The Good, Bad, and Ugly from Virginia Tech's 77-76 Loss vs SMU

Virginia Tech loses at the buzzer once again in conference play.

Jan 14, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; SMU Mustangs center Samet Yigitoglu (24) grabs the pass in front of Virginia Tech Hokies forward Amani Hansberry (13) during the second half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech was seconds away from walking out of Dallas with one of its most impressive wins of the season. Instead, the Hokies left with another painful reminder of how unforgiving college basketball can be, falling 77-76 to SMU on a buzzer-beating half-court three from Boopie Miller.

While the end will dominate the conversation, the full picture of Virginia Tech's performance is more complicated. There was plenty to like and stuff to dislike. Here is the good, bad and ugly from last night's game.

The Good - Staying in the Fight Against a Tough Opponent.

For all the frustration that came with the ending, Virginia Tech never stopped competing against one of the better teams in the ACC.

Facing an SMU squad that entered the night unbeaten at home and ranked among the top teams in the NET, the Hokies consistently matched the Mustangs' physicality and pace. SMU was up as much as nine midway through the first half, and the Hokies found a way to claw back to only being down a point going into the break.

Coming out of halftime, Virginia Tech went on a 17-8 run to go up eight points over the Mustangs. The Hokies showed they could go punch for punch with a quality team on the road and put themselves in position to win, even if late execution ultimately cost them.

The Bad: Not Having an Answer for Boopie Miller

For most of the night, the Hokies did a good job limiting Miller's offensive firepower. In the first half, he had just five points. But once both teams came back from halftime, the senior from Chicago, IL, turned it on and finished the game with 24 points.

Miller made an impact in other aspects of the game. He also had six assists, four rebounds and two steals. While the half-court buzzer beater will grab the headlines, Miller was only in a position to deliver it because of his second-half dominance that kept SMU within striking distance.

The Ugly: Another Heartbeaking Loss

For the third time in four games, Virginia Tech watched a winnable game slip away at the buzzer. This time, it came on a half-court heave.

What makes the loss especially difficult is how winnable the game was at the end. The Hokies were up four with seven seconds left. Amani Hansberry in bounds the ball to Neoklis Avdalas, who cannot handle the pass, turning the ball over. SMU proceeds to score immediately on a nice inbound pass from Miller to Jermaine O'Neal Jr., who layed it in immediately.

Now down two, SMU fouled Virginia Tech's best free-throw shooter, Ben Hammond, sending him to the line for a one-and-one, but he missed the front end. Tobi Lawal was able to secure the missed foul shot and was immediately fouled, only to miss as well. Moments later, Miller buried a 48-foot buzzer-beater, sending the Hokies back to Blacksburg without a win.

This has been a common theme throughout ACC play. The Hokies lost to Wake Forest on a step-back three with 6.5 seconds remaining, then let a 10-point lead slip away in the final 2:09 against Stanford. Virginia Tech's biggest margin of victory in conference play was against Virginia, a game that went to triple overtime.