Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young was inconsolable after watching the Hokies fall behind No. 13 Virginia 41-25 at halftime, then end up losing to the Cavaliers 76-72 at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va.
The Hokies did put together a second-half rally, but it fell short. That left Young wondering what happened after the game.
Virginia Tech’s Mike Young Looking For Answers
When Young met reporters after the game, it was pretty obvious he was trying to find answers about his team’s play against Virginia. Preston Willett, a writer for The Sabre and host of Hoos On Podcast, posted the clip of Young’s postgame press conference on X.
“Sad, sad,” Young said. “I take nothing way from those guys, they played really hard and both teams played really hard. The game.” Young talks about a player missing a basket and said this “kid’s playing his guts out.”
“Then (Ben) Hammond misses two foul shots, he’s up close to 90 on the year,” Young said. “And No. 33 (Virginia’s Ugonna Onyenso), come on man, give me a break. Give me a break, really? Kid makes 3, 2 3’s? And that huge one over there in front? Come on. What the f**k am I doing wrong?”
Hammond led Virginia Tech in scoring with 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists in 35 minutes of play. Hammond’s two missed free throws came with 2:09 left in the second half, with the Hokies down by 4 points.
With the victory, the Cavaliers now stand 27-4 overall, 15-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Virginia picks up the No. 2 seed for next week’s ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C. Virginia also appears to be a lock for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, too.
Virginia Tech entered Saturday’s game as a bubble team to reach the NCAA Tournament. Following their 72-63 win over Boston College Eagles at the Cassell Coliseum, the Hokies were looking to get a win over a ranked team, but it didn’t happen.
Young has been Virginia Tech’s head coach since 2019, helping the Hokies reach the NCAA Tournament in seven of the last 13 seasons. Before coming to Virginia Tech, Young compiled a 299-244 record at Wofford and earned Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors four times (2010, 2014, 2015, and 2019).
If the Hokies are going to reach the NCAA Tournament this season, they are going to have to really play well in the ACC Tournament, if not win it outright. But Young might still be stewing over Saturday’s defeat.
