The Good, Bad, and Ugly from Virginia Tech's 76-74 Win vs Syracuse

Syracuse made it close at the end, but the Hokies pulled through with a win.

Jan 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies guard Ben Hammond (3) shoots against Syracuse Orange forward William Kyle III (42) during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech escaped up in New York with a 76-74 win over Syracuse, a game where the Hokies did just enough to pick up another Quad 1 victory. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from the game.

𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙙 𝙒𝙤𝙣 ✅ pic.twitter.com/BtocgRMbxy

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 22, 2026

The Good: Virginia Tech's defense came through when it had to.

This game was a classic example of a team finding a way to win without being perfect. In the first half, Syracuse was dominant from behind the arc. The Orange shot 7-for-12 from three in the first 20 minutes, and it looked like they were going to pull away early.

However, Virginia Tech tightened up down the stretch in the second half. The Hokies held Syracuse to just 37 points in the second half and made stops when it mattered most.

Ben Hammond was a huge part of the Hokies' defensive success. He finished the game with six steals and showed up defensively at the exact right time. Hammond was also crucial on the offensive side of the ball. He finished the game with 24 points, four rebounds and four assists.

The Bad: Cold from beyond the arc.

Virginia Tech could not muster much offense from deep. As a team, the Hokies shot 4-for-17 from three. Hammond was the only player who had multiple threes, shooting 2-for-4. Jaden Schutt, Tech's go-to for threes, had an off night, making just one of his five field goal attempts all from deep.

Part of the cold night from threes is because Virginia Tech was generating a lot of fast break points. The Hokies finished the game with 25 points on the fast break compared to Syracuse's 15.

The Bad: The Hokies almost blew it again late.

Just like many of the Hokies' ACC games, it came down to the wire when it did not need to. With 2:40 left in the game, Virginia Tech was up 64-55 after a made layup by Amani Hansberry, with many fans leaving at this point.

The Hokies then got sloppy with inbound passes and advancing the ball down the court. This allowed Syracuse to get a couple of steals that brought the game within a score.

With the Hokies up two, Neoklis Avdalas was fouled with six seconds left to put the game essentially away. He was able to make the first free throw but missed the second. Tobi Lawal used his athleticism to grab the offensive board and iced the game with two made free throws to put the Hokies up four with five seconds left.

Syracuse's Naithan George made a three with time expiring but it did not affect the outcome of the game as the Hokies exhaled victorious.