When the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team began ACC play on New Year’s Eve at Duke, nobody knew what to expect from a team that went 5-6 in non-conference play and dropped their conference opener at home against Pittsburgh in December. That afternoon in Durham, despite losing to the Blue Devils, the Hokies put up a good fight.
Once the calendar flipped to January, Virginia Tech looked like a different team, and low and behold, they finished the month with a 4-4 record in ACC play and picked up Mike Young’s 400th career win on Wednesday night in a win at Florida State, 76-66. As they begin the month of February with the first of two Commonwealth Clashes with Virginia, here are three things we learned in January about Virginia Tech.
Mike Young can still flat-out coach
Young has been at the center of some criticism across the college basketball world and even within the Virginia Tech fanbase. If you have actually been paying attention closely, Mike Young is the furthest thing from being a problem. The absolute furthest.
After the mass exodus last March and April in the transfer portal, Young was left building his roster through the portal and with two incoming freshmen Tyler Johnson and Ben Hammond. The fact that they have won four games in the fashion they have says a lot to Young. The problem is above Young with NIL and the lack of support he’s getting from higher-ups. It’s not him.
Tobi Lawal is becoming a difference-maker
The most impactful transfer without a doubt has been VCU transfer Tobi Lawal. He has recorded four double-doubles this season and his most recent one, 17 points and 13 rebounds against FSU carried the Hokies to a win and prevented them from blowing a 20-point halftime lead.
His athleticism is as impressive as there is out there and he has been big at both ends of the floor on the boards. He has multiple times this season grabbed a rebound offensively and finished with a big dunk. He has been able to step out and shoot the 3 and shoot well from the foul line. He even had a steal and finished with an and-one against Florida State to begin a game-sealing run.
This team has a lot of fight and is fun to watch
You can’t say this team doesn’t have much fight. They compete from the opening tip until the final horn. That was never more evident than against North Carolina State on Jan. 15 when they closed the game on the back of Jaden Schutt who carried the Hokies to a 79-76 win when he hit a pair of free throws with 2.3 seconds left.
Earlier in the month, they rallied to beat Miami on a Mylyjael Poteat three-point play with 1.8 seconds left, then they held off a furious California second-half comeback to split their first ACC two-game trip through Northern California against Stanford and Cal. Virginia Tech made a comeback in home losses to Wake Forest and Clemson, proving that they are doing everything they can to not miss the ACC Tournament in March in Charlotte.