Is Virginia Tech going to make the NCAA Tournament? Plotting the Hokies path to a bid

Monday night, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team put together a 40-minute performance that head coach Mike Young has been waiting for. They were crisp on offense, they played good defense, and never let Virginia get comfortable at either end of the floor. The win improved them to 15-11 overall, but somehow, they are still hanging around the bubble for the 68-team field and NCAA Tournament next month.

The question is, however, are the Hokies good enough to do what it takes to get into the dance? That remains to be seen, but with that said, here is their path to getting into the field over the next month.

Virginia Tech's remaining schedule

• Saturday: at Pittsburgh
• Feb. 27: at Syracuse
• March 2: vs. Wake Forest
• March 5: at Louisville
• March 9: vs. Notre Dame

Believe it or not, there are games on this list that are ones that can improve the Hokies resume, however, let's address one glaring issue that has been a thorn in their side all season long, winning away from Blacksburg. Pittsburgh Saturday night is a win that can go a long way to helping Virginia Tech, however, it's on the road. They still have to go to Syracuse and Louisville, two games that could potentially be big ones.

ACC Tournament

Of course, one path to the NCAA Tournament is winning the ACC Tournament next month in Washington, D.C. It's not completely out of the possibility as just two years ago, Hunter Cattoor led the then-No. 7 seed Hokies to the tournament title in New York.

It remains to be seen where Virginia Tech ends up in the seeding process, but if they have any thoughts on making a run through the conference tournament, they need to at least avoid playing on the first day and getting a No. 9 seed or better. That would require some road wins in their final three ACC road games. Again, easier said than done.

Will the Hokies get into the NCAA Tournament?

Virginia Tech's NET ranking is No. 53 at the time of this article and their KenPom ranking is 51. They do have an opportunity to improve both rankings beginning Saturday night at Pittsburgh, but at 7-8 in the ACC, getting to 10-10 going into the ACC Tournament will give them some hope. Running the table in their final five regular season games and winning a game or two in the conference tournament would help their cause, but if we go by the eye test and the Hokies results on the road, their chances to get back into the NCAA Tournament are thin at best. However, there is a path and anything is possible, right?