Miami Prepared for Another Nail-Biter Against Virginia Tech

Since Mike Young took over as Virginia Tech’s head coach in 2019, the Hokies and the Hurricanes have played some of the most exciting games against each other in the ACC. These include a triple-overtime win by Miami in 2020 and a last-minute comeback by Virginia Tech in 2022.

With Young and UM head coach Jim Larrañaga set to face off once again on Tuesday at 7 p.m., viewers could be in store for yet another thriller between the former mid-major coaches.

Young and Larrañaga first coached against each other in 2010 when the former was at Wofford and the latter was at George Mason. Young’s Terriers defeated Larrañaga’s Patriots in overtime, 82-79. Including this initial game, the two coaches have met seven times, with each contest decided by 10 points or less.

Larrañaga holds a 4-3 advantage over Young.

“I think he’s an offensive savant. They are as good offensively as anybody in the country. They do a lot of things, I don’t know how he gets all that stuff that in but they move the ball, they move their people, they have great shooters and Mike does a great job of just organizing that,” Larrañaga said. “And our games have been close because both teams are very good and it doesn’t matter, and it doesn’t matter if we’re at home or on the road, these are very important games.”

Miami’s last game against Virginia Tech was earlier this season, and fitting in with the recent trend between the teams, it was another nail-biter. UM won 92-83 and mounted a second-half comeback that included a 17-point outburst from guard Nijel Pack in a span of five minutes.

Isaiah Wong, who had 18 points and five steals in the Hurricanes’ previous game against the Hokies this year, has been a consistent force versus Virginia Tech over the course of his collegiate career. 

Wong has averaged 16.6 points in his six games against Virginia Tech, impressing Young in the process.

“I think Wong’s as talented a scorer as there’s been in the ACC in the last couple years,” Young said. “I admire Isaiah and how he contorts his body and scores through all kinds of defenses.”

The Hokies (16-11, 6-10 ACC) feature solid guard play as well, with veterans Sean Pedulla and Hunter Catoor leading the charge. The duo combined for 40 points and shot 12-for-20 from deep in Virginia Tech’s last game against Miami (22-5, 13-4 ACC).

Pedulla and Catoor will look to replicate these performances against Miami as Young looks to tie up his record against Larrañaga.