Three Takeaways From Virginia Tech's 95-89 ACC Tournament Loss to Wake Forest
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Virginia Tech men's basketball languished through a 95-89 loss to Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC Tournament, which presumably will hold the Hokies out of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year. Here's three takeaways from the overtime loss:
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) March 11, 2026
No. 1: Virginia Tech's second-half and overtime defense was porous.
On several occasions in the second half and overtime, Virginia Tech 's defense was privy to conceding Wake Forest runs. With right under 10 minutes to go, Tobi Lawal knotted the game at 56. Over the next two minutes and 21 seconds, Wake Forest went on a 6-0 run. Oh, and seven Wake Forest players scored in double-figures.
The Hokies had assumed a 52-47 lead off a Ben Hammond three-pointer in the second half. Then, they allowed a 7-0 run from the Demon Deacons and trailed by two at the U-12 media timeout of the second frame.
In overtime, it was no different. Wake Forest erupted on a quick 5-0 run in the opening minute and though the Hokies challenged, thinning the lead to one twice, it could never find the pull-even or go-ahead punch needed to advance to the second round.
"Not the outcome we were looking for or expected," said Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young. "That's a tremendous loss, needless to say. Not the story of the game. The story of the game is Wake Forest played a little bit better than we did. Disappointing, but I thought they did some good things. A little bit better than the Hokies, unfortunately."
No. 2: As with many losses, there were positives from the Hokies.
As with many matchups Virginia Tech has engaged in this season, positives can be drawn. Ben Hammond went 7-for-17 from the field and logged a game-high 23 points.
Even though Virginia Tech committed 10 turnovers in the first half, they cut that total down to one in the second half and two in overtime.
The Hokies held a 45-28 rebounding advantage; per Tech Sideline's David Cunningham, the last time that Virginia Tech lost a game with a +17 or better rebounding margin was a Dec. 16 loss to Old Dominion (+20).
Virginia Tech went 23-for-27 from the free throw line. It out-logged Wake Forest 20-11 in second-chance points.
But ultimately, the Demon Deacons went 5-for-7 in the extra period, while the Hokies went 3-for-5.
No. 3: Try as it may, Virginia Tech — once again — was felled by an inability to close out.
With 17.7 seconds left, Virginia Tech was faced with an interesting quandary. For one of the first times, the Hokies were the squad with the final possession, as opposed to some of its games, and possessed the opportunity for the proverbial dagger.
"We want the last shot and they had stoned a couple of things that we typically go to there with how they were maneuvering or how they were guarding us," Young said. "We thought we could get post players, [Tre'Von] Spillers or [Omaha] Biliew, on to Ben. We had had a lot of success getting him off that. Jailen makes a heck of a play at it, and just doesn't get it down. You get two shots on the rim in that situation, sign me up.
"And without Hansberry, that allows us to do some other things. I've had a lot like him. He's the best receiver we've got. He's the best front court passer we've got. He connects us offensively, and that made it hard."
But Virginia Tech didn't plunge it. Guard Ben Hammond lifted a floater that hit the left side of the rim, and Jailen Bedford's subsequent tip-in attempt didn't fall, either. And a slow start to overtime cost the Hokies. Virginia Tech fell into an early 5-0 overtime hole that it ultimately couldn't climb out of. Virginia Tech did not tie or lead whatsoever in the overtime period. They whittled the gap to one off a free throw from Lawal with 2:07 left, then again from a Lawal dunk.
Yet, it could not come any closer. And for the eighth time this season, Virginia Tech lost by single digits to an ACC foe. For the sixth time, it lost to an ACC team by a two-possession or fewer margin. Once again, the Hokies were in a close-but-no-cigar position. And again, they came up painstakingly short of victory.
Virginia Tech will find out its postseason fate on Sunday, March 15, where the men's NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on CBS. The 32-team field for the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) will also be announced on the same day.
Hughes serves as Virginia Tech On SI's lead editor, a position he has held since July 2025. He is a sophomore at Virginia Tech, majoring in multimedia journalism with a minor in creative writing. Hughes is also the assistant editor-in-chief for 3304 Sports, as well as an on-air talent for 3304's SportsCenter-style studio show. He is also a staff writer for Steering Wheel Nation, having written pieces on several motorsport series, including Formula 1 and the NTT IndyCar Series.
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