The Virginia Tech men’s basketball team has played above expectations since the calendar has flipped to 2025. They are on pace to reach the ACC Tournament in a couple of weeks in Charlotte and can officially punch their ticket as soon as this weekend.
They can back their way into the conference tourney with other teams losing, or they can do it themselves on the court on Saturday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum when they host Syracuse. The Orange are struggling this year and like the Hokies, they are trying to do everything they can to finish in the Top 15 to avoid missing the conference tournament. This is a big game for both teams, to say the least.
How to watch Syracuse at Virginia Tech men’s basketball game
Virginia Tech enters the game after nearly pulling off a signature upset of No. 19 Louisville on Tuesday night at Cassell. The Hokies hung with the Cardinals after falling behind 11-0 early and were tied 55-55 with under seven minutes left before turnovers and free throw shooting by Louisville allowed them to escape with the win.
Virginia Tech’s bench has been huge in their last two games. Against Miami on Feb. 22, they scored 53 points in an 81-68 win over the Hurricanes that completed a season-sweep. Jaydon Young has been good off he bench in the last two games, hitting 3-pointers and Ben Burnham has shot the ball well too. Mylyjael Poteat went down against Miami late in the first half with an injury and Patrick Wessler off the bench has played well in his place.
Poteat’s availability for this game won’t be known until tip-off, but if the Hokies want to make things easy on themselves in terms of the ACC Tournament with remaining games against North Carolina and Clemson, going out and winning at home against the Orange is the easiest way to extend their season beyond the regular season final on March 8.