Gobbler Country

2009-10 Virginia Tech Basketball: NIT vs. Quinnipiac Game Guide and Game Thread

2010-03-17T21:00:39Z

1 Virginia Tech Hokies (23-8, 10-6) vs. 8 Quinnipiac Bobcats (23-9, 15-3)

Time: 7 p.m. EDT
Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Place: Cassell Coliseum (9,847), Blacksburg, Va.
TV: None
Radio: XM 190
Spread: Virginia Tech -13

Resources: VT Notes | QU Notes | SB Nation Coverage | Regional Primer

Notes: Winner faces UConn in the second round of the NIT ... this is Virginia Tech's third consecutive appearance in the NIT and its second No. 1 seed in three years ... the Hokies average attendance in three games of the 2008 NIT was 9,667 ... for two games in 2009 the average attendance was 6,385 ... for all five home games the last two years the average attendance was 8,354 ... the Bobcats are led by Justin Rutty, who averaged a double-double during the 2009-10 season with 15.1 points and 11.0 rebounds per game ... Quinnipiac barely missed out on the NCAA Tournament, losing in the NEC final to Robert Morris, 52-50 ... the Bobcats have not faced a team from one of the "Big Six" conferences this season ... they played two NCAA Tournament teams in non-conference play, losing to Lehigh and Vermont.

Game Thread: Discuss the game in the comments section.

Gobbler Country's NCAA Picks

2010-03-17T19:33:04Z

I hate my bracket. It's not nearly as far-fetched as last year when I had Arizona State and Florida State in the Final Four (that turned out well), but it still scares me for a few reasons. First, I let bias get in the way. I like Syracuse hoops and hate Duke, so I picked that way. Second, I have Kansas winning it all despite Kansas inability to win NCAA Tournament games in Oklahoma City, where the Jayhawks will open this year's tournament. Finally, it pained me to no end, but I have West Virginia in the championship game. Can you imagine how much that would hurt as a Hokie fan to have to watch my team play in the NIT while the Couch Burners play for the national championship? That would be a nightmare. All of my picks are after the jump.

Midwest Region

First Round
Kansas over Lehigh
UNLV over Northern Iowa
Michigan State over New Mexico State
Maryland over Houston
Tennessee over San Diego State
Georgetown over Ohio
Georgia Tech over Oklahoma State (Anderson still scores 40)
Ohio State over UCSB

Second
Kansas over UNLV (Rebels could win, but might not be there)
Maryland over Michigan State
Georgetown over Tennessee
Ohio State over Georgia Tech

Regional
Kansas over Maryland
Ohio State over Georgetown
Kansas over Ohio State

West Region

First Round
Syracuse over Vermont
Florida State over Gonzaga
UTEP over Butler
Vanderbilt over Murray State (When everyone's picking an upset, go the other way)
Xavier over Minnesota
Pittsburgh over Oakland
Florida over BYU (Western team playing in the AM)
Kansas State over North Texas

Second Round
Syracuse over Florida State
UTEP over Vanderbilt (In case the Dores aren't there)
Pittsburgh over Xavier
Kansas State over Florida (Frank Martin could easily choke this away)

Regional
Syracuse over UTEP
Pittsburgh over Kansas State (Frank Martin in a big game)
Syracuse over Pittsburgh

East Region

First Round
Kentucky over ETSU (I'd be tempted to take the Bucs against Duke)
Texas over Wake Forest (Only team in the field Texas can beat first round)
Temple over Cornell
Wisconsin over Wofford
Washington over Marquette (Warriors got sent West again)
New Mexico over Montana (Very tempted to take the Griz)
Mizzou over Clemson
West Virginia over Morgan State

Second Round
Kentucky over Texas
Temple over Wisconsin
Washington over New Mexico
West Virginia over Mizzou

Regional
Kentucky over Temple
West Virginia over Washington
West Virginia over Kentucky

South Region

First Round
Duke over UA-Pine Bluff
Cal over Louisville
Texas A&M over Utah State
Siena over Purdue
Notre Dame over Old Dominion
Baylor over Sam Houston State
Saint Mary's over Richmond
Villanova over Robert Morris

Second Round
Duke over Cal
Texas A&M over Siena
Baylor over Notre Dame
Villanova over Saint Mary's

Regional
Texas A&M over Duke (Another Sweet 16 exit for Duke)
Baylor over Villanova
Baylor over Texas A&M (There's no way this happens)

Final Four

Kansas over Syracuse
West Virginia over Baylor

Championship

Kansas over West Virginia

Poll

Who will win the NCAA Tournament?

