Virginia, the No. 13 team in nation, held off unranked rival Virginia Tech on Saturday, 76–72. The Hokies were in the game right to the end and it took a number of unfortunate or unlikely things to happen for the Cavaliers to hold on. And if you have any question about how upsetting these things were to Virginia Tech, look no further than coach Mike Young, who was beside himself in his postgame press conference.
Young could not hide his feelings as he ran through just a few of the things that went wrong for the Hokies before asking a rhetorical question, dropping an expletive and burying his head in his hands.
“What the f**k am I doing wrong?”
— Preston Willett (@PrestonWillett) March 7, 2026
Virginia Tech coach Mike Young after the loss to Virginia. pic.twitter.com/2pPhFalSNU
"This dunk would've tied it," Young said. "Kid's playing his guts out. Then Hammond misses two foul shots. He's up close to 90 on the year. And No. 33? Come on man. Give me a break. Give me a break. Really? The kid makes two threes and a huge one over there in front... Come on. What the f--- am I doing wrong?"
Before we dive into exactly what he's talking about in this clip, make sure to go back and watch it again to notice him struggle with the water bottle as well as the look on the face in the background as he finishes his quote. Hearing a coach talk about an opposing player like this will make you raise your eyebrows.
With that in mind, here's exactly what Young was talking about.
First, Tyler Johnson missed a dunk that would've tied the game 51-51 will just under 12 minutes to play in the second half. They did end up tying the game a minute later, but never took a lead in the second half after being down as many as 23.
Then, Ben Hammond missed two free throws that would've made it a two-point game with 2:10 remaining. Hammond, a sophomore, is shooting 87.4% from the line this year. He finished with 21 points, five assists, four rebounds and five steals. He made six of his eight free throws in the game.
Finally, the Virginia player who really left Young searching for answers was senior transfer Ugonna Onyenso. Onyenso made one three in the first half and then hit his second three with 1:47 remaining to give Virginia a 70-63 lead.
Onyenso began his college career at Kentucky, where he attempted a total of one three-pointer in two seasons. Last year he was at Kansas State, where he did not shoot any threes. He came into tonight's game having made 7-of-29 three-pointers on the season. He had not made a three since Virginia Tech's win over Pitt on Feb. 3.
Not sure what Young could do about any of that.
Virginia Tech started the season 12-2 after they beat Virginia 95–85 in triple overtime on New Year's Eve. Since then, they've gone 7-9 and enter the ACC tournament as the No. 12 seed against No. 13 Wake Forest.
Virginia has a bye into the quarterfinals.
More College Basketball on Sports Illustrated
- Jeremy Fears Jr. Assessed Technical Foul After Kick to Michigan Player’s Groin
- Seven Candidates to Replace Damon Stoudamire at Georgia Tech
- Boston College Dismisses Earl Grant: Five Candidates to Take Over Eagles, Including Program Legend
- Georgia Tech Fires Coach Damon Stoudamire: A Look at the Program’s Gradual Slide
- Men's Basketball State of the Bubble: Stock Down on Several ACC Teams Heading into Conference Title Week
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Virginia Tech Coach Mike Young in Total Disbelief After Tough Loss to Virginia.
