Here's how I'll explain it.
Also, yes, I had a great view of it. Put my video I took of the game-winner in my story. Ooof.
As for Mike Young, here's the back-and-forth:
Me: How do you process this one, just the way it ended?
MY: [Sh*t, David.] It’s the game. Kid made a great shot. SMU is really, really good. They’re really good. They’re in the top 25 for a reason, they’re that talented. Seen them play a lot. I thought our team outplayed them in a number of areas. We’ve got to rebound a little bit better, but a wonderful, gutsy, tough performance from our team, and we’ve got another one on Saturday that’s every bit as important as this one. We’re going to figure it out. We’ll be fine.
Me: What did you think about how you guys executed down the stretch in those final couple of minutes?
MY: Good. The turnover here with Neo, I’ll kick myself, we could’ve handled that better. You’re up four, you’ve got the ball on the endline, you can’t have that turnover. But again, we’ll grow from it, we’ll get better.
Me: You called a timeout after they did before the final shot. Did you get the look you wanted defensively?
MY: I thought they were going to throw the thing [to midcourt] and run Boopie up the floor. When he threw the ball up, you could’ve knocked me over with a feather. I thought we were in great shape. Only up two, can’t foul. Thought Boopie would try to get into his body, he did a little bit, but released it and let it go and got it down.
Me: Did you have the guys at the line that you wanted in the final couple of minutes?
MY: I’ll take Ben Hammond up there anytime. I just told Ben Hammond he’s going to be up there again, a number of times, in critical situations in his career, and he’ll make them. I think he’s over 80 from the line coming in. Tobi Lawal, third game back. He was 4-for-4 against Cal. We’re going to be fine.
Me: What did you tell them after the game?
MY: Exactly what I just told you.
Me: Jailen Bedford comes back to Texas and has a great game. What stood out?
MY: He was terrific. He played his guts out. He played really, really hard. He was engaged. I thought he was as good defensively as he was offensively. Jailen Bedford was outstanding. I’m really proud of him.
My thoughts: Yes, he was frustrated, ticked off and disappointed. His comment at the beginning said a lot. And the "exactly what I just told you" line. That wasn't a shot at me; just the truth. There's only so much to say in those moments, and a lot of it is about responding and turning the page, because it's too late to go back and change what happened last night. He rarely comes across as worried unless he actually says it, but his body language was a lot of just shaking his head, scratching his head at the late-game execution stuff — especially that turnover. And when talking about the FT shooting, he kind of game one of those, "I'm not sure what else we can do there except have the guy make it" shrugs.
Thread Replies (23)
Here's how I experienced last night's game.
-- Will Stewart
Jan 15, 2026 at 10:52 AM ET
Will Stewart
•
01/15/26 10:52 AM ET
Recently I stopped watching games live as our team is frustrating to watch
-- hokieinoregon
Jan 15, 2026 at 01:04 PM ET
hokieinoregon
•
01/15/26 01:04 PM ET
Correct. I watched the game with my daughter
-- OrlandoHokie
Jan 15, 2026 at 11:53 AM ET
OrlandoHokie
•
01/15/26 11:53 AM ET
Actually - you had a much more enjoyable experience...
-- The_VT_Rock
Jan 15, 2026 at 11:42 AM ET
The_VT_Rock
•
01/15/26 11:42 AM ET
Couldn't defend an inbound alley-oop pass with 7 seconds left when everyone
-- Nortazhokie
Jan 15, 2026 at 11:27 AM ET
Nortazhokie
•
01/15/26 11:27 AM ET
Had to pee after 2 hours on road? That's an old guy move
-- HokieAl
Jan 15, 2026 at 11:17 AM ET
HokieAl
•
01/15/26 11:17 AM ET
I foresaw it & told the Missus...
-- astrohokie
Jan 15, 2026 at 11:04 AM ET
astrohokie
•
01/15/26 11:04 AM ET
And no presser, probably due to turnaround (redeye?)**
-- TomTurkey
Jan 15, 2026 at 11:02 AM ET
TomTurkey
•
01/15/26 11:02 AM ET
I don't understand the question.
-- Will Stewart
Jan 15, 2026 at 11:10 AM ET
Will Stewart
•
01/15/26 11:10 AM ET
Bunk SiriusXM, --> 1053thebear.com !!**
-- astrohokie
Jan 15, 2026 at 11:29 AM ET
astrohokie
•
01/15/26 11:29 AM ET
I was 75 miles away from The Bear.
-- Will Stewart
Jan 15, 2026 at 12:30 PM ET
Will Stewart
•
01/15/26 12:30 PM ET
I listen on line on phone often**
-- astrohokie
Jan 15, 2026 at 12:32 PM ET
astrohokie
•
01/15/26 12:32 PM ET
Just meant no presser due to catching their flight back to Blacksburg.
-- TomTurkey
Jan 15, 2026 at 11:16 AM ET
TomTurkey
•
01/15/26 11:16 AM ET
Ha. Well, the only postgame Mike Young did was with me.
-- David Cunningham
Jan 15, 2026 at 11:24 AM ET
David Cunningham
•
01/15/26 11:24 AM ET
i assume he was shell shocked and in a bit of a fog**
-- VermontDDS
Jan 15, 2026 at 11:59 AM ET
VermontDDS
•
01/15/26 11:59 AM ET
Well good job David least you got some quotes for flying across the country
-- VickFlick_Skip
Jan 15, 2026 at 11:39 AM ET
VickFlick_Skip
•
01/15/26 11:39 AM ET
Here's how I'll explain it.
◄
-- David Cunningham
Jan 15, 2026 at 12:02 PM ET
David Cunningham
•
01/15/26 12:02 PM ET
He responded as well anyone could have responded in such a tough spot
-- ScottsdaleHokie
Jan 15, 2026 at 06:37 PM ET
ScottsdaleHokie
•
01/15/26 06:37 PM ET
All I can say is: It just wasn't meant to be. Hopefully, it evens
-- LXNTN_HOKIE
Jan 15, 2026 at 03:53 PM ET
LXNTN_HOKIE
•
01/15/26 03:53 PM ET
Hope everyone reads this...
-- I love VT!
Jan 15, 2026 at 12:18 PM ET
I love VT!
•
01/15/26 12:18 PM ET
Agree. However, he gets paid very well to coach this team
-- ScottsdaleHokie
Jan 15, 2026 at 06:39 PM ET
ScottsdaleHokie
•
01/15/26 06:39 PM ET
Bingo. And they did just about everything wrong you could against Cal
-- LonghornHokie
Jan 15, 2026 at 11:49 PM ET
LonghornHokie
•
01/15/26 11:49 PM ET
Thanks. Haven't read it yet. **
-- TomTurkey
Jan 15, 2026 at 11:25 AM ET
TomTurkey
•
01/15/26 11:25 AM ET
Aren't you glad I don't post about basketball? :)**
-- NokieHokie
Jan 15, 2026 at 10:55 AM ET
NokieHokie
•
01/15/26 10:55 AM ET