UConn 59, Northeastern 57

2010-03-17T01:30:41Z

UConn 59, Northeastern 57

The VT-Quinnipiac winner gets UConn. Jerome Dyson scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half and UConn squeaked by Northeastern to advance to the second round of the NIT. Northeastern missed a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.

St. Patrick's Day Presents Unique Opportunity for Die-Hard Hokies

2010-03-16T21:01:35Z

While I'll spend my St. Patrick's Day drinking copious amounts of green beer and IRA car bombs, listening to bad karaoke and calling other people out for not actually being Irish, there are much better options available for Virginia Tech fans tomorrow. There's the unique chance to see four different Hokie teams compete on the same day in Blacksburg.

You even have a chance to win a special green baseball jersey if you attend the tennis, lacrosse and baseball games.

Here's the schedule:
Men's Tennis vs. Nebraska - 2 p.m. EDT
Women's Lacrosse vs. Duke - 4 p.m. EDT
Baseball vs. Rider - 5:30 p.m. EDT
Men's Basketball vs. Quinnipiac - 7 p.m. EDT

I encourage any of you in the 'Burg tomorrow to go to all four, take pictures and then share your stories here on the blog. Just write a FanPost and I'll bump the best ones to the front page. And even if you just wind up getting drunk and missing all four, we still want your stories and photos.

Gobbler Country's NIT Picks

2010-03-16T19:03:37Z

These are sure to be just as horrible as my NCAA picks, which I'll post tomorrow. I don't see the Hokies getting past UConn because it's the more talented team. While the Huskies certainly don't look like a team that cares to be playing basketball right now, they are the more talented team and have more size down low.

That size is what is making me pick the Huskies. If you look at Virginia Tech's two previous NIT losses, they came to teams which were able to control the paint and get points inside. Will the Huskies actually show up unlike they have in their previous games? Who knows. They may come out and lay an egg against Northeastern and then the whole point will be moot.

The rest of my picks are after the jump.

First Round

Illinois over Stony Brook
Tulsa over Kent State
Dayton over Illinois State
Cincinnati over Weber State

Arizona State over Jacksonville
Texas Tech over Seton Hall
Memphis over St. John's
Ole Miss over Troy

Virginia Tech over Quinnipiac
UConn over Northeastern
Nevada over Wichita State
Northwestern over Rhode Island

Mississippi State over Jackson State
North Carolina over William & Mary
NC State over South Florida
UAB over Coastal Carolina

Second Round

Illinois over Tulsa
Cincinnati over Dayton

Arizona State over Texas Tech
Memphis over Ole Miss

UConn over Virginia Tech
Nevada over Northwestern

Mississippi State over North Carolina
UAB over NC State

Quarterfinals

Illinois over Cincinnati
Memphis over Arizona State
UConn over Nevada
Mississippi State over UAB

Semifinals

Illinois over Memphis
Mississippi State over UConn

Final

Mississippi State over Illinois

Bourbon Shots: Uninvited Hokies Edition

2010-03-16T04:01:28Z

The Hokies were expecting a frilly, glittery invitation to the Big Dance from the Selection Committee on Sunday. Instead, they got a Someecard that said, "Sorry your non-conference SOS sucks because no legitimate commercial airline flies into Roanoke."

Or something like that. There's a reason people more creative than I work for that Web site. Anyway, on to the links. Most of these were accompanied by a file photo of Seth Greenberg looking haggard.

OMG Snubbed!

Virginia Tech Beat Writers

Exclusion shouldn't surprise Hokies (Aaron McFarling)
"Go ahead: Blast the NCAA tournament selection committee. Rip Jay Bilas for saying on television that Virginia Tech didn't do enough. Laud Dick Vitale and Bob Knight -- the same Knight who advocated expanding to a ridiculous 128-team field at this time a year ago -- for sticking up for the Hokies, for saying they got jobbed, for pointing out the flaws of others who got in instead of Tech on Sunday night. Feel better? Didn't think so. All noise. Worthless noise."

