BLACKSBURG, Va. (Interstat) — Virginia Tech never trailed and cruised to an 82-63 victory over Wake Forest in Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball Saturday at Cassell Coliseum. The Hokies built a 43-33 halftime lead and maintained control throughout the second half before an announced crowd of 8,925. Virginia Tech improved to 18-10 overall, while Wake Forest fell to 14-13. The Hokies capitalized on turnovers, scoring 12 points off Wake Forest miscues and adding six fastbreak points. The Demon Deacons managed no fastbreak points and only eight points off turnovers. Both teams scored similarly in the paint, with Virginia Tech holding a narrow 36-34 edge. The win avenged a three-point home loss to the Demon Deacons on Jan. 3. Virginia Tech was a pregame favorite and outperformed its statistical win probability in the convincing result.

BLACKSBURG, Va. (Interstat) — In a game defined by a decisive early surge, the Virginia Tech Hokies avenged a narrow loss from earlier in the season with a commanding 82-63 victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball on Saturday afternoon at a sold-out Cassell Coliseum. The most important part of the game unfolded in the first half, where Virginia Tech’s offensive efficiency and defensive pressure created a separation that Wake Forest could never meaningfully challenge. After a competitive opening few minutes, the Hokies unleashed a 19-4 run that transformed a 10-8 lead into a 29-12 advantage. The surge was fueled by precise ball movement, highlighted by seven assists on their first 11 made field goals, and a stark contrast in shooting. Virginia Tech connected on 11 of 28 attempts from three-point range in the game, with several key makes during this stretch, while the Demon Deacons labored, finishing a frigid 6 of 30 from beyond the arc. Virginia Tech’s offensive rating of 135.3, scoring 82 points on just 61 possessions, underscored an attack that consistently generated high-quality shots. The Hokies shot 50.8% from the floor overall and assisted on 19 of their 31 field goals, demonstrating a cohesive and unselfish approach. Wake Forest, conversely, managed an offensive rating of only 102.3, shooting 37.7% from the field and recording a mere two assists as a team, emblematic of a stagnant offense that failed to solve Virginia Tech’s defensive schemes. The Hokies took a 43-33 lead into halftime and methodically maintained control throughout the second half. Any attempt by Wake Forest to spark a rally was quickly extinguished. When the Demon Deacons cut the deficit to 12 points early in the second period, Virginia Tech responded with an 11-3 run, capped by a Neoklis Avdalas three-pointer and a Jailen Bedford three-pointer off a steal, pushing the lead back to 20 points and effectively sealing the outcome. Tobi Lawal led Virginia Tech with 17 points and nine rebounds, setting a physical tone inside. He was one of five Hokies to score in double figures, joined by Avdalas, who had 17 points and seven assists, Amani Hansberry with 13 points, Ben Hammond with 12 points and five assists, and Christian Gurdak, who provided a significant boost off the bench with 10 points and five rebounds in just 15 minutes. For Wake Forest, Juke Harris scored 16 points and Tre’Von Spillers added 12 points and seven rebounds, but the Demon Deacons’ offense never found a consistent rhythm. Their 34 points in the paint were nearly matched by Virginia Tech’s 36, and the Hokies also held advantages in points off turnovers (12-8) and fast-break points (6-0). The victory improved Virginia Tech’s overall record to 18-10 and its ACC mark to 8-7, strengthening its postseason resume. The Hokies also covered the pregame spread as 4.5-point favorites, though the total score of 145 fell under the over/under line of 150.5. Wake Forest fell to 14-13 overall and 7-8 in conference play, seeing a two-game winning streak snapped. The game was a reversal of the teams’ Jan. 3 meeting in Winston-Salem, which Wake Forest won 81-78. Virginia Tech’s wire-to-wire control on Saturday, particularly its explosive first-half run and sustained defensive effort, demonstrated a focused response in the rematch before an energized crowd of 8,925. Virginia Tech next travels to face North Carolina on Feb. 28, while Wake Forest visits Boston College on Feb. 24.

BLACKSBURG, Va. (Interstat) — Two Atlantic Coast Conference teams trending in opposite directions will meet Saturday when the Virginia Tech Hokies host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Cassell Coliseum. The Hokies (17-10, 8-8 ACC), once firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble, have lost three of their last four games, including a heartbreaking 67-66 road loss at Miami on Tuesday. They will look to stabilize their postseason resume against a Wake Forest squad that has found a late-season spark. The Demon Deacons (14-12, 7-9) arrive on a three-game winning streak, their longest in conference play this season. They are coming off an 85-77 home victory over Clemson on Wednesday, powered by 16 points from guard Sebastian Akins. The sophomore has been a key variable for Wake Forest, scoring in double figures in three of the last five games, including a 29-minute, 16-point effort against the Tigers. Virginia Tech will counter with its own backcourt catalyst in Jailen Bedford. The guard is averaging 15.4 points over his last seven contests, highlighted by a 23-point performance in a win at Clemson on Feb. 11. Bedford nearly willed the Hokies to a road win at Miami, finishing with 12 points and six assists. The teams’ first meeting this season was a tight affair, with Wake Forest securing an 81-78 home win on Jan. 3. The Hokies will seek to defend their home court and split the season series, as they have done in four of the last five years in this matchup. For Virginia Tech, a loss would mark a fourth consecutive ACC defeat, jeopardizing their at-large tournament hopes. For Wake Forest, a fourth straight win would bring them back to .500 in league play and continue an unlikely push toward the conference’s upper tier. Tipoff is set for Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. The game will be a critical pivot point for both teams’ final stretch runs before the ACC tournament.