Virginia Tech delivered its best win of the season earlier this week to build its postseason resume.

Now the Hokies look to avoid a pitfall which would negate that positive momentum when they face Florida State on Saturday in Blacksburg, Va.

Virginia Tech (17-8, 6-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) had lost two straight games and three of four before securing its second ranked win of the season, 76-66, at No. 20 Clemson on Wednesday.

It was an offensive explosion for the Hokies — 52% from the floor and 52.4% from 3-point range — as they shot above 50% for just the second time in 12 ACC games.

Jailen Bedford scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the first half to build a seven-point halftime advantage, and Ben Hammond scored 17 of his 19 in the second to ensure the Hokies never trailed after half.

Virginia Tech delivered the win despite getting just seven points from leading scorer Amani Hansberry (14.9 points per game). It became just the second ACC team this season to score 76 points against the Tigers, who rank second in the ACC in scoring defense (64.6 ppg).

“The season takes a lot of interesting turns. Some good, some bad,” Hokies coach Mike Young said. “(Wednesday) was a great turn. Now let’s make the most of it.”

With the win, the Hokies are now the second team out of the NCAA Tournament in ESPN’s latest projection released Friday.

The Seminoles (11-13, 4-7) nearly pulled off an equally impressive win on Tuesday, leading for over 27 minutes before going cold late in a 61-58 loss to visiting No. 15 Virginia.

Florida State missed its final 11 field-goal attempts and was held scoreless for the final 4:54, resulting in its three-game winning streak being snapped.

Lajae Jones led the upset bid with a team-high 21 points and 13 rebounds. He’s now tied for the team lead in rebounding (5.9 per game) and is averaging significantly more boards in conference play (7.4) than he did in nonconference play (4.6).

“He’s been super impressive,” Seminoles coach Luke Loucks said of Jones. “He’s his harshest critic, which is a sign of a good competitor.”

That’s played a big role in the Seminoles’ defensive turnaround. Since allowing 90-plus points in three straight games between Jan. 3-13, Florida State has allowed more than 80 points just once in its last seven games.

–Field Level Media

Gary Player lashed out at the current leadership of Augusta National after the three-time Masters champion was denied of his request to play a fourball round with his grandsons.

Player, 90, is one of three honorary starters for the first major of the year, which he became the first non-American to win in 1961.

“I have been an ambassador for Augusta for all these years, yet they won’t let me have one round of golf in my life with my three grandsons,” Player told Golf Monthly. “All the courses that have hosted the Open (Championship), the U.S. Open and the PGA (Championship) would oblige, but they won’t do it at Augusta.

“My grandsons are dying to know about their grandfather’s episodes on that golf course. It is just this current management there.

“But these are the times we live in, and I accept it, but I accept it with sadness. When I go there, I feel like I am walking on to a golf course in heaven. I tread very carefully and I love Augusta so much — but I don’t like all the rules.”

Player’s 52 Masters appearances are more than any other player in history, and he began serving as an honorary starter in 2012. During his playing career, the World Golf Hall of Fame member was part of the “Big Three” along with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

He added two more green jackets in 1974 and 1978, with the Masters serving as the site of three of his nine career majors. As a past champion, Palmer has playing privileges at the course. However, unlike Palmer and Nicklaus, Player was never granted membership at Augusta National that would enable him to bring guests to play alongside him.

He previously has criticized his lack of playing privileges at Augusta, saying in 2023 that he was “disillusioned” about the difficulty of playing the course with a guest. At the time, he ranked the Masters last among the four majors.

Player’s son, Wayne, reportedly also received a lifetime ban from Augusta after holding up a pack of golf balls in a marketing stunt during a 2021 ceremony honoring Lee Elder.

“There are a lot of things that have made Augusta what it is, but the part we played was a prevalent part of my career,” Player told Golf Monthly. “(Co-founder) Bobby Jones was a wonderful man and a wonderful asset to a wonderful tournament, as was (member) President (Dwight D.) Eisenhower as was (co-founder) Clifford Roberts. Those three people, they basically made Augusta.

“Then Arnold, Jack and I came along, and we fought it out every year, and then we made Augusta thanks to the coverage and publicity we generated around the Masters, whether the club likes to admit it or not. They won’t admit it, but we made Augusta.”

–Field Level Media

San Antonio Spurs rookie forward Carter Bryant will replace injured Memphis Grizzlies rookie guard Cedric Coward on Team Vince in the Rising Stars game on Friday in Inglewood, Calif.

Bryant, 20, also will compete in the Slam Dunk contest on Saturday. He has averaged 3.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in 43 games this season since being selected with the 14th overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft.

Coward, 22, is dealing with right knee soreness.

–Field Level Media