SBN’s Virginia Tech affiliate, Gobbler Country, has a dour outlook on their team’s tournament chances. Not only does the weak non-conference schedule hamper the Hokies’ chances, but as they point out, the team’s supposed strength--the 10-6 ACC record--isn’t as good as it looks:
Virginia Tech Blog: Lack of Quality Wins May Doom Hokies’ Tourney Hopes
The Hokies also don't have a signature win to point to this year. Florida beat Michigan State and Tennessee. Illinois beat Michigan State and Wisconsin. Virginia Tech's best win was over Wake Forest, which doesn't look as good as it did a week ago after the Deacs lost to Miami (Miami again?!?) in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
In fact, Virginia Tech's 10-6 ACC record, which a lot of people are pointing to, isn't as shiny as it first appears. The five teams the Hokies played twice this season were Miami (three times), NC State, North Carolina, Virginia and Boston College. That's right, the teams that finished 8-12 in the standings.
It was the worst possible conference schedule the Hokies could play and seven of Tech's 10 ACC wins came against those teams. The other three came against the teams that finished 5-7 in the conference: Wake Forest, Clemson and Georgia Tech.
Yikes. Usually when the committee departs from straight RPI and conference record talk, their factoring usually gravitates toward quality wins. That's bad news for the Hokies, and only historic weakness from this year's bubble is keeping them in the conversation for an at-large bid. They'll learn their fate soon enough in Blacksburg.
See More:
