Stock Report For Virginia Tech After Their Loss to Florida State: Is Anyone Trending Up?

The Hokies lost by 23 yesterday to Florida State.

Feb 14, 2026; Blacksburg, Va.; Virginia Tech guard Ben Hammond (3) shoots a shot against Florida State. | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

One thing was very abundant after the horn sounded in Cassell Coliseum Saturday afternoon: Exiting a 92-69 loss to Florida State — a Quadrant 3 opponent — Virginia Tech men's basketball put itself one further step behind the 8-ball in regard to its NCAA Tournament aspirations.

Final: FSU 92 | VT 69

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

The Hokies (17-9, 6-7) were just coming off a 76-66 upset victory over No. 20 Clemson, the first ranked road win under the seven-year tenure of head coach Mike Young. Yet, now, the Hokies have slid back to the sixth team out of the NCAA Tournament, the second team designated as "Next Four Out" in ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi's provisional field for March Madness.

The Hokies were competitive, albeit only for a half. In the second half, Florida State came alive, thrashing Virginia Tech by a remarkable 53-27 margin. Eighteen of those points came from reserve guard Martin Somerville, who went a perfect 7-for-7 from the field.

In that same half, Florida State restrained Amani Hansberry to a 0-for-4 second-half clip from the field, also forcing the third-year forward into four turnovers.

Hansberry has struggled from long range as of late; after a 4-for-5 day from deep against then-No. 4 Duke on January 1, he's gone 1-for-9 since, with his lone three-point make being a wide-open buzzer-beater to close out the half against Clemson this past Wednesday.

Elsewhere, wing Neoklis Avdalas produced a relatively quiet outing. The freshman logged just two shots in the opening frame, eventually ending the contest with 10 points on a 3-for-5 line from the field.

Since Jan. 10, Avdalas has scored above 11 points just once, with a 14-point performance vs. NC State. In that same timeframe, Avdalas has hit at a 50% clip or higher from the field just twice (50% — 5-for-10 — vs. Cal on Jan. 10, 83% — 5-for-6 — vs. NC State on Feb. 7).

While the season is by no means over, it does add a higher level of difficulty to the Hokies' NCAA Tournament hopes. Virginia Tech has five games remaining on its 2025-26 regular season docket, with three registering as Quadrant 1 opportunities — and all three taking place on the road.

Following the defeat, Virginia Tech dropped 11 spots in BartTorvik (No. 63 now, down from No. 52) and 10 spots in KenPom (No. 64 now, down from No. 54). The Hokies

Virginia Tech's next clash also comes against a Florida-based team; the Hokies travel to Coral Gables to play Miami on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. ET. The contest will be carried on the ACC Network as Virginia Tech looks to restore its .500 record in league play.