Virginia Tech women's basketball NCAA Tournament hopes dealt crushing blow

After losing in the second round of the ACC Tournament to Georgia Tech, 72-57, on Thursday afternoon, the Virginia Tech women's basketball team was squarely on the bubble for the 68-team NCAA Tournament field in two weeks. After struggling through February with some bad losses, the Hokies remained in the mix for a berth because of what Charlie Creme called a "bubble weakness.''

Megan Duffy's team got some help this week with Minnesota being bounced early from the Big Ten Tournament and Colorado bounced Arizona from the Big 12 Tournament hours after the Hokies lost to the Yellow Jackets. Friday morning in his latest bracketology at ESPN, Creme wrote the following,

“The Hokies remain vulnerable to a Saint Joseph's run or Richmond losing in the A-10, creating a bid steal or the same in the Summit if South Dakota State loses.”

Well, the worst case scenario might have cost Virginia Tech a berth in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon in the Atlantic-10, where Saint Joseph's and Richmond reside.

Saint Joseph's buzzer beater over Richmond could end up being a bid stealer

A worst case scenario played out for the Hokies in the semifinals of the Atlantic-10 Tournament on Saturday. Ta=railing top-seed Richmond, Saint Joseph's trailed, 49-48, with time winding down when the Hawks won the game with a buzzer-beater to advance to the championship game.

So what does that mean for Virginia Tech? Well, Saint Joseph's was one of the "Last Four Out'' according to Creme and it also means that the A-10, which was seen as a one-bid league, will now have two teams. The Spiders will get in despite losing with their 32nd NET ranking. They'll get in along with either Saint Joseph, George Mason or Davidson.

That will burst a bubble for one of the "Last Four In" group and with the Hokies the last team in the field, it may have been their bubble that ended up bursting with the Hawks win.