Mike Young's reaction after 91-59 loss to Tar Heels

Young named a host of issues in loss against UNC

Mar 4, 2025; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) goes up for a layup as Virginia Tech Hokies forward Ben Burnham (13) defends during the second half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

With just under five minutes to go in the first half Wednesday night, the Hokies were down by just two points against a UNC team vying for a bid into the NCAA Tournament.

The difference between Tech and UNC right now is that the Tar Heels had enough star power to muster a 19-2 run to close out the first half and leave the Hokies down 46-29 heading into halftime.

"You get out in transition and playing one-on-one. They're playing three-on-three and you can't survive playing them that way," quoted Young in his postgame news conference.

As previously mentioned, the Hubert Davis-led Tar Heels are trying to achieve their third NCAA bid in four years under Davis and are forced to rattle off an impressive end of the season in order to do so. Wednesday night was a continued step in the right direction for UNC, which is on a six-game winning streak.

"They are playing with their backs against the wall, with a lot on the line, and they played like it. I thought they played a really good ballgame."

The Hokies shot a measly 37.9% from the field, with leading scorers senior Ben Burnham and Jaydon Young combining to shoot 9-for-22, each finishing with 12 points. Ben Hammond, who tallied 21 points in Tech's 101-95 win over Syracuse, finished with five points.

"We had a hard time getting things established in the post. They had us pushed out a little bit, and our backcourt did not play very well. They've [Hokie backcourt] played very well here of late, and I think that in large part is a credit to North Carolina and their perimeter defense."

The Hokies were once again without leading scorer Tobi Lawal. Lawal leads all Hokies with 12.5 points per game, but he was ruled out with a lower-leg injury.

"Athletically, you know, we missed him [Tobi] a lot. [Missing him] just disrupts our rotation. You know, I'm trying to play Tyler Johnson at the four, trying to play Ben Burnham 25-30 minutes. Worked out for us on Saturday against. Obviously, didn't work out very well for us tonight against the Tar Heels."

As the season looks to be reaching its end for the Hokies, they must first travel to South Carolina to face a red-hot No. 11 Clemson side, who has rattled off 11 straight wins on Saturday.

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