Somehow, someway, even after losing at Virginia, 76-72, on Saturday, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team is still within striking distance of an NCAA Tournament at-large bid next Sunday when the 68-team field is announced.
Now, just how realistic that is remains to be seen, but hey, somehow they still have a chance. A win over the Cavaliers on Saturday likely would have vaulted them into the "Last Four In'' category. A season sweep over Virginia would have carried a lot more weight than what other teams' résumés offer.
The bubble was nuts on Saturday as every team lost. Talk about a major missed opportunity for Virginia Tech. They had their chance and missed. Now, with conference tournaments on tap this week, a lot of teams have some work to do. One team that sits at 16-15 is somehow still on the bubble and the last team in Joe Lunardi's field at ESPN. After losing by 12 at Alabama, 94-84, Auburn head coach Steven Pearl made the case for his team to get into the field. I get his case, but let's get a little realistic.
Auburn coach Steven Pearl haninging Auburn's NCAA Tournament hopes on one win
After losing to Alabama for a second time this season, Pearl made his case for his team again, which sits at16-15, and went back to their best win in January, 76-67, at Florida.
"We have the best win in college basketball at Florida. If you look at our quality wins and other teams on the bubble, I don't think those teams get those wins... I think our resume stands up against anybody's."
So there is that notion that the SEC is the best conference in the country. Maybe it is, and Florida is the hottest and most dangerous team in the country right now. It wouldn't be surprising to see them repeat in early April. However, there are teams out there that have impressive wins also.
So it appears that Pearl is hanging his hat on Florida and trying to ride that victory over everyone else. Virginia Tech has 19 wins and a win over the second-best ACC team, Virginia. Sure, that was at home, but a win is a win, right, Steven? The only other teams to beat them are Duke and North Carolina.
The early rounds of the conference tournaments are going to be telling for a lot of teams, including Auburn and Virginia Tech. The Hokies had plenty of opportunities to win some close games and did, but Pearl's comments feel like a desperate plea for someone who probably knows deep down inside that they don't belong.