If there was a time that the Virginia Tech women’s basketball team needed a bounce-back game, it was Sunday afternoon at Virginia. Losing three nights earlier at home to Syracuse was not the type of result the Hokies resume needed at this time of the year, a month from selection Sunday.
After the loss to the Orange, Virginia Tech dropped to the very last team in the field in Charlie Creme’s ESPN bracketology. That’s not a spot that anyone wants to be in this time of the year. After their win over the Cavaliers to split the season series with their in-state rivals, the Hokies are looking at five more games remaining in the regular season before the ACC Tournament next month.
Those a five vital games for Megan Duffy’s team and based on the latest bracketology from Creme, that stretch could very well determine Virginia Tech’s fate to go dancing next month in the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia Tech remains the last team in the field
Following the Hokies' 25-point win at Virginia, 87-62, they remained the last team in the field according to Creme’s bracketology. The other three teams in the last group are Nebraska, Saint Joseph’s, and Harvard. The last four teams out right behind Virginia Tech are Washington, Princeton, George Mason, and Arizona. Those are some good programs battling for one of the final spots with the Hokies.
Virginia Tech has two more chances to pick up resume-building wins before the conference tournament beginning Thursday night at No. 12 North Carolina and then on Feb. 23 at home against California. They also host Stanford three nights before and then close out with road games at Boston College and Clemson.
Right now the Hokies are missing center Rose Micheaux who is listed as day-to-day with an injury and Duffy said after the Virginia game that they’ll be getting her back at some point. That is hopefully sooner rather than later as they face a big enough uphill climb at UNC with her, never mind without her.
On the ACC Network broadcast on Sunday in Charlottesville, analyst Kelly Gramlich said that the Hokies are indeed a tournament team and that the committee needs to take into consideration Micheaux’s injury. We’ll see if that happens if they are truly on the bubble on March 16.