ESPN sends Virginia Tech a loud and clear message about murky future

Icon Sportswire/GettyImagesJust a couple of weeks ago, things were trending in the right direction for Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Mike Young and his team. The Hokies completed an 11-2 record in their non-conference slate with losses coming to Saint Mary's and VCU in the Battle 4 Atlantis Thanksgiving Weekend.

Between their trip to the Bahamas and hosting Virginia to begin ACC play on New Year's Eve, Virginia Tech picked up a road win over South Carolina in the ACC/SEC Challenge, then handed George Mason their lone loss in mid-December at home in a non-conference game. They survived overtime battles with Providence and Elon and were trending in the right direction for the NCAA…