The Virginia Tech men's basketball team had every chance in the world to steal a win in the first round of the ACC Tournament against California on Tuesday. After blowing leads at the end of regulation and overtime with the ball before turning it over while inbounding it. Talk about a fitting ending.
Virginia Tech ended the season at 13-19 with an 82-73 loss, and if you come up with a reason as to why the season went the way it did, you're probably right. Turnovers, scoring droughts, inability to get stops on defense, and poor shooting from the field and the foul line, it was an issue at some point. In the end, to win 13 games this season and eight in the ACC with the roster he had, was a feat in itself.
After the loss to California, Mike Young met with the media and here are some of the things he said with our analysis.
Mike Young on what was missing with this year's team
A lot was missing,'' said Young. "A lot was missing. Just call it what it is. They're great kids and a pleasure to work with. We got to get more talented, and we are going to, quick.''
It's not surprising that Young said that and it makes you wonder who is going to enter the transfer portal when it opens later this month. There is a lot of young talent on the team and some pieces to work with like Ben Hammond and Tyler Johnson as freshmen. Who stays and who goes? You get the feeling that some players might be leaving.
Mike Young on fixing issues with roster through the transfer portal
"It better be,'' Young said. "It better be. I'm not living through that again.''
Last season, Young had to do a ton of work through the portal, and he'll be active again this year, you can bet. This time, however, he is expected to have a bigger NIL package which would allow him to make some more impactful additions, we hope.
Something tells me this will be fixed for the 2025-26 season.