Three Takeaways From Virginia Tech Basketball's 95-85 Thrilling Triple-Overtime Victory Over Virginia

Kaden Reinhard breaks down three takeaways from Virginia Tech's 95-85 triple-overtime victory.

Dec 31, 2025; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies guard Ben Hammond (3) and Virginia Tech Hokies guard Neoklis Avdalas (17) celebrate during the third overtime at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, the Virginia Tech Hokies opened up conference action against the Virginia Cavaliers. In a game that took over three hours and three overtimes to decide, it was the Hokies who sneaked away with the victory. Here are three big takeaways from the contest:

2025 went out with a 𝘽𝘼𝙉𝙂 🎇#OurState x @SmithfieldBrand pic.twitter.com/yoM2Oqp9HE

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) December 31, 2025

No. 1: Ben Hammond is dangerous off the bench.

Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young has a pleasant [verb] to check in a guard such as Ben Hammond off the bench.

Hammond, the Virginia native, is a sophomore guard who has appeared in every contest for Tech this season, with only three appearances in the starting lineup.

Even though he didn't start against UVa, Hammond was the first Hokie to log at least 30 points against the Cavaliers since Erick Green on Jan. 24, 2013.

"I went to the same high school as him [Erick Green], so that's pretty crazy," Hammond said.

Hammond doesn't have the second-option mentality; he goes out and attacks on all fronts with the same intensity every time. He seems to inherently know where to be on the court at the right time, whether nabbing his two steals against Virginia or grabbing a clutch block midway through the second overtime period. Hammond also snagged a nifty putback with 40 seconds remaining in triple overtime.

"He [Hammond] was awesome," Young said. "He was exceptional... He created havoc for the Cavaliers. Ben Hammond was arguably the best player on the floor today. How could you dispute that?"

"I assure you this, Ben Hammond is going to play a lot, and he's going to play a lot when it matters," Young added. "And that's not going to change as long as he's in a Hokie uniform, and I hope that's for a long time."

No. 2: Christian Gurdak appears ready for ACC action.

The Hokies' new starting center for the time being, freshman Christian Gurdak, looked stellar in his first-ever conference game.

While a few injuries have expanded Gurdak's playing time, he had appeared in all but one of Tech's first 12 games of non-conference play.

Gurdak's offensive efficiency has been a key point all season; the freshman big is shooting 62.7% (32-51) through his 13 games. In his two starts, he's notched 17 points in both affairs. Against Virginia, he finally breached the double-digit rebounding with a staggering 19, including a career-high seven offensive rebounds.

"Christian Gurdak, here's a kid playing his 13th college game from Gonzaga (HS), DC," Young said. "And this guy comes in here and corals 19 rebounds, are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?"

Gurdak's rebounding efforts were a large part of the Hokies' victory against Virginia, as the Cavaliers often reign supreme in the battle off the glass.

"We know they're a good offensive rebounding team, I think so are we," Gurdak said. "I knew I was going to be able to crash the glass hard and really attack them and outwork them."

Tech led in each rebounding category from the total (60-54), including on the offensive end (20-17) and defensive (40-37), allowing for a smooth 22-13 margin in the second chance efforts.

No. 3: Everybody is tired.

Ten days ago, on December 20, the Hokies defeated Elon in an overtime 82-81 contest that ended non-conference action. With a battered lineup, the Hokies looked to enter the UVa game healthy. Instead, Young was forced to settle for an eight-man rotation against the 'Hoos.

Guard Tyler Johnson, forward Tobi Lawal and center Antonio Dorn were all inactive for the opening conference contest against Virginia. Johnson missed the contest after suffering an ankle injury vs. Elon, while Lawal has been out for the last eight games with an ankle injury and Dorn has lingering back issues.

This was the Hokies' fourth overtime contest of the season, and it required a large workload from many of the players. Hammond, alongside center Amani Hansberry, freshman Neoklis Avdalas and Gurdak, all logged over forty minutes, with Hansberry nabbing 51 minutes on the hardwood.

"I'll credit that [the overtime victory] to being conditioned," Hammond said. "We [are] telling each other that we just have to fight through fatigue."

"No, there was one [in high school] that went to triple overtime I remember, but this was far that," Gurdak exclaimed on if he had ever logged 46 minutes in a single basketball game.

From the eight Hokies that played against Virginia, to the Cassell Guard, to the coaching staff, the two-day turnaround will help bring back lost energy for Wake Forest on Saturday, January 3; the contest will take place in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at 12 p.m. ET and will be available for viewing on the ACC Network.