Trailing by 15 points in the second half against North Carolina State on Wednesday night, things were not looking good for the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team in terms of stringing together two straight ACC wins. They were struggling to get a stop against the Wolfpack and their offense had no flow to it.
Then, suddenly, the Hokies started to get stops and converted on the offensive end. Jaden Schutt caught fire and along with Tobi Lawal, led a huge comeback. Down 76-74 with 2.3 seconds left, Schutt was fouled and calmly sank both free throws. Ben Burnham stole the ensuing NC State inbounds pass and completed the comeback with a massive dunk.
It was one of Virginia Tech's more improbable wins in some time, and it was coach Mike Young’s 100th career win in Blacksburg. Here are some thoughts on the Hokies just past the halfway point of the 2024-25 season.
Mike Young is coaching his tail off
Virginia Tech will not make the NCAA Tournament, NIT, CBI, or whatever post-conference tournament there is. However, if they were to get to the ACC Tournament in March, then that would be a massive feat within itself after the start of the season they had.
The fact that they are 3-3 in ACC play is something. This roster went through a massive change after last season and Young and his staff had to retool on the fly through the portal. They brought four transfers who led the charge back Wednesday night and they are getting big contributions from their young guys. Against NC State, the Hokies changed their coverage on the pick-and-roll late in the game and it paid off. This roster has a lot of flaws, but Young is finding ways for them to succeed.