The last time out, Megan Duffy and the Virginia Tech women's basketball team picked up a third straight win with a 79-42 rout of SMU in Dallas. The win improved the Hokies to 14-5 entering a bye week.
Virginia Tech will come off the bye on Thursday night at Cassell Coliseum when they host the Clemson Tigers. It might only be January, but this is a game that could have huge ramifications when it comes to mid-March and the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia Tech hosts Clemson in pivotal ACC game
Since the New Year began, Duffy and the Hokies have been squarely on the bubble when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. They didn't help themselves by blowing a huge lead at home to Miami on Jan.1, and they were blown out by Louisville by 25 points three days later. Since that Sunday afternoon in Kentucky, Virginia Tech has a 20-point win at Syracuse, a 22-point win at home over Boston College, and the win over the Mustangs.
However, they face a Clemson team that is 13-6, but ahead of the Hokies in the bracketology at ESPN and USA Today. Charlie Creme has Virginia Tech as the second team in the "First Four Out", while he has Clemson as the last team in the field. Tell me this isn't a big game.
As far as USA Today is concerned, Mitchell Northam has the Hokies as the first team in the "First Four Out" and Clemson the next to last team in the 68-team field. Again, tell me this isn't a big game in Blacksburg on Thursday night.
This is a game that is going to look really good for one of these two teams in March, and the other might be on the outside looking in when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. Virginia Tech knows all too well what that feeling is like after being the first team left out last year. A win here would look pretty good for the Hokies.