One year after a 13-19 finish, there is noticeable excitement surrounding the Virginia Tech men's basketball team in 2025-26. As the 2024-25 season was winding down, there was word that Hokies head coach Mike Young was going to have a bigger NIL package for the offseason.
When the dust settled on the Transfer Portal cycle, Virginia Tech's roster was certainly different-looking than the one eliminated in the first round of the ACC Tournament in March by California. After some portal additions and the addition of freshman Neoklis Avdalas, expectations are high.
Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 thinks the Hokies could be an NCAA Tournament team this year, and Jon Rothstein is high on Avdalas. All of the offseason additions still won't keep Young off the hot seat.
ESPN puts Mike Young on the hot seat entering the 2025-26 season
Jeff Borzello of ESPN released the 2025-26 men's NCAA basketball coaching hot seat, retirement guide, and he put Young in a rather surprising spot, on the hot seat. Here is what he wrote,
"Mike Young will have just one year left on his contract a Virginia Tech at the end of this season, and the Hokies have missed the past three NCAA tournaments after back-to-back appearances in 2021 and 2022. Tech went just 13-19 last season. There's been an influx of talent to the roster, but that has also raised expectations for an NCAA tournament team in Blacksburg. It's worth noting the school is currently in the midst of a football coaching search after firing Brent Pry in mid-September.''
I get it that there is pressure on Young to win, but after what he endured last season for a roster, the job he did to get them to 13 wins and into the ACC Tournament was rather remarkable. After a dismal non-conference schedule, it was hard to envision them even qualifying for the ACC Tournament.
They did and their best player last year, Tobi Lawal, gave an honest assessment on the season after the loss to the Golden Bears. Young vowed to bring back a better team, and on paper, he has. It still hasn't stopped him from being on the hot seat entering a season with two potential NBA Draft picks on their roster this winter. This is a big winter in Blacksburg.