Going into the 2025-26 season for the Virginia Tech men's basketball team, there is a lot of excitement for several reasons. One reason is because of retention head coach Mike Young got and transfers. In the spring, he picked up a commitment from incoming freshman Neoklis Avdalas.
He signed with Virginia Tech after withdrawing from the NBA Draft process, and he has already received some high praise from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. On Tuesday, the ACC released its preseason poll and All-ACC teams, with Avdalas receiving an accolade.
Neoklis Avdalas receives preseason accolade
The ACC released their 2025-26 preseason All-ACC Teams, and Virginia Tech did not have any players named to those teams, nor did they have any voted for ACC Preseason Player of the Year. Avdalas was one of four players to receive the ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year award. Also receiving votes was Cameron Boozer of Duke with 43, Mikel Brown, Jr. of Louisville with three, Caleb Wilson of North Carolina received two, and Avdalas one.
As for the 2025 ACC Preseason Poll, the Hokies, to no surprise, were buried in the bottom half of the conference, under the radar. Here is the poll with first-place votes in parentheses,
- 1. Duke (34)
- 2. Louisville (15)
- 3. North Carolina
- 4. North Carolina State
- 5. Virginia
- 6. SMU
- 7. Clemson
- 8. Miami
- 9. Syracuse
- 10. Notre Dame
- 11. Wake Forest
- 12. Virginia Tech
- 13. Georgia Tech
- 14. Pittsburgh
- 15. Florida State
- 16. California
- 17. Stanford
- 18. Boston College
It's not surprising to see Virginia Tech where they are, but where they are is just fine with Young. This year, the conference is down to 18 ACC games from 20, and the Hokies are bookended with Virginia at the beginning and in the regular season final before the ACC Tournament in March.