Virginia Tech coach Mike Young reveals a key for the Hokies NCAA Tournament hopes

Last season, the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team came up short in getting back to the NCAA Tournament, settling for an NIT bid. After beating Richmond at home, the Hokies went to Ohio State in the second round and fell short. In the weeks following the game, not many people saw what was coming.

After the elimination by the Buckeyes, there was a mass exodus out of Blacksburg in the transfer portal for head coach Mike Young. It left him and his staff scrambling to fill out the roster for the 2024-25 season through the transfer portal. One bit of good news as Mylyjael Poteat entered the portal, but withdrew and returned to the Hokies for his final season.

Monday, Young met with the media in Blacksburg as we are just over a month away from the season beginning on Nov. 4 at home. The veteran coach certainly seems excited about his team this upcoming season with the additions that were made and it remains to be seen if they end up being an NCAA Tournament team. If they are, the former Wofford coach knows what needs to be different this season.

Mike Young reveals how Virginia Tech can get to the NCAA Tournament

Last season the Hokies were good inside Cassel Coliseum, but when they hit the road for ACC play, they were not good. IN fact, you could make the case to why Virignia Tech didn’t get an at-large bid for the Big Dance was because of their struggles on the road. Young was asked about what it’s like for teams playing at Cassel, but also what his team needs to do as a road team.

"Hokie Nation! It's a wonderful home court, a wonderful place to play,’’ Young said. “We have to do a bit better going away from home, and that's the difference between an NCAA berth or not."

He's not wrong. The biggest problem his team had last season was winning on the road and if that doesn't change this season, the results will be the same again, if they're a bubble team, they'll be on the outside looking in of the NCAA Tournament, again.