Virginia Tech Claims 82-63 Get-Back Victory Over Wake Forest

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech men's basketball cruised to a get-back victory over Wake Forest, leading for over 30 minutes in a relatively comfortable 82-63 victory.

Senior Day Dub‼️

🤝 @cmgleasing pic.twitter.com/9KIA992pZr
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 21, 2026

"Great win for the Hokies," said Virginia Tech (18-10, 7-8 ACC) head coach Mike Young. "Look forward to what lies ahead."

Last time out against the Demon Deacons (14-13, 5-9 ACC) on Jan. 3, Virginia Tech committed 19 turnovers. Against Wake Forest, this time in Cassell Coliseum, the Hokies were crafty with their ball control, distributing the ball for 19 assists while only allowing five giveaways.

Virginia Tech also turned the ball over just once in the first half. Twelve of the team's 19 assists came from the Hokies' primary ballhandlers: guards Ben Hammond and Neoklis Avdalas.

Six scorers logged in double figures: Avdalas (17), forward Tobi Lawal (17), forward Amani Hansberry (13), guard Ben Hammond (12), guard Jailen Bedford (10) and center Christian Gurdak (10).

The effort was a complete day for the Hokies, who shot a combined 31-for-61 (50.8%). Virginia Tech also limited Wake Forest to 37.7% from the field (23-for-61) and 20% (6-for-30) from beyond the arc.

Three Wake Forest players scored 10 or more points, paced by the Demon Deacons' leading scorer, Juke Harris. Harris logged 16 points, albeit on a 7-for-17 clip from the field and a 2-for-10 mark from beyond the arc.

Avdalas logged his 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting — plus a 4-for-9 clip from beyond the arc. The Greek wing also added a team-high seven assists on a day where he appeared strong, much like his early-season form. Avdalas also produced his second game with seven or more assists, having dished the ball out eight times vs. Miami.

"I knew what I had to do," Avdalas said. "... I knew that I had to be more aggressive out of pick-and-roll and not be passive in my passes."

Avdalas' 6-for-14 day was the first time he sank five or more field goals since Feb. 7 vs. NC State, and his first time knocking down six or more since Jan. 7 vs. Stanford. Consequently, Avdalas' 17-point outing was his highest since the 21 he posted against the Cardinal a month and a half ago.

"He was getting downhill," Young said. "He had seven assists and zero turnovers. He attacked the rim early in the first half. I think he had another one in the second half. His shot selection was very good.

"He was a big-league player today, and it's good to see. Hope that that is a sign of things to come as we move along down the stretch."

"That's what I see from Neo every practice," Lawal said. "He just has to stay aggressive; when he's aggressive, we're much better as a team."

That effort came alongside a 17-point, nine-rebound performance from Lawal. The English big, contesting his penultimate game in Cassell Coliseum in the team's Senior Day, was a force, coming up one board shy of a double-double, which would've marked his seventh of the season.

"He's been a great representative of our program," Young said. "He's been a great representative of Virginia Tech. He's been a model citizen in our college community. He's been a heck of a basketball player, and I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching him."

Beyond distribution, ball protection and shotmaking, Virginia Tech thrived in taking away Wake Forest's three-ball. After the Demon Deacons sank four straight three-pointers, they did not hit another for the duration of the first half. Wake Forest's last three-pointer came at the 15:04 mark of the first half and gave it a 14-10 lead. The next? A trey with 17:03 in the second half, reducing the Demon Deacons' deficit to 50-40.

In that time, Virginia Tech outscored Wake Forest 40-26, taking the lead behind three-pointers from Hansberry (1x) and Avdalas (2x). Though the Hokies only led by one at the U-12 media timeout of the first half, they expanded their lead to eight by the U-8 timeout behind a trio of treys from Lawal, Hammond and Bedford, eventually taking a 43-33 lead into intermission.

Feb 21, 2026; Blacksburg, Va.; Virginia Tech guard Neoklis Avdalas (17) celebrates with fans after the game. | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Wake Forest briefly brought the game back into single digits when forward Tre'Von Spillers notched a lay-in to bring the Demon Deacons within eight. However, after the U-16 media timeout, Virginia Tech — holding a 50-42 lead — padded its lead. From the 15:51 mark to the 11:03 mark, the Hokies went on an 11-3 run to snag a 16-point lead. From there, it was smooth sailing for the Hokies, who went 15-for-27 (55.6%) from the field in the final 20 minutes.

"The ball is meant to be shared," Young said. "When people are turning down good shots and giving it to a teammate who has a great shot. He's more in rhythm than I am; that's a good shot. That's in rhythm and a great shot down here. And we had a number of those. 19 assists and five turnovers.

"That says it all, in how our team played today."

Though Saturday's victory is unlikely to significantly boost the Hokies' NCAA Tournament aspirations, it does add a feather to Virginia Tech's cap. Jan. 3's three-point loss to the Demon Deacons is somewhat alleviated by today's 19-point victory, though the sting of Feb. 14's 23-point blowout at the hands of Florida State remains. Virginia Tech lost four of its last five, though today is a step back.

"It's always the same mindset, man," Lawal said. "Don't feel sorry for ourselves. We've got a job to do. They're in our way, and we have to move them out of our way."

Virginia Tech still has three games remaining in its regular season, though, with road tests at No. 16 North Carolina and No. 14 Virginia awaiting in the next three weeks. But just as important as the win was the motivation: Virginia Tech looked at ease, utilizing balanced scoring, crisp ball movement and pinpoint ball control to roll over an opponent that took it down by three the last time the two teams met.

The ACC Tournament is approaching, too, coming in 24 days. The Hokies are currently in 10th place, and would play 15th-seeded Notre Dame in the opening round of the ACC Tournament if the season ended today.

The Hokies are back in action when they take on No. 16 North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 8:30 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN2).

The Tar Heels are currently without star forward Caleb Wilson, who suffered a fractured hand against Miami on Feb. 10. Wilson is currently averaging 19.8 points per game (No. 40 in D-I); his status is unknown for Saturday's tilt.

The same goes for the Hokies' Tyler Johnson, who has not played since Dec. 21, when he went down with an apparent ankle injury in overtime vs. Elon. Young is hopeful that Johnson will be able to play, though he remains noncommittal.

Ahead of Virginia Tech's bout with the Tar Heels, Young spotlighted rebounding as a main point of emphasis for the unit.

"We've got to do a better job of rebounding," Young said. "We did outrebound Wake Forest by five, but such an important part of it next Saturday when we travel to Chapel Hill. We've got to rebound better. We got touched up a little bit in the first half, but they're aware. Our guards have got to do a better job."

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