The Miami Hurricanes improved to 21-5 (10-3 ACC) on the 2025-26 season after a close 67-66 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies on Tuesday night.
Head coach Jai Lucas met with the media to recaps Miami’s win. Here’s everything Lucas had to say.
Opening statement…
“One, how good is ACC? That’s my first statement. And then Virginia Tech. They’re extremely well coached. He (Mike Young) does a great job, both offensively and defensively. They’re physical. They execute. They’re just a really well coached team. I had to tell them I’m sorry after the game, because it’s like their fourth loss, under three seconds, and they would be in the top of the league if it wasn’t that way.”
On the team…
“I’m proud of our guys, because we found a way to win when we didn’t have our best stuff. We got a lot of guys playing heavy minutes, and a lot of guys banged up. Tre didn’t know if he was going play, Malik was dealing with a migraine, Shelton’s knee swole up on him, so we were just dealing with a bunch of stuff. Despite that, these are the games in late February, early March, that you have to win, and have to find ways to win if you want to compete at a high level. And we were able to do that.”
On Tre’s Performance…
“He willed us to it. And that’s what senior guards who have been in big moments, and why you bet on guys’ pedigree, of guys who won state championships, conference championships, and played in big games for moments like this.”
On where the will to keep on going through injuries is coming from and what it says about the Hurricanes squad...
"It just comes with the season, to be honest with you. It comes with the time. It comes with us from June. You have 13 new guys and it takes the season to develop this type of grind and this type of resilience. You have to go through stuff in the season. So we went through the Florida loss. We went through the BYU loss. We went through things that have made us be comfortable in these moments. And I think it just comes through experience and stuff. When you have new groups and everybody's new is nothing you can really lean on and tell them, you try to tell them and you try to explain to them, but sometimes you have to go through it. And I just think us going through some of the stuff we've had has gotten us here."
On how Miami competed...
"Just that we weren't at our best and we found a way. I think this might be our first win in the 60s. The Clemson game was in the 60s. When you got to grind it out sometimes, and we were able to grind it out, you need one rebound, one stop. We were able to do that. You need to play through contact, get fouled. We were able to do that, make a free throw. We were able to execute some details down the stretch."
On Tre Donaldson down the stretch...
"Just that confidence and I think it comes from being in there before and being in those moments. If you watch him at Michigan last year, he's the guy who hit the big shots, he's the guy who went to the length of the court to make the layup to win the Big Ten championship. So he's comfortable because he's delivered in those moments before and we trust him, the team trusts him and the staff trusst him in those moments That's why the ball's in his hands."
On the confidence players are playing with...
"I was just telling them in the huddle and preaching in the huddle is we just got to keep going. I know you're tired, but right now is not the time to be tired. We got a battle, we got a fight, we got a call for every possession. We'll rest the next two days. We'll rest and we'll be ready for Saturday. But right now, I need you to give me everything. I need you to empty the tank, and they did."
On Ernest Udeh defense...
"Ernest is probably one of the people I'm hardest on because one I feel he needs it because he's also one of the guys who I feel like he doesn't know how good he is and I have to bring it out of him. He is capable of being one of the best defenders in the country and I saw that in the summer and so I have the utmost confidence in switching it and what we had to do and the way he guarded Neokli in those possessions when we switched with him, same thing with number zero. He has those capabilities and I have to stay on him and let him realize like you are that good. Don't take a back seat and so he showed up in those moments and he shut them down. "
On the defensive changes throughout the game...
"We had to start switching just because their pace was a lot faster in person than it was on film. And watching some of their games, the games they have struggled against North Carolina State, against Florida State, against Duke, it was because of the switching. Now normally we aren't a switching team, but it was kind of the thing we had in our back pocket where if we felt like they were getting too comfortable in the offense instead of going zone as much, it would just be to switch everything. And we did, and we were able to kind of just grind it out and steal some possessions during that."
Thoughts on No. 14 Virginia...
"I know they're really good. I know they're really big. I know they shoot the 3. Also know it's one of the hardest places to play in the conference. I haven't watched them at all yet. I'll start watching them tomorrow. But I know Ryan Odom, one of my friends is on staff, so I've followed him I guess his whole coaching career because my friend's been with him. So I'm kind of familiar with their style of play and how they play, they press you. He does a really good job. They're really offensively sound. It'll be a great test. It's like it will be what a Sweet 16 or an Elite Eight game is like, that type of feel and that type of team and environment. So I'm excited. The guys will be excited. They have confidence playing on the road and winning on the road."
