Jan 14, 2026; Dallas, Texas; Virginia Tech guard Jaden Schutt (2) is double teamed by SMU forward Corey Washington (3) and guard Jaron Pierre Jr. (5). Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Updated NET and KenPom Rankings for Virginia Tech Men's Hoops Following Loss to SMU

Originally posted on Virginia Tech Hokies on SI
By Thomas Hughes | Last updated Jan 15, 2026 6:38 PM ET

Virginia Tech men's basketball came into today after a deflating loss in Moody Coliseum to SMU that dropped the Hokies to 2-3 in the ACC. The defeat came despite the fact that Virginia Tech held a 76-72 advantage with 29 seconds to play; however, the Hokies then allowed a quick bucket, committed a turnover and missed a pair of free throws to set up Mustangs guard Boopie Miller's half-court heave that went in for a 77-76 SMU win.

SMU wins 77-76
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 15, 2026

Despite the loss, however, Virginia Tech saw a bump in the metrics improving to No. 55 in the NET after sitting at No. 59 prior to its near victory against the Mustangs. Meanwhile, SMU dropped seven spots, slipping from No. 25 to No. 32 after nearly losing to the Hokies.

With the defeat, Virginia Tech now slips to a 1-3 record in Quad 1 games, with a victory over then-No. 21 Virginia its lone victory in the top quadrant. In terms of other Quad 1 defeats, the Hokies fell to Saint Mary's (Nov. 27), and Wake Forest (Jan. 3), with the latter loss, like SMU, coming on a game-winning three-pointer.

Virginia Tech is 5-2 in Quad 2 games, with losses to VCU (Nov. 28) and Stanford (Jan. 7). Again, like its Quad 1 slate, the latter loss came via a game-winning trey. This one came from guard Ebuka Okorie with 3.3 seconds remaining and put the capper on a Stanford surge, where the Cardinal outscored the Hokies 14-1 over the final 2:18 of game time.

Going forward, the Hokies' season is not over by any means, but it does now face an uphill climb. Virginia Tech has eight more Quad 1 opportunities, but just one of those opportunities comes at home. That clash is against No. 6 Duke and will come on Saturday, Jan. 31 at noon (TV: ESPN).

The Hokies have one Quad 2 game left, coming this Saturday against Notre Dame, while its other three games are either Quad 3 or Quad 4 games. As of right now, Ken Pomeroy's metrics, which have the Hokies at No. 55 overall, predict that Virginia Tech will finish the season with a 19-12 overall record and a 8-10 mark in conference play. Pomeroy's metrics give the Hokies a 66% chance to beat the Fighting Irish.

Virginia Tech has lost three of its last four games, but receives an opportunity to regroup, drawing Notre Dame back home in Cassell Coliseum next. The Hokies will play the Fighting Irish on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 12 p.m. ET, with the matchup being carried on the ACC Network. Notre Dame enters the contest at No. 72 in the NET rankings, 17 spots behind Virginia Tech.