Three Takeaways From Virginia Tech Men's Basketball's 78-75 Win Over Cal

Staff writer Josh Poslusny goes over three takeaways from Virginia Tech's win over Cal.

Jan 7, 2026; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies guard Ben Hammond (3) shoots a shot as Stanford Cardinal guard Benny Gealer (5) defends during the first half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech got back to .500 in conference play with a 78-75 win over Cal in a back-and-fourth game. There were four lead changes and seven ties, with the majority of those ties coming in the final 10 minutes of the game.

A lot had to happen for Virginia Tech to win this game. Here are three takeaways from the Virginia Tech win.

No. 1: Virginia Tech is gritty.

Virginia Tech had trouble in multiple aspects of the game, shooting 5-for-23 from beyond the arc as well as a stretch where the Hokies were outrebounded by Cal 18-3. That came after Virginia Tech possessed a 5-1 edge on the glass to kick off the contests.

Tobi Lawal had one message about the team's adversity: "Grit." At points, it looked like Cal was going to run away with the game and not look back, especially during a 14-0 run near the end of the first half.

Virginia Tech was limited in multiple facets, managing to stay in the game and earn a gritty comeback victory that they desperately needed after a two-game skid.

No. 2: Things need to be slowed down.

Virginia Tech has been challenged by opposing defenses all year long, but those have taken a step up in the last three games. Over that stretch, the team has had 12.7 turnovers, a jurrassic step up from the team's 9.6 over the first 14 games.

Slowing things down makes things easier. There is a lot of ball movement, which is typical in a Mike Young offense, but some of the team's guards have been making a lot of risky passes that have led to a lot of live-ball turnovers.

Slowing things down should remedy the issue.

No. 3: Guards need to rebound better.

Virginia Tech went through a stretch in this game where they were outrebounded 18-3, which led to a lot of second-chance points and was ultimately what allowed this game to begin getting out of hand late in the first half.

Mike Young's answer when that was brought up was all about positioning. "We have a good rebounding team," Young said after the game. "Our guards have to rebound better... when there's dribble penetration and a post player has to step over, that takes him out of where he's supposed to be on the glass... you've got to have a guard cracking down on his matchup."

Young gives a consice answer about what exactly changed in the first and second half, where the team outrebounded Cal 20-12 to a 19-8 deficit in the first half. That change in rebounding ultimately was the difference maker for Virginia Tech.