After losing by 12 points at Alabama on Saturday night, Auburn men's basketball coach Steven Pearl made the case for his team to be in the NCAA Tournament. At 16-15, it's hard to find a log for him to stand on, and what he's standing on is a win over Florida on the road in January.
Another team in the same boat as the Tigers is Mike Young and Virginia Tech. The Hokies lost by four points at Virginia on Saturday in a game that would have had big-time implications if they had won. They would likely be on the right side of the bubble after a bunch of other bubble teams lost over the weekend as well.
One thing Young rarely does is speak out much about things, but when he does, it's time to listen. That was the case on Monday in Charlotte, the day before he began a pivotal ACC Tournament against Wake Forest in the first round.
Virginia Tech coach Mike Young makes his feelings known about his team's NCAA Tournament chances
Speaking with the media after his team practices at the Spectrum Center, Young made the case for his team to be in the NCAA Tournament, according to David Cunningham of Tech Sideline.
"I've got an NCAA Tournament team, fellas. I haven't been on that soapbox, but I am now,'' said Young. "When you consider what we lived through, the two losses in the Bahamas, and take nothing away from Saint Mary's and VCU. To do that without Tobi [Lawal], much of the January schedule without Tyler [Johnson], Tobi and [Antonio] Dorn. This team has done some really cool things, and I'm proud of them."
Young has a point, but the problem is that the loss to VCU and the half-court shot from SMU's Boopie Miller at the buzzer are going to be very difficult losses to recover from. Both of those teams are on the bubble with the Hokies. You know who will get the nod if they are compared head-to-head.
Virginia Tech needs at least two wins in the ACC Tournament to be in the conversation for a bid, but give Young credit for making his case for his team. He has more to stand on than Pearl does.