Three Takeaways From Virginia Tech's 92-69 Loss to Florida State

Virginia Tech lost by 23 and was outscored 53-27 in the second half.

Jan 21, 2026; Syracuse, N.Y.; Virginia Tech guard Ben Hammond (3) shoots during the first half against Syracuse. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech men's basketball was blown out by Florida State, 92-69, Saturday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum. The loss came off the heels of a 76-66 road victory over No. 20 Clemson, where the Hokies claimed their first ranked road win over head coach Mike Young.

Final: FSU 92 | VT 69

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 14, 2026

Now saddled with a Quadrant 3 loss, Virginia Tech's NCAA Tournament aspirations have taken a major dent, with five contests remaining in its 2025-26 regular season.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday's showdown:

No. 1: This loss is an unwelcome one for Tech's March Madness hopes — and save for a ACC Tournament run, could've just dashed those hopes.

Virginia Tech entered Saturday's clash with Florida State searching to sustain its standing in both the ACC standings and in regard to its bubble standing. The Hokies sat as the second team out on ESPN's Bracketology entering the contest and likely will take a significant hit as a result of the loss.

"They outplayed us," said Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young. "They outcoached us."

Florida State entered the contest situated at No. 95 in the NET rankings, making this contest a Quadrant 3 loss for the Hokies as things stand. Moreover, the loss being by 23 adds a resume-denting, as well as momentum-denting, hit to Virginia Tech's hopes.

While the defeat isn't a season-ending one, it does place Virginia Tech further behind the 8-ball and renders the Miami contest on Tuesday a must-win.

Miami currently clocks in at No. 37 on the NET rankings as of this morning, with a 4-1 record against Quadrant 2 teams, likely where Virginia Tech will be situated by Tuesday's meeting.

"We've had some great moments," Young said. "This is a tough one. We come back tomorrow. ... We dust ourselves off and start with our Miami preparation. it's a quick turnaround — 72 hours, and we play down there."

No. 2: Despite the loss, guard Ben Hammond shined.

Hammond once again produced a stellar outing on the offensive front, going 6-for-7 from the field and tallying a team-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

"He's doing it night in and night out," Young said. "... Was really dynamic and playing good ball."

Hammond's 16-point performance marked the 11th time that he's scored in double figures in ACC play. Hammond is currently averaging 12.7 points per game, second-most on the team behind Hansberry. In league play, the sophomore guard is averaging a team-high 15.3 points on a 46.9% clip from the field, also contributing 2.8 assists per league game.

No. 3: Outside of Hammond and forward Tobi Lawal, the rest of the team struggled on both ends.

Save for Hammond's 16 points and forward Tobi Lawal's 6-for-8 day for the same total, the remainder of Virginia Tech's team produced a quiet output on Saturday.

Guard Jaden Schutt was blanked from the field, missing all three of his looks (all from deep). Wing Neoklis Avdalas went 3-for-8 for 10 points; however, he made just one of his final 10 shots. And forward Amani Hansberry, while going 6-for-6 from the line, logged 10 points on 2-for-10 shooting from the field, also committing four turnovers.

Moreover, Virginia Tech was outscored 29-4 off the bench, with 23 points coming from Florida State guard Martin Somerville. The second-year player dropped 18 points in the second half, to go with three assists. Somerville went a perfect 7-for-7 from the field. In the final 20 minutes, Virginia Tech was outscored 53-27; the Seminoles made 18 of their 23 (78.3%) looks from the field in the second frame.

Though Virginia Tech closed the gap to six points off a Jailen Bedford lay-in at the 9:50 mark, Florida State outscored the Hokies 21-3 over the next 5:41 to put the game completely out of reach.

Virginia Tech is back in action Tuesday, when it takes on Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, on Tuesday, Feb. 17. The contest will tip off at 8 p.m. ET, and will be available for viewing on the ACC Network.