Three Takeaways from Virginia Tech Men's Basketball's 89-76 Victory over Notre Dame

Kaden Reinhard shares three big takeaways from Virginia Tech basketball's ACC win.

Hokies guard Ben Hammond flexes as the crowd cheers behind him. Virginia Tech vs. Cal 1/10/26. | Virginia Tech Athletics.

On Saturday, Virginia Tech basketball hosted and defeated Notre Dame 89-76 in a dominant affair. Here are three big takeaways from the contest:

handled business ✅@BburgFirstMain pic.twitter.com/3Q36dCTp9u

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 17, 2026

No. 1: Tech needed a comfortable victory.

In the Hokies' last six contests entering the matchup with Notre Dame, the final score has been within a single possession all but once. In all six, the margin was a possession or tied at the end of regulation.

That singular time? Tech's 10-point triple overtime thriller over the then No. 21-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, which was anything but comfortable.

"It beats the alternative," Hokies head coach Mike Young exclaimed when asked about finally running away with a contest. "All those experiences, 4-0 in overtime, those others that didn't work out for us, we learn from and fight and not let it happen again."

After freshman center Christian Gurdak opened the scoring in Blacksburg, the Fighting Irish responded with a 7-3 run to secure their only lead of the contest.

Second-year guard Ben Hammond joined Jailen Bedford in nailing a shot from behind the arc to give the Hokies back the 8-7 victory that they wouldn't relinquish following Hammond's connection at the 16:30 mark in the first half.

By halftime, Tech had sprung out to an 11-point advantage, leading 45-34, on the back of a 15-for-27 mark from the field and an unblemished 11-for-11 clip from the stripe.

The Hokies' largest lead — 20 — came at the 12-minute mark in the second half. Young only expended seven players today in the contest, and freshman Neoklis Avdalas emphasized slowing down the pace in the waning moments of the contest, waving his hands down on one occasion to signal to his teammates to slow the pace down as the game neared its conclusion.

No. 2: The Hokies' second-chance efforts were rewarded.

Of Tech's 26 missed shots today, it nabbed 34.6% of its misses for a second-chance effort. The Hokies logged 17 second-chance points off nine offensive rebounds.

"It's a blessing to have [Tobi] Lawal and [Amani] Hansberry," Young said about the second-chance efforts. "Gurdak is a big man with a good nose for the ball, and he's got hands like meat hooks. It's personnel, not a whole lot about technique."

Tech's 17 second-chance points outmatched the Fighting Irish's 15 despite Notre Dame holding a 13-9 advantage in regard to offensive boards.

The Hokies held the size advantage in the contest over Notre Dame; consequently, the duo of Lawal and Hansberry took over the interior.

"They're just hard to deal with," Fighting Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry said postgame. "Especially when we're injured and playing smaller, it's hard to deal with Hansberry on the glass."

Hansberry, who has logged eight double-doubles second in ACC this season, compiled six rebounds while Lawal nearly doubled that mark with 11.

"We did a good job trying to be relentless on the glass," Lawal exclaimed. "He [Coach Young] tells us that we have to kill the other team in the glass."

No. 3: Tech used the charity stripe handsomely to its advantage

The Hokies' 27 field goals against Notre Dame actually matched the Fighting Irish's 27-basket total.

Tech, however, went a staggering 28-32 from the stripe, propelling its scoring ahead throughout the entire contest.

"[Tobi] Lawal shot 18 [free throws]," Shrewsberry said. "Hansberry shoots nine. That's more than our whole team."

Lawal drew 10 fouls en route to his 14-for-18 effort from the foul line.

Lawal and Hansberry were the only two Hokies to eclipse the 20-point mark, as Hansberry used the stripe to his aid as well, posting a perfect nine-for-nine effort on his attempts.

Tech nailed its first 24 opportunities from the line before Lawal would be the first Hokie to crack, missing the 25th foul shot of the afternoon.

"We always work on free throws in practice... It's very important for us," Lawal exclaimed.

Next up: Virginia Tech draws Syracuse on the road on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 9 p.m. ET on the road. Should the Hokies win, it will provisionally be a Quad 1 win.