3 huge observations from the Virginia Tech men's basketball beatdown of Wake Forest

After losing two games to Florida State and Miami in two totally different fashions, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team was looking to bounce back against Wake Forest at home on Saturday afternoon. After being blown out by the Seminoles and losing by one to the Hurricanes, the Hokies built a 10-point halftime lead and pulled away in the second half for a win on Senior Day at Cassell Coliseum.

The win improved Virginia Tech to 18-10 overall and 7-8 in ACC play. Wake Forest, which came into the game on a three-game winning streak, fell to 14-13 overall and 5-9 in the ACC. The win avenges a three-point loss Tech suffered in Winston-Salem last month. Here are three observations from the Hokies' win as they head into their second bye of the season before a trip to North Carolina next Saturday night.

Neoklis Avdalas played the way Hokies fans expected him to in 2025-26

To say it has been a struggle for freshman Neoklis Avdalas since ACC play began would be an understatement. Whether he's struggled to score, handle the basketball defensively, or just in his overall game, he has not been the same player he was at the beginning of the season. There are a lot of reasons for that, including teams getting more film on him, but against Wake Forest, he played his best game in some time.

Avdalas finished with 17 points, he knocked down four 3-pointers, and he had seven assists, including an insane no-look pass to Amani Hansberry in the second half for a dunk in transition. He looked like the player we saw at the beginning of the season, playing freely and with confidence.

Virginia Tech closed out Wake Forest in the second half

If you have been paying attention this year, the second half of games has been an issue for the Hokies. They have lost four games inside the final 12 seconds. It's mind-boggling. However, leading by 10 points at halftime, they let Wake Forest close the game to seven points early in the second half, but pulled away with a strong final 12 minutes and led by as much as 21 points at one point. If only they had done that four other times this season.

Virginia Tech places six players in double figures

For the first time since the Saint Joseph's game back in November, the Hokies had balanced scoring with six players in double figures. Joining Avdalas with 17 points was Tobi Lawal, who also pulled down nine rebounds. Hansberry finished with 13 points, Ben Hammond added 12 with five assists, and Jailen Bedford had 10 points as all five starters finished in double figures. Freshman Christian Gurdak had 10 points off the bench for the sixth player in double figures.