Three Takeaways From Virginia Tech Men's Basketball's 86-68 Loss To VCU

Josh Poslusny breaks down three takeaways from Virginia Tech's 86-68 loss to VCU.

Virginia Tech basketball team in a huddle pregame vs Saint Mary's. | Virginia Tech Athletics

Virginia Tech suffered its second loss of the season today as they faced off against VCU and were handled, losing 86-68. I've got a few takeaways from the tough loss, so let's dive right in.

Final. pic.twitter.com/cWGir4Seuy

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) November 28, 2025

No. 1: This isn't as bad as it seems:

Yes, Virginia Tech lost to in-state foe VCU, which many fans will look at and be upset at the result. However, the Rams were close to winning a tournament game last year and wo the Atlantic 10 championship last year. They have even been to the Final Four before.

VCU is a strong program that wasn't out of place at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Virginia Tech was missing Tobi Lawal and has Neoklis Avdalas playing through an injury that he sustained in the first round of the tournament against Colorado State.

Jailen Bedford also only played 17 minutes and took three shots on the day. Izaiah Pasha, who hadn't played at all in the tournament was forced to play 13 minutes today.

The Hokies don't have another game until Tuesday. They will hopefully be able to rest and heal up on their way home as they prepare to face off against South Carolina in the ACC/SEC challenge.

No. 2: Rebounding may be a problem.

This team was supposed to be a dominant rebounding team. They brought back Lawal and Johnson and brought in Hansberry from the portal, but the pieces haven't completely meshed together yet.

By the eye test, it looks like Hansberry is still dealing with a minor injury and it a little hesitant to get super physical on the glass. Tyler Johnson is an elite perimeter defender, so he hasn't been in as many situations to make plays on the glass. And, well, Tobi Lawal hasn't played for two and a half games.

Even with that said, this team still has seemed a little disapointing when it comes to their effort on the glass. Size wise, they're a little small, but not much smaller than a lot of other ACC teams. I think that once they're healthy and playing teams that are more around their size, the rebounding will be able to fix itself up.

No. 3: Jaden Schutt is critical towards this team's success:

Schutt singlehandedly kept Virginia Tech in this game throughout most of the first half. Unfortunately, they were unable to keep him in the game, as he had to deal with foul trouble early on in the second half, where he took his fourth foul.

Schutt was absolutely lights out from three point range, notching a total 15 points. He is a consistently stellar shooter that Virginia Tech needs, especially given that their team isn't full of elite shooters.