Two teams with aspirations of making the 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament are going to meet in South Florida on Tuesday night when Virginia Tech visits Miami. Talk about two teams going in opposite directions. For the Hurricanes, they're going in the right direction at the right time. The Hokies are heading in the wrong direction at the wrong time.
Virginia Tech moved in the right direction last Wednesday night at No. 20 Clemson. The Hokies played their best 40 minutes of the season in a huge Quad 1 win, 76-66, over the Tigers. Then, just three days later, they threw all that good away by being embarrassed by Florida State at home. The Seminoles outscored Virginia Tech, 53-27, in the second half on their way to all but busting Tech's tournament hopes with a 92-69 victory.
Virginia Tech at Miami men's basketball: How to watch
If you choose to tune in Tuesday night, you have to tune into the ACC Network to watch what should be a desperate Virginia Tech team. There is no other way to put it. Their performance on the road against a tournament team will tell us a lot about them. Do they try to continue to work their way back onto the bubble, or is it going to be a team that sees the writing on the wall? Hopefully it's not the latter.
While Virginia Tech is heading in the wrong direction, the Hurricanes are surging in the opposite direction. They knocked off North Carolina last Tuesday night at home, then on Saturday, they trailed North Carolina State, 76-70, with less than a minute left, only to come back and score the final seven points of the game for a thrilling one-point victory.
Knowing Mike Young, he'll likely accept a bid to the NIT after the ACC Tournament to continue the season for at least one more game. Some teams turn down those invites, but Young would rather accept an NCAA Tournament bid. If they are going to have a chance to do that, they need another road win, this time in Miami.