Today’s loss isn’t going to keep us out of the tournament. But if Neo continues to get as many minutes as he currently does and continues to put up as many awful shots as he does, it will almost certainly contribute to potential losses against the likes of Wake (again), NC State, FSU. And a few losses to that group will indeed keep us out of the tournament. I’m sufficiently fired up about this to the point where I want to go back and watch every game and try to estimate how many points he’s cost us w turnovers, bad shots, missed FTs, etc. I don’t know what kind of commitment Coach might have made to Neo, but there comes a time when you have to acknowledge facts and make changes. Mike Young was hired, first and foremost, to win games at VT. The job description doesn’t mention anything about foregoing wins to help one player get drafted. Anyone with two eyeballs can see that Neo is a significant net negative to the team right now, and has been since early in the season. Duke knew what they were doing. They funneled the ball to Neo and wanted him to take as many shots as possible. VT had to work very hard on the offensive end to create looks for guys like Hansberry and Hammond. They were basically expending valuable energy to make sure one of their own guys DIDN’T take too many shots. How poor of a strategy is that? Something has to give. Hard for me to believe Coach is wiling to allow Neo to torpedo this team’s chance to make the tourney. But maybe he is because he’s worried about some promise he made 9 months ago. Promises in the sports world, especially when it comes to playing time, need to be viewed as fluid, evolving, and subject to change based on what is in the TEAM’s best interest. A rotation of Schutt and Bedford would produce much better results. Man, these guys have to be frustrated. ** Edited by HolidayInnHokie at 1/31/2026, 3:16:17 PM