Head coach Jai Lucas met with the media to recaps Miami’s win. Here’s everything Lucas had to say.
Opening statement…
“One, how good is ACC? That’s my first statement. And then Virginia Tech. They’re extremely well coached. He (Mike Young) does a great job, both offensively and defensively. They’re physical. They execute. They’re just a really well coached team. I had to tell them I’m sorry after the game, because it’s like their fourth loss, under three seconds, and they would be in the top of the league if it wasn’t that way.”
On the team…
“I’m proud of our guys, because we found a way to win when we didn’t have our best stuff. We got a lot of guys playing heavy minutes, and a lot of guys banged up. Tre didn’t know if he was going play, Malik was dealing with a migraine, Shelton’s knee swole up on him, so we were just dealing with a bunch of stuff. Despite that, these are the games in late February, early March, that you have to win, and have to find ways to win if you want to compete at a high level. And we were able to do that.”
On Tre’s Performance…
“He willed us to it. And that’s what senior guards who have been in big moments, and why you bet on guys’ pedigree, of guys who won state championships, conference championships, and played in big games for moments like this.”
On where the will to keep on going through injuries is coming from and what it says about the Hurricanes squad...
"It just comes with the season, to be honest with you. It comes with the time. It comes with us from June. You have 13 new guys and it takes the season to develop this type of grind and this type of resilience. You have to go through stuff in the season. So we went through the Florida loss. We went through the BYU loss. We went through things that have made us be comfortable in these moments. And I think it just comes through experience and stuff. When you have new groups and everybody's new is nothing you can really lean on and tell them, you try to tell them and you try to explain to them, but sometimes you have to go through it. And I just think us going through some of the stuff we've had has gotten us here."
On how Miami competed...
"Just that we weren't at our best and we found a way. I think this might be our first win in the 60s. The Clemson game was in the 60s. When you got to grind it out sometimes, and we were able to grind it out, you need one rebound, one stop. We were able to do that. You need to play through contact, get fouled. We were able to do that, make a free throw. We were able to execute some details down the stretch."
On Tre Donaldson down the stretch...
"Just that confidence and I think it comes from being in there before and being in those moments. If you watch him at Michigan last year, he's the guy who hit the big shots, he's the guy who went to the length of the court to make the layup to win the Big Ten championship. So he's comfortable because he's delivered in those moments before and we trust him, the team trusts him and the staff trusst him in those moments That's why the ball's in his hands."
On the confidence players are playing with...
"I was just telling them in the huddle and preaching in the huddle is we just got to keep going. I know you're tired, but right now is not the time to be tired. We got a battle, we got a fight, we got a call for every possession. We'll rest the next two days. We'll rest and we'll be ready for Saturday. But right now, I need you to give me everything. I need you to empty the tank, and they did."
On Ernest Udeh defense...
"Ernest is probably one of the people I'm hardest on because one I feel he needs it because he's also one of the guys who I feel like he doesn't know how good he is and I have to bring it out of him. He is capable of being one of the best defenders in the country and I saw that in the summer and so I have the utmost confidence in switching it and what we had to do and the way he guarded Neokli in those possessions when we switched with him, same thing with number zero. He has those capabilities and I have to stay on him and let him realize like you are that good. Don't take a back seat and so he showed up in those moments and he shut them down. "
On the defensive changes throughout the game...
"We had to start switching just because their pace was a lot faster in person than it was on film. And watching some of their games, the games they have struggled against North Carolina State, against Florida State, against Duke, it was because of the switching. Now normally we aren't a switching team, but it was kind of the thing we had in our back pocket where if we felt like they were getting too comfortable in the offense instead of going zone as much, it would just be to switch everything. And we did, and we were able to kind of just grind it out and steal some possessions during that."
Thoughts on No. 14 Virginia...
"I know they're really good. I know they're really big. I know they shoot the 3. Also know it's one of the hardest places to play in the conference. I haven't watched them at all yet. I'll start watching them tomorrow. But I know Ryan Odom, one of my friends is on staff, so I've followed him I guess his whole coaching career because my friend's been with him. So I'm kind of familiar with their style of play and how they play, they press you. He does a really good job. They're really offensively sound. It'll be a great test. It's like it will be what a Sweet 16 or an Elite Eight game is like, that type of feel and that type of team and environment. So I'm excited. The guys will be excited. They have confidence playing on the road and winning on the road."
