Following an 82-73 loss at North Carolina State on Saturday afternoon, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team has lost three out of its last four games. That is not ideal while sitting squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
After going 11-2 in the non-conference portion of their schedule, things have been a struggle once conference play has begun. Injuries have played a part, as Virginia Tech is still without Tyler Johnson since conference play began.
However, on theme that has been an issue continues to pop up. The Hokies have buried themselves in deficits on the road recently and they haven't been able to dig themselves out of it. That was the case on Satuday against the Wolfpack when they fell behind 20-7 early. After the game, head coach Mike Young didn't beat around the bush about what continues to be a problem for his team.
Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Mike Young doesn't beat around the bush about his team's issues
Along with facing deficits, the Hokies once again have had trouble handling the ball on the road and getting stops defensively. All of that led to a deficit they were unable to claw back from, despite cutting a second-half deficit to three.
“We had our chances, didn’t play very well in the first half,” said Young. “We’re down 12 at the half, we’re terrible offensively, had nine turnovers — which you can’t do anywhere, certainly not on the road against a good team. Better job in the second half to cut it to three. Not quite good enough against the Wolfpack, not quite good enough on the road, but we did some good things also.”
This excuse is becoming a common theme after losses under Young. After a week off, going into the game, you would have thought that they would have come out ready to go. Instead, it was the opposite, and they dug themselves a deficit. Too big a deficit. They need a good start against Clemson on Wednesday night if they are going to have a chance to pull off an upset.