There's been plenty of hype around Neoklis Avdalas and his potential to be the freshman Virginia Tech has ever had. Today, the hype became reality as Avdalas delivered arguably the greatest performance a Virginia Tech freshman has ever put together to lead the Hokies to a massive, early season victory.
Virginia Tech beat Providence 107-101 in overtime to improve to 2-0 on the season thanks to an incredible performance from Avdalas plus some clutch shots from Amani Hansberry including a game-tying bucket with less than ten seconds in regulation.
This was a game largely defined by the superstar Greek freshman Neoklis Avdalas who dominated from start to finish from a 17-point first half to having six points in overtime including a massive bucket to make it a four-point game with 1:21 to go in overtime before a Tobi Lawal dunk sealed the deal. Avdalas finished the game with 33 points on an impressive 13-23 from the field including 5-8 from three-point range while adding six points, five rebounds, one block, and one steal.
When Avdalas was on the floor, Tech's offense flowed at an elite level with Avdalas being able to create his own shot and make plays in a multitude of ways. Not only did Avdalas show off his scoring ability but his status as a floor general is undeniable and was best shown by a tremendous full-court pass to Tyler Johnson for an easy layup as a quick response to a Providence bucket during the second half.
Avdalas simply has a level of talent that has never put on a Virginia Tech jersey during the 21st Century. For all that Nickeil Alexander-Walker showed in his two-year stint with the Hokies, Avdalas is showing that he indeed may be the most talented freshman that the Hokies have ever had, with today's game presenting a strong case for that by a wide margin.
Another major reason why Tech won this game was how they cleaned up their mistakes as the game progressed with nine turnovers in the first half and only two in the second half and overtime while Providence had 14 overall. The Hokies turned that into a 20-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
VT also found ways to score around the rim despite the impressive defense from Providence center Oswin Erhunmwunse, who had four blocks plus 11 points, 11 rebounds, and two steals. Tech found a way to gain a 48-42 points in the paint advantage that proved crucial in a game of tight margins.
On the day, VT shot 50.6% from the field including 42.9% (12-28) from three-point range while the Friars were 44.7% from the field including 33.3% (11-33) from three-point range. Tech's free-throw shooting left a little to be desired as they were 68.2% (15-22) from the free-throw line while the Friars were 88.0% (22-25).
Jailen Bedford continues to be a great scoring option for the Hokies with 18 points in this game on 7-11 from the field including 3-5 from three-point range plus 1-1 from the free-throw line. Tyler Johnson has been Tech's do-it all wing who had 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals while Jaden Schutt found his shooting touch with 10 points off the bench including a pair of threes.
Tech's frontcourt had their challenges on the offensive end but Amani Hansberry in particular found ways to deliver in crucial moments to push VT over the top.
The WVU transfer had his second-straight double-double to open his VT career with 17 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal albeit on a somewhat inefficient 6-15 from the field including 1-5 from three-point range plus 4-5 from the free-throw line. However, Hansberry stepped up in key moments with his game-tying bucket to force overtime to a big three that quieted a Providence 5-0 mini-run and more.
Tobi Lawal didn't have his best offensive game but made a big impact on the game on the glass with 13 rebounds plus seven points, two blocks, and one assist. Ben Hammond didn't have his best game, trying to do a little too much at times. However, he did enough to help get the Hokies over the top with eight points, two steals, two assists, and two rebounds while shooting 3-10 from the field.
Antonio Dorn made his collegiate debut but only played two minutes, having one rebound, one block, and one steal. Christian Gurdak had two points in four minutes while Izaiah Pasha played three minutes.
For Providence, the backcourt duo of Jason Edwards and Jaylin Sellers was impressive as Edwards had 28 points, four assists, and two rebounds while Sellers had 26 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Add in international freshman Stefan Vaaks having 17 points off the bench and it's easy to see why Big East coaches picked Providence to finish in the top half of a good Big East.
Virginia Tech has themselves a potential national star in Neoklis Avdalas who certainly boosted his NBA Draft stock with his performance today. More importantly, this is a legitimately good Virginia Tech team that basically played a road game in front of a very pro-Providence Mohegan Sun crowd and fought back again and again before forcing overtime and taking control in the extra five minutes of action.
For all the talk about Virginia Tech returning to the NCAA Tournament this year, today proved that is very reasonable with maybe the real question being how deep can the Hokies go rather than whether they can make it. Obviously, it's hard to get the strongest read on that with only two games but for now, it's clear that the Hokies are on a great trajectory, picking up a big win over Providence that will certainly be beneficial come Selection Sunday.