Same song, no dance: Va. Tech left out of NCAA tournament (Mark Berman)
"After playing one of the weakest nonconference schedules in the country, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team once again had an unhappy experience on Selection Sunday. The Hokies were relegated to the NIT for the third straight year, becoming the first team with a 10-6 ACC record to be left out of the NCAA tournament."

Somber Sunday: Hokies left out of Big Dance (Kyle Tucker)
"Once upon a time, I was hit below the belt with a line drive off a baseball bat. I’d imagine that’s an apt description of how Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg felt when his Hokies were left out of the NCAA tournament field that was just announced."

Virginia Tech misses NCAA tournament for third straight year (Darryl Slater)
"Just now on CBS, the selection committee’s chairman, Dan Guerrero, was asked what kept out Illinois, Tech and Mississippi State, which went 2-5 against the top 50 and was also on the bubble. He mentioned, without talking specifically about Tech, non-conference strength of schedule and playing an unbalanced conference schedule."

Virginia Tech is left out of NCAA tournament (Mark Viera)
"Despite this seasons dismal at-large pool, the Hokies resume was not deemed strong enough to overcome one of the worst nonconference schedules in recent memory, at 339th in the Ratings Percentage Index. Two of their three quality wins were against marginal NCAA tournament teams in Clemson and Wake Forest."

Tech takes No. 1 seed in NIT (Collegiate Times)
"Nearly every basketball analyst pointed at Tech’s out of conference schedule strength — ranked around No. 339 nationally — as the main factor for its NIT relegation. Greenberg disagrees with the national bashing of the schedule his team played, and doesn’t appear to regret the games he scheduled."

Virginia Tech Bloggers

Another Snub (The A-Line)
"Seth dearly loves to play the victim and, given his track record, has had numerous opportunities to become really good at it. He was at his best on ESPN, defending his indefensible schedule, whining that nobody wanted to play him and, of course, campaigning for an NCAA field expansion that would finally make him a big tournament coach. Who knows, he might get his wish."

Looking at VT’s Undoing: Their Out of Conference Schedule (Tech Hoops)
"While I won’t question VT’s schedule, the one thing that stands out to me is – where are the Virginia teams? The Hokies played just two in-state teams out of conference – longwood and vmi. Those two teams also happen to be the two lowest rated RPI teams in the state, at 285 and 309 respectively. Meanwhile, richmond had a RPI of 22 and old dominion at 27. Both made the Big Dance."

You Can't Spell "Virginia Tech" without "N-I-T" (The North End Zone)
"But at some point, Seth needs to man-up and take responsibility for this. All we've heard from him thus far has been whining. We're still waiting for him to say, "It's my fault. We do this shit every year. We lose winnable games, especially down the stretch. And it's on me." Maybe not those words exactly, but you get the point."

Virginia Tech Hokies Gets Left Out of NCAA Tournament (VT Fan)
"Another selection show has come and gone and for the third straight season, the Virginia Tech logo never appeared on screen. The Hokies had amasses a quality resume with a 23-8 overall record, a 10-6 mark in conference play but perhaps the 344th ranked non-conference schedule was the anchor that officially kept the Hokies from reaching their ultimate destination."

Belated Initial ACC Bracket Thoughts (On The B.Rink)
"I will maintain–no matter what you say about strength of schedule and the unbalanced schedule in conference–Virginia Tech is a tournament team. I don’t care if you play Virginia, BC, and NC State for all flippin’ 16 games of the ACC schedule–IT’S HARD TO WIN 10 GAMES IN THE ACC! The Hokies did enough–the committee was off its rocker, again."

Around the NIT

NIT Pickin': State In As A 6-Seed; VT and UNC In As Well (Yet Another...)
"Speaking of Virginia Tech, they weren't done any favors being one of the first teams left out of the NCAA Tournament. They landed in the statistically most-difficult region in the tournament. Their opening round game against Quinnipiac should be a breeze, but beyond them lie either UConn or Northeastern, two teams that could easily beat the Hokies on the road."

Did you say you were hungry for MORE UConn men's basketball? (The UConn Blog)
"I am not happy with any of this. But here we are. UConn's 17-15, having blown in spectacular fashion every chance it had at making a run at a tournament that matters. They've put us all in this situation. We may as well make the best of it. I'll never not watch a UConn basketball game, and hey, maybe if everyone decides to just back off and let Kemba do his thing, the Huskies might win a game or two."

