In the second half, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team was down 13 points to Syracuse at Cassell Coliseum and looking at yet another home loss in 2024-25. As they have multiple times this season, they battled back, but they always haven't been able to close it out.
They did against Miami and North Carolina State in January, but they came up short against No. 19 Louisville on Tuesday night. Against the Orange, behind freshman Ben Hammond and sophomore Jaydon Young, the Hokies rallied and despite Syracuse knocking down a 3-pointer at the end of regulation, Virginia Tech picked up an overtime win to improve to 13-16 on the season and 8-10 in the ACC with two games remaining. Here are two truths and a lie from the Hokies' win.
Truth: Ben Hammond is going to be a very good player
When Hammond de-committed from Rhode Island and came to Blacksburg, the Hokies knew they were getting a good player. He began the season on the bench behind Brandon Rechsteiner, but since Mike Young moved him into the starting lineup, the results speak for themselves. Against Syracuse, he took his game to another level.
Hammond was key in the second-half rally forcing turnovers and turning them into transition points. He missed a key free throw at the end of regulation, but made up for it in overtime. With the Hokies up 90-89, he drilled a 3-pointer off a pass from Jaydon Young and then hit a key free throw to seal the game. He finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Virginia Tech needs to find a way to keep him.
Truth: Virginia Tech's offense can put up points when the ball is moving
Against Boston College last month, the Hokies put up 36 points in an 18-point loss. It was a pitiful performance. One of the many reasons as to why the offense struggled was because of the way the ball stuck on offense and wasn't moving. Mike Young has mentioned this multiple times this year and that was the case at times against Syracuse.
Big dawg been workin’@jaydonyoung4 finished with 26 points on 10-20 shooting as he added three assists in the OT dub@HokiesMBB | @hokiesports | #StoneByStone pic.twitter.com/rPDqiA9nIX
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) March 1, 2025
However, as we saw late in the second half and overtime, when the ball is moving and they are getting shots in rhythm and the flow of the offense, they can score. When Jaden Schutt, Hammond, and Jaydon Young got shots in rhythm and within the offense, they made them. Mylyjael Poteat made some tough shots on the inside too.
Lie: A win is a win
This was a big game for the Hokies, something I didn't envision typing in March. It was. The win moves them up in the ACC standings, and still keeps them alive to win 10 ACC games this season. Yes, I know, the remaining schedule is difficult against North Carolina on Tuesday and at Clemson next Saturday, but raise your hand if you thought Virginia Tech was going to sniff 10 ACC wins this season?
It may not mean much, but getting to the ACC Tournament for this team is rather huge for the future of the program. The more wins they gut out like this, the better it is for them.