When the Virginia Tech men's basketball team landed recruit Neoklis Avdalas last year, it was seen as a one-year stop in Blacksburg before the NBA Draft this June. However, after a good start to the season, things went south quickly.
In the ACC Tournament, the Hokies dropped a first-round game to Wake Forest in overtime, which ended their slim NCAA Tournament hopes. They ended up turning down an NIT bid, and the roster overhaul is well underway after some players bolted in the Transfer Portal.
One of those players entering the portal is Avdalas, who saw his NBA Draft stock tumble over the second half of the season. It wasn't surprising he left after he sat out the final seven-plus minutes of regulation and the whole overtime on the bench. The writing was on the wall.
Since he's been in the portal, he's drawn some interest, and on Monday morning, Travis Branham of 247Sports logged a Crystal Ball prediction for Avdalas to commit to North Carolina and remain in the ACC. What a disaster that would be.
Neoklis Avdalas predicted to commit to North Carolina in the Transfer Portal
If we're being honest, once former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone was hired by North Carolina to replace Hubert Davis, this was a very strong possibility. Malone has dipped into the international waters before, and making Avdalas a priority would be surprising.
Avdalas averaged 12.1 points and 4.6 assists a game for Virginia Tech in 2025-26. The 6-foot-9 forward is an elite passer and can make shots, but as Hokies fans saw at times, he is a streaky shooter. Maybe landing at UNC with Malone will be what he needs to take his game to another level to get ready for the NBA. It was reported last week that Avdalas will not be taking any visits while he's in the portal, but we'll see if that truly ends up happening.