Hokies survive apparent buzzer-beater
Erick Green made an 18-footer with 4.5 seconds left to give Virginia Tech the lead, and an apparent game-winner at the buzzer by Florida State’s Derwin Kitchen was nullified by a lengthy official review, allowing the Hokies to escape with a 52-51 victory in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals Friday night.
#6 seed Tech (21-10) advances to play #2 seed Duke in Saturday’s semifinals – and perhaps more importantly appears to have all but sewn up an at-large berth in next week’s NCAA Tournament. Continue reading “Hokies survive apparent buzzer-beater” »
Hokies dominate Georgia Tech in ACC opener
Virginia Tech jumped out to an early 15-2 lead and cruised from there to a 59-43 win over Georgia Tech in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Thursday.
The Hokies (20-10) led by as many as 19 points in the first half and went into the halftime break up 36-19. Georgia Tech (13-18) would get no closer than 15 in the second half. Continue reading “Hokies dominate Georgia Tech in ACC opener” »
Hokies fall at Clemson, now squarely on NCAA bubble
A 15-5 run to begin the second half gave Clemson separation, and the Tigers held off a couple of Virginia Tech rallies en route to a 69-60 win to end the regular season for both teams.
An 16-3 Clemson run in the first half pushed the Tigers (20-10, 9-7 ACC) to an early 15-point bulge, but the Hokies rallied to within four at 34-30 at the half. Clemson’s strong second-half start left the Tigers up 49-35 at the 11:29 mark. The closest that Virginia Tech (19-10, 9-7 ACC) would get the rest of the way would be seven points. Continue reading “Hokies fall at Clemson, now squarely on NCAA bubble” »
Riding the bubble again?
Maybe I’m alone on this, but that’s where I think Virginia Tech is after that demoralizing 76-61 home loss to Boston College Tuesday night. Except for a 10-minute stretch in the middle of the game, the Hokies were dominated at home three days after its supposedly season-defining win over then-#1 Duke.
Reality check: The updated CBSSports.com RPI has Tech down to #62, i.e. dangerously close to being out of the field, after the BC game. More reality: The Hokies are a woeful 2-6 against the RPI Top 50, and a middling 4-3 against RPI 101-200 (with two losses to anemic Virginia). Continue reading “Riding the bubble again?” »
Tech loses at home to BC: Back on the bubble?
Boston College led by as many as 20 points in the second half and held on to defeat a sluggish Virginia Tech 76-61 in Blacksburg Tuesday.
The win gives BC (18-11, 8-7 ACC) a sweep of the season series with Tech and boosts the Eagles NCAA Tourament hopes. The loss similarly puts a black mark on the tournament resume of Virginia Tech (19-9, 9-6 ACC), which just three days ago seemed to have played its win into the NCAAs with a dramatic win over then-#1 Duke. Continue reading “Tech loses at home to BC: Back on the bubble?” »
Chris Graham: Is Tech a tourney team?
The short answer: not right now. No marquee wins. (No, beating Florida State, who beat Duke, isn’t a marquee win-by-association.) Two losses to a Virginia team that is in the 150 range in the RPI.
And yes, that matter of RPI. Tech is currently in the mid-60s in the various RPIs out there. The expanded NCAA field has 37 at-large teams getting in this year. My reckoning is that anybody outside of 45-50 in the RPI had better get their pins and needles ready come Selection Sunday.
The Hokies have some time to work on their resume. Four games remain in the regular season, including one last chance at a marquee win at home on Saturday against Duke. A loss to the Blue Devils, a slipup against Wake Forest, or a loss to another team trying to boost its resume (Boston College, Clemson), and it could be win-out-in-Greensboro-or-else.
No pressure, right? Expectations have risen with what Seth Greenberg has been able to do in Blacksburg in recent years, but the fan base is getting impatient with the succession of near-misses come tourney time.
Is Tech a tourney team?
The short answer: not right now. No marquee wins. (No, beating Florida State, who beat Duke, isn’t a marquee win-by-association.) Two losses to a Virginia team that is in the 150 range in the RPI.
And yes, that matter of RPI. Tech is currently in the mid-60s in the various RPIs out there. The expanded NCAA field has 37 at-large teams getting in this year. My reckoning is that anybody outside of 45-50 in the RPI had better get their pins and needles ready come Selection Sunday. Continue reading “Is Tech a tourney team?” »
Selection Sunday: What it all means
Posted by afp on March 13, 2011 · Leave a Comment
OK, so ACC teams don’t get to play the likes of Georgia State in January and February. That said, the Committee has made it clear that it expects power-conference teams to play more challenging nonconference schedules than Seth Greenberg likes to put together.
That much should have been clear to Greenberg a while ago, but, well, here we go again. I think Tech had clearly played its way into the field this year (as I had thought last year), but the message has been sent. Continue reading “Selection Sunday: What it all means” »
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