Mike Young didn’t shy away from discussing the gray cloud that’s hung over Virginia Tech men’s basketball for the last two seasons on Monday.

“Listen, we’ve gone two years without advancing to the NCAA Tournament,” the head coach said at the team’s media day. “We’ve been here five years. Year 1, COVID. Went to two straight, should’ve gone to a third, and then two NITs.

“I don’t know that I want to say disappointing, but we missed the mark. We didn’t accomplish what we need to accomplish, what this fan base expects you to accomplish. Not only get there, but to win. So certainly lessons to be learned. We look back on [last season], talked about it at length this summer and how to make it better, and I certainly think that we have.”

As Young enters his sixth year at the helm of the Hokies, he knows they have to return to the Big Dance in 2025, and though it’s early, he feels like this is a squad that can clear that bar. The team looks different — only four players are back from the 2023-24 group that won 19 games and finished 10-10 in the ACC — but everyone has meshed well so far.

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