GAME 3
Saint Joseph's
At Virginia Tech
Nov. 12, 2025 7 p.m.
Cassell Coliseum
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV | ACC Network Extra
Evan Hughes, PxP
Mack McCarthy, Analyst
RADIO | VT Sports Network
Zach Mackey, PxP
Mike Burnop, Analyst
VIDEO STREAM LIVE STATS
ESPN.com and ESPN app stats.hokiesports.com
Over/Under: 156.5
Odds: VT -10.5
ESPN Analytics: VT 66.7%
Revenge Game
The Hokies and Hawks have matched up
seven previous times on the hardwood with St. Joe's with the 4-3 lead after the blowout loss last season at the 2024 Holiday Hoopfest in Philly with the Hawks winning by 20 points.
All three meetings in the series in
Blacksburg have gone the Hokies' way with those occurring in 1996, 1998 and 2000 as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Steve Donahue is in his first season at St Joes and 333-344 as a head coach at Penn, Boston College and Cornell. He has been in college coaching since 1988.
Sophomore Guard Deuce Jones leads the Hawks in scoring after transferring in from LaSalle. Another Sophomore Guard, Jaiden Glover transferred in from St John's and is fourth on the team in scoring so far. The other three starters Haskins, Finckley and Simpson return from last years team.
As far as the bench goes, the only transfer is little used Forward Jaden Smith. One thing to note is the bench has ALOT of size. Three forward/centers 6'10 or taller.
Donahue defensively employs man-to-man most times but uses a variety of zone defense looks to throw opponents off as the game progresses. Switches between 1-3-1 and 2-3 are frequent. One thing to watch for is effective trapping at the top of the perimeter. They will frequently try to trap a guard swinging up from the corner to take a pass from a forward at the top of the perimeter.
On offense, he loves using a two point guard system to force opponents into accounting for two adept passers and scorers at the same time but I am not sure his current roster is built to sustain that style of play. As it is, his starting are smaller but faster, with the tallest 6'8. This will likely be another fast paced, high scoring affair. The Hawks have four starters in double-digit points and the fifth rounds up from 9.5.
St Joes Starting Five
Deuce Jones
#2 SO G 6-2 165
15.5 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 2.0 Ast
Dasear Haskins
#7 JR F 6-8 185
14.5 Pts, 5.5 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Anthony Finkley
#5 JR F 6-6 240
14.0 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 1.5 Ast
Jaiden Glover
#11 SO G 6-5 205
11.5 Pts, 5.5 Reb, 2.0 Ast
Derek Simpson
#0 JR G 6-3 170
9.5 Pts, 6.0 Reb, 2.5 Ast
Bench
Austin Williford
#13 FR G 6-4 195
6.5 Pts, 5.0 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Steven Solano
#15 SO C 7-0 260
3.0 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Justice Ajogbor
#22 SR F 6-10 255
2.5 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 1.5 Ast
Khaafiq Myers
#3 SO G 5-10 160
2.5 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Hokies Starting Five
Neoklis Avdalas
#17 FR G 6-9 215
20.5 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 7.5 Ast
Amani Hansberry
#13 JR F 6-8 240
18.0 Pts, 12.0 Reb, 2.0 Ast
Jailen Bedford
#0 SR G 6-4 181
15.5 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Toibu Lawal
#1 SR F 6-8 200
13.5 Pts, 12.5 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Tyler Johnson
#10 SO G 6-5 215
10.5 Pts, 5.0 Reb, 4.0 Ast
Bench
Ben Hammond
#3 SO G 5-11 170
8.5 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 2.5 Ast
Jaden Schutt
#2 JR G 6-5 185
8.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Christian Gurdak
#32 FR C 6-10 260
5.0 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Izaiah Pasha
#4 SO G 6-4 190
3.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Antonio Dorn
#77 FR C 7-0 230
0.0 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Neo was honored as the ACC's Co-Rookie and Co-Player of the Week after his 33 point performance in the Overtime win over Providence.
Hansberry for the second straight game seems to be a famine then feast guy. Started last game 0 for 8 from the floor and finished 6 for 7 with a few free throws to put up 17 points.
After last season, who would have put money on Tobi Lawal being the fourth leading scorer after two games?
We finally got a look at the Monster that is Dorn. He didnt play much but he is huge.
The difference in this game will likely be bench scoring in favor of the Hokies. St Joes is not very deep. A combined 15.5 ppg versus the Hokies 24.5 ppg. The Hokies Starters also have about a 10 ppg edge but trying to account for the Overtime that added 21 points for the Hokies.
Hokies 91 - Hawks 75.
Comments
Let's Go!!!
Hokies!
Another game, another struggle to find it anywhere on TV as a YTTV subscriber. Time to sail the seven seas.
