Virginia Tech women's basketball receives a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament

It has been a long three weeks for the Virginia Tech women's basketball team. Since beating North Carolina on Feb. 24 in their last regular season home, the Hokies went from the fifth overall seed for the NCAA Tournament to wondering if they are ever going to play at Cassell Coliseum again this season.

Losses at Notre Dame and Virginia to close out the regular season were in the backdrop after three-time ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley was injured in the third quarter of the loss at Virginia two weeks ago. She missed the ACC Tournament where the Hokies beat Miami in the quarterfinals before losing to Notre Dame in the semifinals. Her status remains up in the air for the NCAA Tournament, but Sunday night, they were relieved to get a Top 16 seed.

Virginia Tech remained in the Top 16 and got the No. 4 seed in Regional 3 in Portland and will host the first weekend. They will open up with No. 13 seed Marshall in the first round, with Baylor getting the No. 5 seed and they will play the winner of the play-in game between Vanderbilt and Columbia.

The top seed in the Regional is USC and two other ACC teams join the Hokies in the region with Syracuse getting the No. 6 seed and going to Connecticut for the first round, while Duke is the No. 7 seed and will go to Ohio State, the No. 2 seed, in the opening weekend.

What Kitley's status is remains to be seen, but getting the first and second rounds at home where Virginia Tech is 15-0 this season is huge. Playing at Cassell should help the Hokies' shooters who have sturggled the last three weeks. Cayla King and Matilda Ekh should benefit from playing at home along with Carys Baker and everyone else. It's not going to be easy as it never is in the NCAA Tournament, but playing in Blacksburg is just what the Hokies need right now after the last three weeks.