Latest bracketology from ESPN is a major cause for concern for Virginia Tech women
By Scott Roche
One day after being eliminated from the ACC Tournament in the semifinals against Notre Dame, the Virginia Tech women's basketball team is trending down according to Charlie Creme of ESPN. In fact, they are trending down so much so that securing a Top 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament next week is fading, which is concerning.
According to Creme, Virginia Tech dropped to a four-seed, which is the final seed that hosts the first and second round of the tournament in two weeks. They are currently the No. 4 seed of the Portland 2 Region with Stanford as the top seed. The Hokies according to his bracketology would host Toledo and then the winner of Kansas State/Richmond should they win.
Yes, a 29-point loss to Notre Dame Saturday in Greensboro didn't do them any favors, however, the injury to Elizabeth Kitley last Sunday against Virginia doesn't help. According to Creme,
"Teams are selected for the field based on their entire résumé, so losing a star or key contributor doesn't damage any team's NCAA tournament hopes. But injuries can impact seeding if those players aren't available for NCAA tourney games. The Hokies' chances for a No. 1 seed disappeared Sunday with a loss to Virginia, but a top-16 finish also could evaporate if Kitley is out."
Friday, head coach Kenny Brooks announced that Kitley was going to miss the ACC Tournament, but she was going to be re-evaluated before the NCAA Tournament. I wouldn't expect an announcement about her availability for the NCAA until after the brackets are released unless they are 100% certain she will play.
Two weeks off is just what Virginia Tech needs after losing to the Irish and it gives Brooks and his staff more time to game plan for playing with or without Kitley. Their body of work during the regular season and winning the ACC regular season title should carry weight in terms of seeding and they should be in Blacksburg in two weeks. However, it's going to be a long week of speculation until next Sunday night.
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