Virginia Tech Suffers Deflating 76-72 Loss to No. 13 Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Virginia Tech men's basketball was faced with two options Saturday when it took on No. 13 Virginia. Option A: Beat the Cavaliers and dramatically boost its odds at making its first NCAA Tournament in four years.

Or Option B: Yield another single-digit loss, sending the Hokies' NCAA Tournament hopes further into disarray.

Virginia Tech (20-11, 8-10 ACC) did the latter in its 76-72 loss to Virginia (27-4, 15-3 ACC) Saturday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena, inching it to a four-point deficit with 2:32 to play but not coming any closer. It was yet another outing where the Hokies played well enough in flashes to walk out for the victory; Virginia Tech outscored Virginia 47-35 in the final 20 minutes. Yet, felled by a bevy of miscues and shooting woes, it dropped another winnable contest.

pic.twitter.com/YTDp8qAmwX
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) March 7, 2026

The Hokies had previously knotted contest up at 51-all with 10 minutes and 56 seconds remaining. However, Virginia sparked a six-point run to assume a 57-51 lead at the U-8 media timeout, beginning with a Ugonna Onyenso alley-oop dunk and ending with a Malik Thomas step-back jumper.

The Hokies struggled early in the contest, putting them in a deep hole. Virginia Tech went 2-for-14 from deep in the opening frame. The Hokies scored 25 in the first 20 minutes, while the Cavaliers went for 41. Virginia Tech ended the day with an 8-for-32 clip from beyond the arc. The Hokies were outscored 16-6 in second-chance points and 27-10 in bench points.

After seven and a half minutes, Virginia was up 22-5. The Cavaliers had accrued nine uninterrupted points to open the game. And the Hokies looked timid. Virginia Tech converted on just one of its first 10 shots and trailed by as many as 17. Despite the Hokies' rally, Virginia closed the first half strong, ending the period on a 12-2 run that put it up 16 at intermission.

Trailing 41-25 entering the second half, Virginia Tech came out guns ablaze to begin the frame. The Hokies sliced the lead down to eight by the first timeout with a 13-5 run. By the U-12 media timeout, Virginia Tech had pulled within two, 51-49. And following a pair of Neoklis Avdalas free throws, the Hokies tied it up at 51-all.

Thomas' three-pointer was no good on the ensuing possession. Sam Lewis' shot was then blocked in the lane. And yet, Virginia Tech simply could not grab the lead. Onyenso then went up for the aforementioned deflating alley-oop.

Virginia Tech never got that close again.

Onyenso was particularly effective against the Hokies, securing 16 points, five rebounds and three blocks on a 5-of-7 line from the field.

"No. 33 [Onyenso], come on man," Young said. "Really? Kid makes two huge threes. Come on... What the f—k am I doing wrong, man?"

“What the f**k am I doing wrong?”

Virginia Tech coach Mike Young after the loss to Virginia. pic.twitter.com/2pPhFalSNU
— Preston Willett (@PrestonWillett) March 7, 2026

Though the Hokies worked their way back to a four-point gap at the 4:33 and 2:32 marks, Virginia weathered the storm, holding on to hand Tech its 10th loss in league play.

Saturday's loss may not hurt because of Virginia Tech losing to a team of the Cavaliers' prowess. After all, Virginia was ranked No. 13 in the AP Poll and had won 10 of its last 11 prior to thumping the Hokies. Moreover, the Cavaliers entered the contest with a 15-1 mark at JPJ — and left with a 16-1 home record.

But the missed opportunities from the non-conference slate loom large. Virginia Tech dropped a multitude of winnable games, now sustaining its seventh loss in league play by a single-digit margin.

Virginia Tech's loss was — again — defined by the feeling of a missed opportunity — and the feeling of could've, should've and would've. The Hokies tied the game at 51-all, but couldn't find the go-ahead blow and subsequently allowed Virginia to take the lead back and never relinquish it for the contest's duration.

As per usual, Virginia Tech produced several bright spots. Guard Ben Hammond logged a team-high 21 points, knocking down seven of his 15 looks. He also compiled four rebounds, five assists and five steals. Still, those positives were met with deficiencies that played a part in the Hokies' downfall.

Hammond went 1-for-6 from three-point land. Hammond, Avdalas (0-for-4) and Jaden Schutt (0-for-7) went a combined 1-for-17 from three-point land.

"They guard really well," Young said. "I applaud Coach [Ryan] Odom and his staff. ... I thought composure was lagging. But [we were] great the second half. I think it would be a mistake for me to take anything away from their preparation.

"They were on to it, they jacked us up and made it really hard."

The game essentially served as the microcosm for Virginia Tech's entire season rolled into one: It featured a bevy of turnovers, akin to the Hokies' first game against Wake Forest. It also featured a quick start for Virginia Tech's opponents, as was the case at Miami. Like the Syracuse, Duke and NC State games, the Hokies struggled to shoot the three-ball. And ultimately, like six other losses, the end outcome was the same: Virginia Tech sustained another single-digit loss in league play. Five of those losses were by two possessions or less, and four of those five defeats were Quadrant 1 contests.

Virginia Tech dealt with costly turnovers in the opening minutes, putting it in a hole it couldn't climb out of. The Hokies committed nine turnovers in the opening frame, and despite giving the ball away just once in the final 20 minutes, Virginia Tech could not close the deficit enough.

With the Hokies trailing 67-63, Hammond stepped to the line. The first shot was off kilter. And so was the second. The Cavaliers proceeded to go on a quick 5-0 burst to pull up by nine and eventually seize the contest.

"Playing a lot of minutes in the game, I could get fatigued," Hammond said. "I feel like I bought into that. Go back to the drawing board and practice those for sure."

Following that, Onyenso drained a triple — only his seventh of the season.

Virginia's effort was balanced Saturday; four players scored in double-figures, paced by Thomas (6-for-9) and Onyenso (5-for-7) with 16 apiece.

Virginia guard Sam Lewis recorded 15 points, four assists and seven rebounds, while forward Thijs De Ridder tacked on 13 points and eight rebounds.

Back to the Hokies: Virginia Tech currently is vacillating on the edge of the field. Several outlets range from having the Hokeis in the field to placing them as one of the first four teams out. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi is one of the more pessimistic voices on the Hokies' hopes; Lunardi positioned Virginia Tech as the third team out of the field in his latest seed list; the Hokies' loss to Virginia moved the team to 2-10 in Quadrant 1 games.

Three days now remain until the ACC Tournament kicks off on March 10 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Virginia Tech will be the No. 12 seed and will play either Wake Forest or Syracuse at 7 p.m. ET in the opening round.