William & Mary: UNC Built, and Ready to Win (Carolina March)
"Never say the NIT doesn't have a sense of drama. Not only does UNC's first round opponent already have two wins against ACC teams, they also have two UNC alumni on the coaching staff. Johnthan Holmes, an assistant, was on the Heels' bench from 1999 to 2003, but it's the head coach you really want to be concerned about."

Around the ACC

Super Conferences: Financial Independence (BCS Evolution)
"The major issue is accountability. If the athletic departments are financially independent, then they are also less answerable to the institutions they represent. The board of directors and university presidents would still have control of hiring and firing AD's, but the cash would flow the other direction."

Does Greensboro Provide Too Much Of A Home Court Advantage? (BC Interruption)
Brian and Jeff takes time from reading the city's free alternative newspaper with Mrs. Brian and Mrs. Jeff trying to find a cool new place to eat for date night before saying fuck it and going to Chili's: "Sure it helps to have the crowd on your side when you are trying to win the ACC Tournament but we can forget who exactly those North Carolina based teams are. Clearly, Duke and North Carolina are the best teams in the league and you would expect them to have the most championships regardless of where the event is being played."

A World Without the Big East: Welcome to the Super-ACC (Testudo Times)
"Hey, everybody's doing it: expansion. The Big Ten started the craze, and the Pac-10 has since joined in on the fun. You can bet that if the two major conferences around them start to expand - and probably cherry-pick some members - that the Big 12 will respond by adding a team or two of their own."

ACC Television--An Absolute Joke (Shakin The Southland)
"Let's go ahead and give a nice shout-out to the ACC for officially pissing me off once again. I live in the great state of South Carolina and cannot watch the ACC Tournament. Un-freaking-believable. The premier basketball conference in America, and I am blacked out on ESPN (as is the rest of the state) and the Raycom sports network does not have an affiliate in this area."

ACC Tourney Reaction (From The Rumble Seat)
"Frankly, I can't say that I approve of the job Paul Hewitt is doing of coaching our players. You all know why I think that: we turn the ball over, we can't run consistent offensive sets throughout an entire a game, we lose our man on defense all the time because we are switching all the time, and of course we can't run an inbounds play at all."

Painful Realization (Blogger So Dear)
"I do not typically do this and I'm not one to throw players or coaches under the bus. I am not a huge fan of Coach Lobo but I wasn't the first to throw him on the chopping block and still from time to time think that Lobo can be salvaged as a member of the coaching staff. I say this with a heavy heart because of what he means as part of the Prosser era, but it is time for Dino Gaudio to be fired and replaced as the Wake Forest basketball coach."

Our Baby Backs? Yeah, They're Alright (The 7th Floor)
"Our little Georgian friend, high school senior Storm Johnson, waved hello to Miami with a spectacular 52-yard run up the left sideline before Demarcus Van Dyke chased him down at the 10, and on another carry he broke out for a 29-yard gain up the left. He notched a six-yard touchdown run and caught two balls for 14 yards."

Jimbo Fisher Press Conference News & Notes (Tomahawk Nation)
"Air Force begged out of its contract with FSU for the 2011 and 2012 games. That's great news because FSU was going to drop them anyhow. This is great news. Now FSU can schedule a home game that will make money for the program. I suggest North Texas."

Breaking Down Virginia Tech's NIT Bracket

2010-03-15T21:11:34Z

The Hokies are playing in the NIT for the third consecutive season and for the second time in three years has earned a No. 1 seed in the tournament. Virginia Tech will host Quinnipiac from the Northeast Conference at 7 p.m. EDT Wednesday, March 17 in Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg.

The Hokies find themselves in probably the toughest region in the NIT. A second-round date with UConn awaits if the Huskies can get past Northeastern. UConn struggled down the stretch, losing its last four games to Louisville, Notre Dame, South Florida and St. John's in the Big East Tournament but is still a talented team with Jerome Dyson, Kemba Walker and Stanley Robinson. UConn is the only team in the Hokies' bracket that didn't win 20 games during the regular season.

In the quarterfinals, Tech could face fellow NCAA Tournament bubble team Rhode Island. The Rams also struggled down the stretch to miss the NCAAs, losing five of their last seven regular season games and falling to Temple in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. They host Northwestern in the first round and would play the winner of Wichita State-Nevada if they advance.

This is a really deep bracket and there are six teams with a legitimate shot of making it to New York for the semifinals.

