The Virginia Tech men's basketball team will be looking to pick up a third straight win to begin the 2025-26 season on Wednesday night when they host Saint Joseph's at Cassell Coliseum. Both teams enter the game at 2-0, with the Hokies coming in off a 107-101 overtime win over Providence on Saturday and the Hawks beating Drexel the same afternoon.
Against the Friars, freshman Neoklis Avdalas put the rest of the country on notice with this 33-point, 5-rebound, and 6-assist performance. The preseason hype was already there, but his performance gave more merit to it.
Virginia Tech will be looking for some revenge against Saint Joseph's after they were blown out by 20 points last December in Philadelphia. According to DraftKings, the Hokies are a double-digit favorite at home in their third non-conference game of the season.
Virginia Tech men's basketball is a double-digit home favorite against Saint Joseph's
At the time this article is being written, Virginia Tech is a 12.5 favorite over Saint Joseph's at home. This line is rather big considering we are just two games into the season. The Hokies have played well and won both games, but the win over Providence was certainly more impressive than beating Charleston Southern.
The Hawks will be looking to contain Avdalas and Virginia Tech's front court of Tobi Lawal and Amani Hansberry, a West Virginia transfer. Just like the Hokies, the Hawks had a pair of double-digit wins, but this would be a huge win for their résumé, like Virginia Tech's victory over Providence should help them. The Friars should be a big factor in a tough Big East this season.
Virginia Tech needs to pile up the early-season wins before things get difficult at the end of the month and in December, before ACC play begins. Games like this are wins they need to pick up.