Tech’s ACC Heartbreak Has Been Glorious to Watch
Sometimes, being a Virginia fan means finding joy not just in your own wins—but in your rival’s heartbreak. And this ACC season, Virginia Tech has delivered a masterclass in late-game misery. From a crushing road loss at Wake Forest, to an all-time collapse against Stanford at home, to a half-court buzzer-beater heartbreak at SMU, the Hokies’ season has unraveled in the most agonizing ways possible. Yes, Tech fans will point to a triple-overtime win over Virginia—but even that came with plenty of controversy and context. Now, as the Hoos prepare for what’s next, the focus shifts forward. If SMU has already used up its miracle shots, Virginia is ready to take advantage.
Jay Ballard
1/16/20262 min read
I’ll admit it freely: as a Virginia fan, sometimes the only thing better than winning yourself is watching your rival lose in the most agonizing ways imaginable. Not blowouts. Not off nights. The kind of losses that rip your heart out late.
Virginia Tech’s ACC season has delivered exactly that.
It started at Wake Forest, a game Tech had every chance to steal. The Hokies hung around all night, put themselves in position late, and then watched it slip away when Wake buried a late three that swung the game for good. No miracle response, no last stand—just that familiar road-game gut punch where you know it’s over the moment the shot drops.
Then came Stanford in Blacksburg, and this one deserves its own category.
Tech was up double digits in the final two minutes. That’s not just a lead—that’s control. Blowing a lead that big that late is honestly hard to do at this level, and yet the Hokies managed it. Missed free throws. Defensive breakdowns. Empty possessions. And then the final blow: Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie drilled a three at the buzzer, stealing a game that was all but over. Cassell went silent, and a sure win turned into another entry on Tech’s heartbreak list.
As if that wasn’t enough, the most dramatic loss came at SMU.
Tech was up two with the clock winding down, one stop away from escaping with a win. Instead, Boopie Miller launched a half-court three at the buzzer, clean through the net, to give SMU a one-point victory. No overtime. No second chance. Just instant devastation and a highlight that will live forever.
Three ACC losses. Three different endings. All brutal.
Now yes—Hokie fans will point out that Tech beat Virginia in triple overtime in Blacksburg. Fair. It happened.
But context matters. It took three overtimes at home, and it came with a 41–15 free-throw disparity that was wildly lopsided. Virginia was more than a little screwed by the whistle that night and still had every opportunity to win.
Which brings us to what’s next.
Let’s just hope SMU got all of its late-game magic and lucky-shot drama out of the way in that one—because Virginia is coming in ready to play. If the Mustangs are out of miracles, that works just fine for the Hoos. Time to go dominate on Saturday.
And as for Tech? Watching those collapses has been a reminder that rivalry misery can be just as satisfying as victory.
The next chapter, though, belongs to Virginia.