Here's a look at all the teams in our bracket:

No. 1 Virginia Tech

Nickname: Hokies
Location: Blacksburg, Va.
Conference: ACC
Head Coach: Seth Greenberg (Fairleigh Dickinson '78)
2009-10 Record: 23-8, 10-6 (T3 ACC)
Key Players: Malcolm Delaney (20.4 ppg, 4.1 apg), Dorenzo Hudson (14.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg), Jeff Allen (12.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg)

No. 2 Rhode Island

Nickname: Rams
Location: Kingston, R.I.
Conference: Atlantic 10
Head Coach: Jim Baron (St. Bonaventure '77)
2009-10 Record: 23-9, 9-7 (T5 A10)
Key Players: Keith Cothran (14.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg), Marquis Jones (5.8 ppg, 4.1 apg), Lamonte Ulmer (11.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg)

No. 3 Wichita State

Nickname: Shockers
Location: Wichita, Kan.
Conference: Missouri Valley
Head Coach: Gregg Marshall (Randolph-Macon '85)
2009-10 Record: 25-9, 12-6 (2nd MVC)
Key Players: Clevin Hannah (12.1 ppg, 4.3 apg), Toure Murry (11.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg), JT Durley (11.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg)

No. 4 Connecticut

Nickname: Huskies
Location: Storrs, Conn.
Conference: Big East
Head Coach: Jim Calhoun (American International '68)
2009-10 Record: 17-15, 7-11 (T11 BE)
Key Players: Jerome Dyson (17.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg), Kemba Walker (14.8 ppg, 5.2 apg), Stanley Robinson (14.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg)

No. 5 Northeastern

Nickname: Huskies
Location: Boston, Mass.
Conference: Colonial Athletic Association
Head Coach: Bill Coen (Hamilton College '83)
2009-10 Record: 20-12, 14-4 (2nd CAA)
Key Players: Matt Janning (15.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg), Chiasson Allen (13.7 ppg, 3.7 apg), Nkem Ojougboh (9.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg)

No. 6 Nevada

Nickname: Wolf Pack
Location: Reno, Nev.
Conference: Western Athletic
Head Coach: David Carter (Saint Mary's '89)
2009-10 Record: 20-12, 11-5 (T2 WAC)
Key Players: Luke Babbitt (22.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg), Armon Johnson (15.8 ppg, 5.7 apg), Brandon Fields (14.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg)

No. 7 Northwestern

Nickname: Wildcats
Location: Evanston, Ill.
Conference: Big Ten
Head Coach: Bill Carmody (Union College '75)
2009-10 Record: 20-13, 7-11 (T7 B10)
Key Players: John Shurna (18.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg), Michael Thompson (13.9 ppg, 4.1 apg), Drew Crawford (10.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg)

No. 8 Quinnipiac

Nickname: Bobcats (nee: Braves)
Location: Hamden, Conn.
Conference: Northeast
Head Coach: Tom Moore (Boston U. '87)
2009-10 Record: 23-9, 15-3 (T1 NEC)
Key Players: James Feldeine (17.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg), Justin Rutty (15.1 ppg, 11.0 rpg), James Johnson (11.9 ppg, 3.9 apg)

Virginia Tech Left Out of the 2010 NCAA Tournament

2010-03-14T22:59:02Z

More photos » Gerry Broome - AP

Browse more photos »

The Hokies were probably one of the first teams left out of the tournament when the bracket was unveiled this afternoon. The last at-large teams in were Utah State and UTEP, who were both given No. 12 seeds.

In the end, the Hokies have no one to blame but themselves. They weren't screwed by the committee. The Hokies didn't schedule anyone, didn't beat anyone and didn't play well down the stretch. Yes, Tech got a big road win against Georgia Tech to close the regular season. But they quickly negated it by falling to Miami in its first ACC Tournament game.

If you don't want to be on the bubble, you have to go out and schedule good teams from outside your conference. Virginia Tech tried to pretend to do that by scheduling Penn State and Seton Hall. Those teams weren't very good. At the end of the day, Temple was the best non-conference team we played and that is absolutely sad.

It's unfortunate that the Hokies' ACC schedule ended up being the weakest possible, but we have to live with it. We could have not come out flat against Florida State or we could have come through in overtime against Maryland. Either of those wins would have put the Hokies in the tournament.

You want to be in the NCAA Tournament? Win more. So what if Tech had 23 wins? None of them were against anyone decent. Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Clemson all went out and either played quality opponents or won big games they had to.

