BLACKSBURG, Va. –– Virginia Tech’s Tyrece Radford scored his only basket of the game with less than a second remaining in double overtime to give the Hokies a 79-77 win against the reeling North Carolina Tar Heels.
Despite a career night for Garrison Brooks, who finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists; the struggling Tar Heels squad was dealt a sixth consecutive conference loss. North Carolina has been decimated with injuries that have plagued their 2019-2020 campaign in a devastation fashion.
Meanwhile, The Hokies continued their remarkable play of late and take their record to 14-5 overall and 5-3 in conference play.
Mike Young, the undisputed frontrunner for ACC Coach of the Year in his first season in Blacksburg, led his squad to a crucial conference victory after trailing at the halftime break by six.
Young commented, “I thought we missed some shots we typically get down. I didn’t think we were as smooth in the first half or even through the first media timeout or 12:00 mark of the second half before we got rolling.”
Despite extremely low preseason expectations, the Hokies are atop the second-tier of the ACC standings, behind front-runners Louisville, Florida State, and Duke, who are the unquestioned premier teams in the league this season.
When asked about his players, Young said, “Those guys are giving us everything they’ve got. We’re 14-5 and 5-3 in the league. They’re giving this program everything they’ve got and I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to coach them.”
Although NCAA Tournament aspirations run rampant on the Virginia Tech campus, there is much work to be done during the remainder of the regular season and the ACC Tournament in Greensboro before the Hokies’ post-season fate is decided.
First order of business? The surging Hokies group will return to action on Saturday afternoon in Chestnut Hill, Mass. to take on the Boston College Eagles.
Written by Greg Atkins.
