Instant reaction from Virginia Tech basketball's stunning rally to beat NC State

After coming off a split on the West Coast last week, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team was hoping to return to Cassell Coliseum on Wednesday night looking to build off of the momentum after beating Cal on Saturday night against North Carolina State. Head coach Mike Young was hoping to have freshman point guard Ben Hammond back in the lineup, but that wasn't the case, and boy, did it hurt in the opening 20 minutes.

After jumping out to an early 29-22 lead, the Hokies struggled in the last six minutes of the first half against the Wolfpack's pressure forcing 10 first-half turnovers led to an 18-point turnaround. Tied at 34 with four minutes left in the half, NC State went on an 11-0 run to close the half. It wasn't only the 10 turnovers, but the Hokies also lost all of their flow on the offensive end which didn't help.

After falling behind by 15 points in the second half, Virginia Tech closed the game on a 34-16 run to stun the Wolfpack to pick up a three-point win to even their record at 3-3 in the ACC and 8-9 overall. Jaden Schutt took over down the stretch scoring nine straight points to rally the Hokies and he hit the game-winning free throws with 2.3 seconds left. Ben Burnham stole the inbounds pass and dunked the ball for the final result.

The win was Mike Young's 100th at Virginia Tech and his team was led by Tobi Lawal with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Schutt finished with 17 points and five rebounds, Burnham had 12 points and Jaydon Young chipped in with eight points. Here are some instant takeaways from a thrilling win.

Instant takeaways from Virginia Tech's win over NC State

• Missing Hammond hurt in this one. His ability to handle pressure and set up the offense was sorely missed.
• There is no other way to put it, the last four minutes of the opening half were bad. To go from tied to down 11 with turnovers, lack of movement on offense to bad defense all added up to a double-digit deficit at the break.
• Lawal continues his highlight reel plays. In the first half after a steal, Lawal grabbed a rebound and in one motion dunked the ball while drawing a foul for a three-point play.

• Virginia Tech outscored NC State 19-4 in the last six minutes to steal a victory. That's what they did, they stole a win. If you had told me back in November or December that they would win a game like this and be 3-3 in the ACC, there was no way I would believe it.
• Mike Young started Jaydon Young and he came out on fire on both ends of the floor. When he plays like he did at Cal, he can be a big part at both ends of the floor.
• Schutt started on the bench in favor of Jaydon Young, but when he got into the game, he shot the ball well and took over offensively down the stretch. Again, he needs to shoot the ball well for this team to be successful.
• The Hokies finished with just two second-half turnovers, which is why they were able to come back and win.

It doesn't get any easier for Virginia Tech as they host Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon against a Demon Deacons team that needs every win in an attempt to get into the NCAA Tournament in March.