The Good, Bad and Ugly from Virginia Tech Men's Basketball's Season Thus Far

Through 12 games, the Hokies sit at 10-2.

Dec 2, 2025; Columbia, S.C.; South Carolina forward Elijah Strong (31) drives around Virginia Tech forward Amani Hansberry (13). | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Through 12 games, Virginia Tech men's basketball has shown vast improvement from its previous campaign, sitting 10-2 through a month and a half of the season. A year ago, the Hokies sat 5-6, stomaching six straight losses before slightly bouncing back vs. North Carolina A&T and Navy. Here's what I think's been good, bad and occasionally ugly so far this season.

non-con finale on Saturday 👀

🍪 pregame sugar cookie decorating on concourse

🎟️ https://t.co/6ucPIoPrGj
🤝 @CarilionClinic pic.twitter.com/3TBY2HwCYF

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) December 19, 2025

The good: Amani Hansberry and Neoklis Avdalas have proven to be a great one-two punch.

Avdalas, the 6-foot-9 wing that runs the point, has been a revelation at times this season. While his scoring has occasionally fluctuated, he's flashed the talent that has him slated to go in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. He came the first Virginia Tech player since Sean Pedulla in 2023-24 to tally multiple 30-point games, sporting a 33-point effort vs. Providence in the Hokies' second game of the season, followed up by a 30-point outing against Western Carolina on Dec. 11. Through 12 games, Avdalas is averaging 14.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and five assists a game. His assist-per-game numbers rank No. 73 in the nation.

Hansberry currently slots in as the team's leading scorer, averaging 15.9 points and 7.9 rebounds (T-85th in the nation) through 11 played games. Hansberry has also tallied double figures in his last seven games and has notched at least nine points in all 11 games he's played.

The bad: The injuries/absences.

The injuries thus far this campaign haven't been sinking, but they have been noticeable. Forward Tobi Lawal has been out since Game 2 of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament on Nov. 27. Meanwhile, fellow big Amani Hansberry missed Tech's contest against Nov. 19. Guard Jailen Bedford was unavailable for the Dec. 14 contest against Maryland Eastern Shore due to what Young remarked was an "upper respiratory issue" causing congestion.

Lawal's absence is the headliner; since his last game (Nov. 26 vs. Colorado State), here's how much Tech won/lost by: 11-point loss (Saint Mary's), 18-point loss (VCU), three-point win (South Carolina), 11-point win (George Mason), 22-point win (Western Carolina), 29-point win (Maryland Eastern Shore).

Tech won as expected by large sums over both the Catamounts and Hawks but struggled in the interior against both the Gaels and VCU. While Hansberry has shined as of late, averaging 16.8 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the month of December, the team needs Lawa back and in form to better its chances at a possible NCAA Tournament bid.

The ugly: At times, the team has tremendously struggled dealing with slow-tempo teams.

Virginia Tech's offense this year has been faster than Young's teams typically run; with the added versatility of multiple ball-handlers in Avdalas and Ben Hammond and an emphasis on early offense, the Hokies have been able to generate cleaner looks before defenses get fully set. Against slow-tempo, grind-it-out teams, Virginia Tech has often struggled to adjust, though. Long, deliberate possessions by opponents shorten the game and disrupt offensive flow, and the Hokies have not consistently executed late in the shot clock. When forced to play patiently, ball movement stagnates, shots become contested, and offensive efficiency dips noticeably. The majority of the Hokies' less stellar games have come against slow-tempo squads, a deficiency that will need to be rectified with conference play on the horizon in 12 days against UVa.