Virginia Tech Stock Report After Wake Forest Win
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Virginia Tech men's basketball has reached its second bye of the 2025-26 regular season. And it's come at an opportune time — the Hokies have a week off to prepare for their final three games, assessing and regrouping ahead of their most pivotal stretch of the season.
Through 28 games, Virginia Tech still sits on the precipice of an NCAA Tournament bid, with its hopes now sitting on game-to-game outcomes. The Hokies (18-10, 7-8 ACC) have three games remaining in the regular season, coming against No. 16 North Carolina (Feb. 28), Boston College (March 3) and No. 14 Virginia (March 7).
To this point, Virginia Tech has sustained four one-possession losses in league play. Three came via game-winning three-pointers, while the other — Miami last Tuesday — came via a game-winning free throw. Simply put, those losses have hindered the Hokies, though it has not sunk them — yet.
Virginia Tech's stock is trending upward, but the question is whether it'll go high enough with the amount of time remaining in the season. There are only three games left. Two of them are on the road, while the other comes against Boston College in a game that will presumably do little for the Hokies' resume. That Eagles contest is more one that Virginia Tech can't lose and that it needs to protect its resume.
Thus, finishing out against North Carolina is critical. The Hokies currently hold three Quadrant 1 victories, and if they can grab a fourth, they could vault back into the NCAA Tournament field. How much weight the ACC Tournament will carry is yet to be seen, meaning that Virginia Tech's aim should be to pad its resume ahead of the 15-team tournament rather than relying on the tournament itself.
Wing Neoklis Avdalas rounding into form is vital, too. The 6-foot-9 freshman logged 17 points against Wake Forest, cashing in on four of his nine three-point looks from the field. Five other Hokies scored in double figures Saturday, and a performance like that will be crucial against North Carolina.
The Tar Heels are a balanced team, featuring four scorers with 9.9 points per game or higher. That charge is led by freshman forward Caleb Wilson's 19.8 points/game, though his status is currently unknown. Wilson is currently rehabilitating a fractured left wrist sustained vs. Miami; should he miss Saturday's contest vs. Virginia Tech, North Carolina would be without the man who leads the team in points (19.8), rebounds (9.4), steals (1.5) and blocks (1.4).
Still, North Carolina has Estonian center Henri Veesaar back in the fold. Veesaar missed two games; across 25 contests, he averages 16.5 points and 8.8 rebounds. Then, there's senior guard Seth Trimble, who's occasionally vacillatory. Trimble has scored 13 or more points in three of his last five games, though in the other two, he logged only four points.
Virginia Tech's next contest comes against the 16th-ranked Tar Heels on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN2).
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Thomas is a sophomore at Virginia Tech majoring in multimedia journalism with a minor in creative writing. He currently works with Collegiate Times, Virginia Tech's student-run newspaper, as a staff writer for its sports section. In addition, he also writes for 3304 Sports as a staff writer and on-air talent, as well as Aspiring Journalists at Virginia Tech as a curator. You can find him on X: @thomashughes_05.
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