It's not on Xfinity either, apparently only on ACCNX. But, NC State vs. UNCG is on the regular ACCN.
I guess this is what we get, or don't get, when VT is unranked.
We are receiving vote!
Yeah wouldn't be on YouTubeTV anyways, it just hurts if you accessed your ESPN app through YTTV.
I get why we're put on the backburner. St Joe's is a good program with a real fanbase, but you can't beat the incredible intensity of an in-state matchup between NC State and UNC-Greensboro. Electric.
If one was in a similar boat and wanted to chart a similar course, what route might one take. hypothetically speaking?
Help a brother out??
I like the charcoals for Veterans Day
Boo the security guy/usher kicking students out of the empty seats behind St Joes bench
Hopefully he gets tired standing there the whole game
Dorn is enormous
The Germanator
Willing to workshop the nickname
I had forgotten about the hawk mascot that has to flap its arms the entire game.
Iconic
Anybody at the game when the Hokie Bird and the Hawk got into a scrum at halftime? The cheerleaders got involved... I sort of started the whole thing with (a very drunken) "F the Hawk" chant. I'm sort of proud and sort of ashamed. Anyway, the Hokie Bird went over to the Hawk (who flaps from the moment the team comes out for their initial warm up until they head out the tunnel after the handshake) and came up from behind and grabbed his arms to keep him from flapping and the Hawk went crazy. They went to the floor and the cheerleaders got involved. It was awesome and all true. This would have been January 1996... good times! I was in my final semester of grad school (after six straight years in the Burg). I just assumed I was a part of Cassell at that point as I'm pretty sure I had missed fewer than 10 home games in six years. I could go on and on about camping out front and burning fires in the trash cans and wandering about in the snow but it would bore most of you. Trip down memory lane over. Hokies!
And if I may add... I believe January 1996 was also the last time we were ranked in the AP Top 10. Good days those were.
15-2 run. I will take those every time.
That dish was smooooooth
What a great start! 20-7 at the under 12. Sharing, passing, stealing,....everything gelling so far.
You know how hard it is in this day and age to have a great culture on a cbb team, especially coming off a losing season? Mike always has good culture. Almost the entire bench is standing early in the first half cheering.
Bank is OPEN
Camera hasn't shown anything above the 5th row, but the crowd seems.....thin.
HANSBERRY THUNDERDUNK!
Other angles now show its not that bad a turnout.....
Other angles now show its not that bad a turnout.....
Shooters Schutt
If we could finish inside three feet it would be a 30 point lead right now
THUNDERDUNK BY LAWAL!
NEO TO LAWAL
Inject that into my veins
BEDFORD TREY!
JOHNSON TO THE RIM!
Neo plays like a pro. Unreal how smooth he is and his vision of the court
St Joe's timeout 1:51 left before half. 43-25 good guys!
This team is going to be fun to watch this year.
Yup!
I miss how fun Hokie basketball could be.
This is fun.
Me too!
We have some really good individual players; but we also have an excellent team. They play well together.
These guys are really in a groove together.....let's hope it lasts into ACC play!
What is Carlos Boozer doing in Cassell?
I think his kid is on Saint Joe's
I thought his twin Sons are at Dookie.....maybe scouting?
His twins (both 5 stars) are committed to Duke but must be on an official or unofficial visit to VT tonight.
Edit: actually they're at Dook now, so no idea why he's in the house
Wasn't he a host for the bball show on ACCN? They might just try to get those guys out to see different teams before conference play so their analysts sound somewhat knowledgeable.
I'm aware that's probably giving ACCN too much credit
Wikipedia says he works for the Utah Jazz? Could this be scouting or am I being too creative... (edit: hokietopher already suggested scouting but maybe for a different team)
I meant scouting for Duke, but it could be for the jazz too
He was wearing a Jazz hat so that would confirm what Wikipedia says
Nice way to finish there. Too bad Hansberry three didnt go in. Still a 94 point pace.
Nice prediction !
Jinxed the final two minutes! j/k
10 assists to just 2 turnovers.....with 9 steals.
I was at the game Courtside in Philly at the Polestra with Nerf and Frosty last year when we lost by 20. I wanna see us beat them by 40 tonight.
Are we a basketball school again?
NEO JUST HAS SO MUCH GAME! ALLEY OOP TO HANSBERRY THEN DRAINS A 3 ON THE NEXT POSESSION!
We've created 17 TO's
That's E$PN highlight shit right there.
DAYUM!
6 guys in double figures
Neo's passing is as smooth as a fashion week supermodel on a crisco'd up catwalk.
This team is fun to watch fam!
This has to be the fastest a CMY team has ever jelled since he's been here, right? Even the ACC champion team took till well into January to start playing well
So far, so good. The pieces make sense.
Trying not to get ahead of myself, but I think we're in for a damn fun year.