Mike Young on building off of Virginia win: 'We don't have a lot of wiggle room'

With Selection Sunday under four weeks away, every team that even has a chance of making the NCAA Tournament is doing all they can on the court. That’s especially the case for those squads who are trying to make the cut that are currently on the outside looking in, such as Virginia Tech at 15-11.

Mike Young spoke about where his Hokies are heading during his postgame press conference after their massive, 75-41 victory over Virginia on Monday. As far as their performance on the court, he thought it was a great showing based on how they played against their in-state rival.

“That’s a good step,” said Young.

“That was enjoyable,” Young said. “I’d like to see it repeatedly. Maybe not that outcome but playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played. We did that today.”

However, as far as resumé, the win was even more significant for Virginia Tech. The Hokies, who moved up nine spots in the NET following the outcome to No. 53, secured a Quad 2 victory by 34 points over the Cavaliers.

That should, with five games to go, boost their hopes of being an at-large bid out of the ACC. They needed it too based on where Young senses they are at this point of the season with March right around the corner.

“We’ve kind of walked ourselves into a corner here,” said Young. “We don’t have a lot of wiggle room.”

After missing the tournament a season ago, the Hokies still have some chance of making the bracket for the third time over five years under Young. It may take an nearly unblemished finish to their season, though, including with a Quad 1 opportunity against the Panthers on the road this weekend.

“We have opportunities. We need to make the most of what we have left,” said Young. “What we have left is a Pittsburgh team that’s playing good basketball. We’ve got to go up there on Saturday.”

Evaluating how much trouble the ACC is in for the NCAA Tournament

March is usually when we see the ACC begin to thrive. However, for a league that’s proud of its basketball and conference tournament, this has not been their best season.

On3’s James Fletcher currently only has a handful of teams safely inside of the NCAA Tournament. That’s a worrying sight heading into the final stretch of February.

“The ACC? They are in trouble for a 15-team league,” Fletcher said during last Friday’s episode of Andy Staples On3. “A (league) that, historically, is one of the best college basketball conferences that we have? To be struggling the way that they are? It is a real problem for them. It’s going to come down to the wire for how many teams they get in the field this year.”

Thankfully for the Atlantic Coast Conference, a few teams have stepped up. Selection Sunday should now not be as dire as some thought a couple of weeks ago. The league should see a couple names called depending on their final games and who wins the ACC Tournament.