Going into Tuesday night's final regular-season home game at Cassell Coliseum against Boston College, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team was looking to keep its slim at-large NCAA Tournament hopes alive. After losing by seven points at North Carolina on Saturday night, the Hokies moved up to Joe Lunardi's "First Four Out'' as the fourth team.
Playing a BC team that just isn't a good one, the Hokies jumped out to an early 19-point lead, but in typical Hokies' fashion this season, they allowed the Eagles to claw back into the game before pulling away for a key victory. Here are three observations after Virginia Tech improved to 19-11 overall and 8-9 in the ACC.
This team never makes anything easy for themselves
There needs to be a study after this year as to why the Hokies make things so much more difficult for themselves than they need to. Honestly, they are one of the more head-scratching teams when holding a big lead in a game. Whatever the case may be, they just never, ever make things easy for themselves.
There is no one big reason as to why. Sometimes they get outworked, sometimes they make some dumb decisions, sometimes they make silly plays, and sometimes they fall asleep on defense and on offense. Whatever the case is, it needs to be fixed before the ACC Tournament and the NIT.
Tobi Lawal carried Virginia Tech in the second half
After scoring just four points in the first half, Tobi Lawal got going in the second half and was very difficult for Boston College to deal with on the inside offensively. He scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half. BC had a tough time handling him on the offensive glass, where he did a lot of damage.
✌️ and the foul ✅ pic.twitter.com/3aedeohl3Z
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) March 4, 2026
It was a good final 20 minutes in Cassell in the regular-season for Lawal as he was one of the main reasons they were able to keep the Eagles at bay. Unless the Hokies sneak into the NCAA Tournament, they will likely get at least one more home game in the NIT in a couple of weeks.
Virginia Tech connected on 11 3-pointers
When the Hokies' offense is moving and clicking, they are shooting the ball well from behind the arc. That was the case against Boston College. They knocked down 11 3-pointers in the game. Freshman Neoklis Avdalas hit four in the first half, and Jailen Bedford hit two big ones in the second half.
Now, there are times when they fall in love with the 3-pointer, and that was the case in the second half. Amani Hansberry and Lawal each took some that were ill-advised at the time and just not great shots. That hasn't been the first time this year that it has happened, where it has cost them. It didn't against Boston College.
Virginia Tech closes out the regular season on Saturday in Charlottesville at noon against Virginia in what is likely its last chance to pick up a résumé-building win.