back

The adjustment to the American style of play has been evident for Neoklis Avdalas. He's excelled as a playmaker, a trait he's been highly-touted for since the offseason. The inconsistencies as a shooter that were brought up before his debut didn't begin showing until recently.

around the horn 💸

📺 ACCN pic.twitter.com/sOBSegxn9e

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

The past couple of weeks have been rough for the Greek star. He has shot over 45% from the field thrice in the last seven games. He made big plays during the Hokies' triple-overtime victory against the Cavs, but shot a season-low 23.8% percent from the field. Wake Forest shut him down for the entirety of the game. Avdalas needed a bounce back for the team to come out on top.

While the three-point shooting wasn't great, he stepped up as a scorer in place of his decreased assist totals. His 21-point performance was the second game he's finished with at least 20 points since his breakout game against Providence. While the Hokies didn't come out on top, showings like this from Avdalas will be essential to Virginia Tech's hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid.

The Bad - Failing to Contain Okorie

It's no secret that Stanford has one of the best offensive talents in the country. Ebuka Okorie went from the top 100 recruits to the nation's eighth leading scorer. The former four-star guard has not only been a pleasant surprise, but he's also put Stanford on a trajectory to be one of the top-seeded teams in the ACC.

Stanford freshman Ebuka Okorie is SPECIAL 🔥
Okorie went off tonight and hit the go ahead game winning three to beat Virginia Tech

31 PTS | 11-18 FG | 4-8 3PT | 6 AST pic.twitter.com/G2Zfgfokp2

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) January 8, 2026

The Cardinal are 2-1 in ACC play to start. Their statement game of the year so far was their victory against Louisville before their trip to Blacksburg. Granted, they were without their star guard Mikel Brown Jr, but that doesn't take away from how strong a team the Cardinals are. Okorie has had a knack for taking games over all year and proceeded to do that against both Louisville and Virginia Tech.

It's hard to limit the volume Okorie has. The team sees almost a third of its scoring from him every game. Mike Young needed to key in on limiting his ability to create both on and off the ball. What resulted was Okorie finishing with almost half of Stanford's total points. In two straight late-game situations, the Hokies left their fate in the hands of the opponent's top scorers. These losses aren't deprived of positives, but that trend has to be left behind against some of their tougher opponents.

The Ugly - Inconsistent Wing Play

While Avdalas finding his footing offensively almost won the game for the Hokies, the wing play that has typically been the backbone of the Hokies was not where it needed to be.

Amani Hansberry has been one of the most improved players in college basketball. He's taken a massive leap in his development as a rebounder and a shooter. He had a disappointing night for his standards despite leading the team with 11 boards, finishing 4-10 from the field and 2-4 at the charity stripe.

Jan 7, 2026; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Mike Young watches his team during the first half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Ben Hammond has been on fire as a scorer, but he only shot the ball seven times in a game that needed a counter to Okorie's fiery guard play. The Hokies would've benefitted from another big outing from Jalen Bedford as well. He was quite offensively, with just two made baskets on 10 attempts. Jaden Schutt was also quiet, putting up just five shots in 31 minutes. Overall, the team didn't okay bad. They just didn't play well enough. The players who have shown to be playmakers in the clutch didn't show up in the fashion they wanted to. It's a tough loss, but one the Hokies can move past with a strong performance against the 13-3 Golden Bears.