Virginia Tech Men's Basketball Slides By Syracuse, 76-74, to Improve to 15-5

The Hokies nearly ceded a nine-point lead with 62 seconds left, but hung on just long enough to grab the victory.

Jan 21, 2026; Syracuse, N.Y.; Virginia Tech guard Ben Hammond (3) shoots against Syracuse forward William Kyle III (42). | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech men's basketball's 76-74 victory over Syracuse Wednesday evening in Syracuse, New York, reaffirmed one thing above all else: this year's Virginia Tech team is nothing like last year's.

𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙙 𝙒𝙤𝙣 ✅ pic.twitter.com/BtocgRMbxy

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 22, 2026

That applies not just in the roster makeup — just four players returned from the 2024-25 iteration, which finished 13-19 and was bounced in the first round of the ACC Tournament — but also in its style of play. This year's Hokies (15-5, 4-3 ACC) unit has played at a faster pace than is typically expected under head coach Mike Young. And so far, it's working as the Hokies find themselves at 15-5 almost two-thirds into the season.

For one: Virginia Tech ventured to Syracuse (12-7, 3-3 ACC) and captured its first victory in the JMA Wireless Dome since Jan. 7, 2020. It nearly didn't happen, though; Virginia Tech held a nine-point lead with 1:02 to play, but allowed Syracuse to close the deficit to as little as two after coughing the ball up on a pair of inbound attempts.

However, the Hokies came up when it mattered most, with forward Tobi Lawal hauling in the game-sealing offensive board with five seconds left to secure the victory.

But back to what's different: The most defining difference between this year’s team and the 2024–25 squad lies in the development of guard Ben Hammond, who has made a substantial leap from his freshman campaign.

The sophomore point guard poured in 24 points against Syracuse on 5-for-10 shooting and a 12-for-13 mark from the stripe. He also added four rebounds and four assists — plus six steals. It was his third-ever 20-point game at the collegiate level, joining last year's outing against Syracuse and this season's 30-point outburst vs. then-No. 21 Virginia.

Virginia Tech showcased its frenetic, push-the-pace style of ball in a different realm, however. Rather than attacking from all three areas of the court, the Hokies began the contest focused on pounding the interior. Tech did so to a solid level of success, making 47.6% of its looks inside the arc in the first half.

The Hokies found themselves down seven at the half, however. And it was because of one area that it typically excelled at: defending the opposition from deep. Virginia Tech entered the contest having held its opponents to a 28.8% clip from beyond the arc, the 10th-highest mark in Division I basketball. Syracuse started 5-for-7 from deep — part of a 16-3 stretch spanning just over five minutes to the 11:20 mark of the first half. However, the Hokies held the Orange to 5-for-16 for the remainder of the game.

Syracuse's stars, Donnie Freeman and JJ Starling, were restrained by the Hokies, who held them to a combined 8-for-25 mark and 22 points. Freeman and Starling entered the contest averaging 31.6 points per game for the Orange; at one point in the contest, the two combined to shoot 4-for-21.

Neither team made many steps to demarcate themselves in the first half; however, Syracuse took advantage of Virginia Tech's lapses in defensive rotations to bury wide-open triples. Prior to Wednesday, three-pointers made up just 27.3% (No. 278 in D-I) of the Orange's diet. Against the Hokies, that piece of the pie increased all the way to 38%.

Yet, Virginia Tech was undeterred for the majority of the second half. Why exactly? Free thows. Lots of them. Virginia Tech took 33 free throws, 12 more than its total number of shots from the field (21). Though the Hokies made just one of their eight looks from deep, they countered with a 25-for-33 (75.8%) mark from the stripe.

That stretch carried throughout the entire game. Though Syracuse entered the contest with just a 62.8% rate from the free-throw line — second-worst in D-1 — its stellar night from deep rendered its charity-stripe questions moot. On that note, the Orange were solid when they did claim their limited opportunities at the line, making 12 of their 14 looks (85.7%) from the stripe.

The Hokies rounded off Hammond's performance with a frontcourt defined by imposing presence. Center Christian Gurdak, now almost two-thirds into his first season at the collegiate level, was once again effective, producing eight points against the Orange. Moreover, the center also logged eight rebounds, anchoring the Hokies inside.

Gurdak was supported in the frontcourt by fellow big Amani Hansberry, who ended the outing with 10 points. Both Gurdak and Hansberry dealt with foul trouble, though, with each accruing four fouls before the halfway mark of the second half. That's where Lawal entered the picture, though. His 16 points and 11 rebounds, plus his offensnive rebound with five seconds left, kept the Hokies afloat in a stretch where they nearly sank.

Through 20 games, Virginia Tech has found its identity: Push the pace and be overwhelming. Last year, it took until February, against Virginia, on a missed potential game-winning shot. This year, Tech's victory against the same team may have been the catalyst that fuels this team's fire. Only, this time, it may have came a month earlier.

Virginia Tech's next contest comes on the road vs. No. 23 Louisville on Saturday, Jan. 24, as the Hokies look to improve their record in league play to 5-3. The contest will start at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the CW Network.