After starting ACC play 0-2, Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Mike Young had his team entering Saturday afternoon's contest at Cassell Coliseum winners in three of their last four games. In those three wins, the Hokies rallied in the second half to beat Miami and North Carolina State, while fending off California last weekend after blowing a big second-half lead.
After their win over NC State on Wednesday night at home, a lot of people were surprised to see Virginia Tech at 3-3 in conference play sitting in the middle of the ACC standings. They were looking for a signature win on Saturday against Wake Forest, but after hanging tough with the talented Demon Deacons. In the end, there was no late-game rally as the Hokies fell by nine points, but after the game, Young's frustration reached a boiling point.
Virginia Tech coach Mike Young was frustrated after loss to Wake Forest
If you have been paying closely to Virginia Tech in 2024-25, there are a number of things that have plagued the Hokies through their first 18 games. One of the biggest has been the amount of turnovers each game. Not only are the turnovers limiting offensive possessions, but also leading to easy points for the other teams in transition. That was the case against the Demon Deacons.
“Burns my ass,” said Young. “We’ve never played that way. You can’t do it. … They’ve got great intentions. It’s frustrating, really frustrating.”
I get Young's frustration as there are times, well actually, a lot of times where the turnovers are unforced or easily self-inflected. Passes that should happen, not be able to catch a pass or just losing their dribble with no pressure. You could make the case that the Hokies 8-10 record could be say, 10-8 or 11-7 if they took good care of the ball, but that's not the case and the frustration is building with the veteran coach.