No one would believe it if the Virginia Tech men's basketball team made the NCAA Tournament at this point. At 19-12, they have a lot of work to do at this week's ACC Tournament, beginning on Tuesday night in the first round against Wake Forest.
The Hokies are squarely on the bubble, but a long shot to get an at-large bid on Sunday night when the 68-team field is revealed. On Monday, head coach Mike Young made his feelings known about his team's chances and that they are a tournament team. It's hard to disagree, but the results and close losses on the court say otherwise.
A long shot at best to make the NCAA Tournament, the Hokies chances took a hit late Monday night when Santa Clara upset Saint Mary's in the West Coast Conference semifinals. Yes, the same Saint Mary's that beat Virginia Tech in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals Thanksgiving Weekend. Here are five teams that the Hokies need to lose early in their tournament, along with Tech making a run in the ACC Tournament. Easier said than done.
5 teams Virginia Tech needs to lose to improve bubble chances
Auburn Tigers
Head coach Steven Pearl made his case for the Tigers to get in despite them entering the SEC Tournament at 16-15 overall. They will open the SEC Tournament against Mississippi State on Wednesday afternoon. If Auburn wins that game, they get Tennessee in the next round. Do 17-16 teams from the SEC get an at-large berth?
Indiana Hoosiers
Joe Lunardi has the Hoosier right on the bubble with the Hokies. At 18-13, Indiana opens play in the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday against Rutgers in the second round. A win there and they'll get Purdue in the second round. If the Hoosiers win those two games, they'll likely have a better shot of getting in than Virginia Tech.
Oklahoma Sooners
Like Auburn, the Sooners kick off SEC Tournament play on Wednesday. They will face South Carolina in the first round, and if Oklahoma wins that, they get Texas A&M in the second round. OU is 17-14, one more win than Auburn, and it'll come down to how much the committee values the SEC compared to other conferences. That might not be good for the Hokies.
Stanford Cardinal
The Cardinal kicks off the ACC Tournament on Wednesday at 2 p.m. against Pittsburgh. The Panthers got in with an overtime win at Syracuse on Saturday, which eliminated Boston College. Stanford owns the head-to-head win over Virginia Tech after a huge rally against the Hokies in one of their late-game meltdowns in January. That is not good.
California Golden Bears
Virginia Tech owns the head-to-head win over the Golden Bears after beating them at home in January. Cal has had some slip-ups coming down the stretch, but they still avoided playing on the first day of the tournament. They get the team nobody wants to face in Charlotte: Florida State. A win over the Seminoles gets Cal a date with top-seeded Duke. They have a big opportunity to pass both Virginia Tech and Stanford with two wins.