Mike Young looked like he could have used a hug.
The Virginia Tech head coach was at a loss for answers after his Hokies fell 76-72 to Virginia in the regular season finale on Saturday and appeared to be at his wits’ end as he opened his postgame press conference.
“I take nothing away from those guys, they played really hard, and both teams played really hard,” Young told reporters. “The game… missed dunk would have tied it. This kid’s playing his guts out. Then (Ben) Hammond misses two foul shots, he’s up close to 90 [percent] on the year. And No. 33 (Virginia’s Ugonna Onyenso), come on man, give me a break. Give me a break, really? Kid makes two 3s? And a huge one over there in front? Come on. What the f–k am I doing wrong?”
(Warning: Explicit language)
Young put his head in his hands after finishing the thought and stared at the table, waiting for a media member to ask him a question.
This year has not been the best for the Hokies, who went 19-12 overall and an ugly 8-10 against ACC opponents during the 2025-26 season.
There had been some questions about whether Young would return to coach next season, but Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock put those to rest last week when he told the Roanoke Times that he would return.
The Hokies are on a three-year NCAA Tournament drought and are currently sitting on the bubble to make it this year.
Virginia Tech will enter the ACC Tournament as the No. 12 seed and will face Wake Forest on Tuesday.
Under Young, who has been the head coach since 2019, the Hokies won the conference tournament in 2022.
Virginia Tech has gone 192-97 overall and holds a 60-70 record in the ACC since Young took over the program.
