The basketball breeze is back in Blacksburg for the men’s 2025-26 campaign as they took on the Duquesne Dukes at Cassell Coliseum for their exhibition game.
In both teams’ final chance to get real reps in before the season, Duquesne defeated the Hokies in this exhibition matchup 83-81.
Preseason games are preseason games for a reason, right? Time to get real reps before the big season, face different competition, see what works and what doesn’t, and have players find their true role on the team. Though this game doesn’t count towards anyone's record, this was still a very anticipated preseason game with the new season on the horizon, especially with this being the first time highly-touted Greek freshman Neoklis Avdalas played for VT in a game open to the public.
In a game that seemed like the Hokies would be able to take their early double-digit lead and run away with it, it was spoiled by some sloppy basketball late in the first half. The Hokies’ offense was rolling, and the defense was smothering as the team was playing complimentary basketball all through the start of the half.
That quickly came to a stop once the turnovers hit the Hokies, finishing with 13 in the first half. The Dukes took advantage with fast breaks and eight points off turnovers to make it a 39-34 lead for Virginia Tech.
Entering the second half, Duquesne was able to take advantage of the momentum to end the half and got their first lead of the game. Following that, it was a back-and-forth game the rest of the way. Still, it seemed like the Hokies could find another run and take a lead and solidify it the rest of the way with Ben Hammond making two threes plus a Amani Hansberry bucket later on in the contest, but the Dukes wouldn’t let up.
Late down the stretch it was the Duquesne defense making the key stops, forcing a turnover from Tobi Lawal in a key moment, and closing out the game for an 83-81 victory.
The Hokies had their peaks and valleys, which were to come, but not enough peaks for Mike Young’s team to overcome. Offensively, there wasn’t a lack of talent that is different from past seasons. Leading the team with points was sophomore Ben Hammond with 22 points, shooting 7/14 from the field and 3/4 from beyond the arc. Tobi Lawal followed him with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 7-9 shots from the field. Jaden Schutt also finished with 11 points, two from long range.
The development of Hammond and Schutt looks promising. Both were prominent players in the game and found their role as they both played over 27 minutes each.
This game was also the first time we’d be seeing the newcomers of Neokils Avdalas, Jailen Bedford, Izaiah Pasha, Amani Hansberry, and Christian Gurdak. After this game, there is still much to be desired from the transfers and freshmen including Avdalas who showed flashes of greatness but didn't have the best shooting night.
The two transfer guards didn’t see much of the court compared to their counterparts, as Bedford saw 19 minutes and Pasha played only six. They combined for a total of four points, all coming from Bedford, with both having three rebounds. Pasha didn’t take any shots vs. the Dukes.
WVU transfer Amani Hansberry was the primary focus among the transfers given his expected starting role and the buzz surrounding him. He started the game strong with a tough bucket inside with an and-1 opportunity. Unfortunately the fouls racked up with three in the first half before eventually fouling out.
With Hansberry in foul trouble, Mike Young gave freshman Christian Gurdak significant minutes, with German C Antonio Dorn not able to play. Gurdak came onto the floor and made a block to bring some intensity throughout the game while showing lots of defensive potential. However, he also found himself in foul trouble with three at halftime as well and finished with four.
Virginia Tech had issues with a lack of size that led to Tobi Lawal playing minutes at the five.
Virginia Tech has brought in a bunch of exciting new names, but the one fans were ready to see was five-star Neoklis Avdalas. The freshman out of Greece showed some promise as he was the main ball handler to start the game. You could see at times how he comes from a background that should provide a smoother transition given the high-level of competition he faced in Greece.
Avdalas was able to find open space to create for himself and others. Despite the promising ability and talent, shots weren't falling for Avdalas as he finished 4-13 from the field including 1-8 from the three-point line while also having only one assist and three turnovers. He did end up with five rebounds with his height at 6'9'' giving him a clear advantage compared to other guards.
Tech’s biggest issue was turnovers. In the first half, the Hokies had 13 turnovers that helped the Dukes roar back and make it a close game. For the Hokies, it looked like the turnovers came from lack of awareness and movement. Despite the limited turnovers in the second half, there were some untimely mistakes down the stretch that cost the Hokies in this game.
The other backbreaking mistake for the Hokies was their struggles at the free throw line. As a team they went 16-29 (55%), which left a bunch of points at the line. Tech wasn’t the only one struggling, however, as Duquesne went 12-23 (52.2%).
Defensively, the Hokies looked really lively. There weren't many breakdowns defensively when given ample time to set their defense up. Many of the passing lanes were clogged up, and it was hard for Duquesne to generate offense off of spacing with the tight defense the Hokies had.
Most of the defense’s struggles came from fast breaks and opportunities off of their turnovers. Offense and defense go hand-in-hand, and the team learned that. Fastbreaks killed the Hokies especially as Duquesne outscored VT 15-6 in fastbreak points.
The players giving the Hokies the most trouble were guards Tarence Guinyard and Jimmie Williams, who had 21 points each. Duquesne's big man John Hugley IV also gave Tech some trouble, as he had 10 points in the first half before being ejected with two techs.
Turnovers and free throws were the things that killed Virginia Tech in the end. The good news is that those are fixable, and the loss didn’t come from a lack of talent or coaching or scheme. With the development of the younger players and the addition of transfers and freshmen, there is clearly a talent jump from last year for Mike Young’s squad. If the Hokies can execute at a higher level on a more consistent basis, the Hokies have the makings of a really good team. Then again, that's why coaches love having a combination of exhibitions and secret scrimmages to work out issues before the games start counting.
The Virginia Tech Hokies are set to tip-off their season against Charleston Southern on November 3rd at 7pm EST at Cassell Coliseum.
