Three Takeaways from Virginia Tech Men's Basketball's 71-65 Victory Over Georgia Tech

The Hokies captured a six-point win inside Cassell Coliseum.

Jan 27, 2026; Blacksburg, Va.; Virginia Tech guard Neoklis Avdalas (17) celebrates a basket. | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech men's basketball took care of business against Georgia Tech Tuesday evening, allowing the Yellow Jackets to close it to two with under a minute but hanging on to win 71-65 inside Cassell Coliseum. Here's three takeaways from the Tuesday tilt:

Had to have it

🤝 @cmgleasing pic.twitter.com/B6pCG2LaBq

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 28, 2026

No. 1: Ben Hammond's stepped up.

That much was evident after Dec. 31 vs. Virginia, punctuated by a 30-point, five-rebound, five-assist day from the sophomore guard. However, the body of work has become more apparent as the Hokies have gotten deeper into league play. Through nine ACC contests, Hammond is averaging a team-high 17 points per game, in addition to 3.1 assists and two steals per contest. Against Georgia Tech, he produced 20 points, three assists and three rebounds, anchoring the Hokies' backcourt and propelling Virginia Tech to a needed victory.

With the Hokies trailing 9-0 early in the contest after a trio of triples from Georgia Tech's Kam Craft, Hammond quickly poured in five points, knocking down a right-elbow jumper and nailing a shot from beyond the arc.

With the first half of league play now complete, Hammond has blossomed into a three-level scorer that can impact the game in the paint, at the stripe and from beyond the arc.

"He wasn't that kind of player [last year]," said Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young after the game. "He was a point guard and he was on a great high school team... He was a table setter. But he emerges here as he's really a combo guard now. And he's more a two than he is one, but he handles it. He doesn't turn it over.

"But my gosh, he just scores and he scores in bunches and he's shooting the fire out of it... We had some growing pains together a year ago, but I knew every rep he got would benefit him today. I never thought he'd score the way he's scoring it but I'm not chastising him either."

No. 2: In league play, wing Neoklis Avdalas has been limited.

Save for a 21-point outing vs. Stanford, league play has been rough for the freshman wing. Avdalas has averaged 10.7 points, 4.6 assists and 2.7 turnovers. Against Louisville, he clocked in just two points on 1-of-8 shooting and left the court with 9:53 to play, not returning to the game.

Tonight, against Georgia Tech, the effort was marginally improved but still resulted in a quiet night. Avdalas missed his first four shots of the game and ended his contest against the Yellow Jackets with a nine-point, two-assist outing. It's the sixth time in nine league games that Avdalas has been held to 11 points or less, and the fourth time in league play that his point output has been in the single digits. In conference play, Avdalas' 10.67 points per game ranks fifth on the team, behind Hammond (17), guard Jailen Bedford (14.3), forward Amani Hansberry (12.9) and forward Tobi Lawal (10.71).

"Avdalas is an elite passer, an elite playmaker and he's a great player," Young remarked. "We're going to figure it out together. We've got to alter some things and we will."

No. 3: The victory against Georgia Tech was a must-win contest, though it came via another close victory at the end.

Entering a contest such as this, Virginia Tech could not afford to lose to a team of Georgia Tech's caliber. The Yellow Jackets ranked at No. 134 on KenPom entering the contest, the second-lowest on the Hokies' ACC slate behind just Boston College (No. 147). Moreover, Georgia Tech ranked No. 145 on the NET rankings entering today's contest, firmly in Quadrant 3. Before the game, Pomeroy's metrics predicted a 4-14 conference record for Georgia Tech.

Despite nearly blowing another double-digit lead and allowing Georgia Tech to close the deficit to as little as two, the Hokies held on to capture a needed victory.

"I got the most poised, smart basketball team that I've had in a long, long time," Young said. "[But] we are anything but poised and smart down the stretch. We'll get better."

And following one-possession losses to Wake Forest (81-78), Stanford (69-68) and SMU (77-76), dropping a very winnable Quad 3 game to Georgia Tech would have marked a serious blemish to the Hokies' tournament hopes. Virginia Tech was the second-to-last team in the 68-team field in ESPN's Bracketology entering the event.

As it stands, the Hokies possess a relatively strong resume, with six Quad 2 victories and a Quad 1 victory over Virginia on Dec. 31. The Hokies will receive another boost to their resume if Syracuse can climb its way back into the top-75 of the NET Rankings; the Orange sit at No. 79.

Virginia Tech's next challenge is at home; the Hokies host No. 4 Duke, led by likely 2026 NBA Draft Lottery pick Cameron Boozer, on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 12 p.m. ET. Coverage for the contest will be carried on ESPN.