Before the season started, the hopes were high that the Virginia Tech men's basketball team was going to make the 68-team NCAA Tournament field. After going 11-2 in their non-conference schedule, the Hokies have split their first 10 ACC games, going 5-5. However, the results could be much different if a few things had fallen differently.
Truth be told, the Hokies have nobody to blame but themselves. They have lost three games in the final five seconds by a total of five points. They lost by three points at Wake Forest in the final seconds, then by a point at home to Stanford, before dropping another one-point decision at SMU on a half-court shot at the buzzer.
The problem is, Virginia Tech had a chance to seal those games at the free-throw line and protect the ball. That hasn't been the case. Missed free throws and turnovers in the waning seconds have left them squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. In Joe Lunardi's latest bracketology at ESPN, the Hokies continue to slide in the wrong direction.
Virginia Tech keeps sliding in wrong direction of latest ESPN bracketology
Virginia Tech had a chance to solidify its tournament hopes last Saturday at home with a win over Duke. After falling behind and cutting the deficit to six points in the second half, the Hokies were unable to complete a comeback and lost by 14 points after the Blue Devils pulled away late. According to Joe Lunardi, Virginia Tech has slid from the top team in the "First Four Out" to the third team. California, which Tech beat at home last month, and Santa Clara have moved ahead of them and closer to the field.
The Hokies have a bye this week before returning to the court on Saturday in Raleigh against North Carolina State. It is the first of multiple Quad 1 opportunities Mike Young and his team are facing down the stretch. A win would go a long way to help Virginia Tech's chances next month of making the NCAA Tournament.