Five teams from Virginia made the NCAA tournament, but Virginia Tech wasn’t one of them, and Georgetown qualified for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
Coach Seth Greenberg’s Virginia Tech Hokies were robbed for the third time in four seasons, failing to make the NCAA tournament despite a winning record in the Atlantic Coast Conference. As the end of the selection show drew near, the unthinkable was happening. A winning record in the ACC is usually a lock for the NCAA tournament.
The Hokies also failed to make the tournament in 2008 and 2010 after having winning records in the ACC. The Hokies (21-11, 9-7 ACC) lost their final two regular season games but redeemed themselves by defeating Georgia Tech and Florida State in the ACC tournament. The Hokies also had a signature win against top-seeded Duke, a team that had only four losses in 34 games.
The Hokies beat NCAA tournament invitees Florida State (twice) and Penn State, although it appears that a March 5 loss to Clemson may have been the difference between the Hokies and Tigers getting in. Clemson also had a 9-7 conference mark. Hokie seniors including guard Malcolm Delaney (18.6 points per game) and forward Jeff Allen (13.6 points and 10 rebounds) will leave Virginia Tech never having played in the NCAA tournament.
Teams from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and Virginia that made the tournament include Georgetown, George Mason, Hampton, Old Dominion, Richmond, and Virginia Commonwealth.
To read my article on Examiner.com, click here.
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