Wake beat Gonzaga, Richmond and Xavier. Georgia Tech beat Duke and Maryland. Clemson beat Butler, Florida State and Maryland. Virginia Tech's best win was over a fellow bubble team, Wake Forest. Look, if this wasn't an historically bad at-large pool, the 23-win Hokies would have known they were going to the NIT two weeks ago.

It comes down to who did you play and who did you beat. Virginia Tech played no one and beat no one.

But hey, at least the NIT games will be at home!

Hokies Learn Their NCAA Tournament Fate: Virginia Tech Selection Sunday Open Thread

2010-03-14T20:00:39Z

Virginia Tech Hokies (23-8, 10-6) vs. NCAA Selection Committee (65-0, 31-0)

Time: 6 p.m. EDT
Date: Sunday, March 14, 2010
Place: Some Conference Room (10), Indianapolis, Ind.
TV: CBS
Spread: Virginia Tech +0.5

What to Watch: We're probably out if teams like Florida, Mississippi State, Illinois and Rhode Island (especially Rhode Island) appear in the field ... historically, one of the final two lines to be filled is a 7-10 game ... there's a chance the Hokies will be one of the last teams revealed during the selection show.

Welcome to Life on the Bubble

It didn't have to be like this. Just like in 2008, Virginia Tech controlled its tournament fate coming down the season's home stretch and couldn't capitalize. The loss to Miami (for the second time this year) was a damning indictment of Tech's inability to beat the teams it needed to beat to be an NCAA Tournament team.

Win against Miami and the Hokies would have avoided having the committee's last image of them be losing to the last-place team in the ACC. It also would have given them a boost to their strength of schedule thanks to a second match-up with Duke.

Tech also could have avoided its currently situation by not scheduling one of the worst non-conference slates in the country. According to Ken Pomeroy, the Hokies' OOC SOS is worse than every power conference team except Northwestern and Rutgers. And those two knew their NCAA Tournament fates long before the Hokies.

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.

Despite all the things Tech has against it, the Hokies have one big thing in their favor going into the Selection Show. This is one of the weakest at-large fields I've seen. Every team is flawed and every team has something missing from its resume. Are the Hokies worthy of a spot in the NCAA Tournament? Hell no. Are they worthy of a spot in the context of the 2009-10 season? Maybe. We'll find out at 6.

Kentucky Beats Miss. St. in SEC Title Game

2010-03-14T19:27:18Z

Kentucky Beats Miss. St. in SEC Title Game

Just an incredible game and a heartbreaking loss for the Bulldogs. They are now on the bubble with the Hokies. Another bubble team, Minnesota is about to tip off with Ohio State with the Big Ten automatic bid on the line.

Hokies' Tournament Hopes Take a Hit as New Mexico State Wins the WAC

2010-03-14T16:12:12Z

More photos » Rich Pedroncelli - AP

Browse more photos »

The only way New Mexico State could make the NCAA Tournament was by winning the WAC conference tournament. The Aggies did just that Saturday night, knocking off Utah State and knocking Virginia Tech closer to the NIT.

The Hokies will be one of the last teams in or one of the last teams out when the bracket is announced at 6 p.m. EDT on CBS. Opinions are split down the middle among those who make a hobby of projecting the field. SB Nation's own Chris Dobbertean has the Hokies as his last team in the tournament. That's a dangerous proposition for Tech as bubble teams Mississippi State and Minnesota remain alive for automatic bids.

Patrick Stevens of also has the Hokies in the Big Dance, but perilously close to the edge. Others aren't so kind. Jerry Palm of CBS and Joe Lunardi of ESPN don't include Tech in their brackets. It's going to be close either way. However, none of these guys are on the selection committee. (Ed. Note: Apparently Lunardi's latest bracket, which they just showed on TV, has us in the field. That ass hole changes his mind every five minutes. Shows you how useful these projected brackets can be.)

Hokie fans should be rooting hard for Kentucky when it plays Mississippi State in the SEC title game at 1 p.m. EDT on ABC and Ohio State when it plays Minnesota in the Big Ten title game at 3:30 on CBS. I'll have more later today, including a Selection Show open thread.

There are two ways Hokie fans can handle today. You can pace the floor, wring your hands and consult the bracketologists every hour on the hour until the field is announced. Or you can do what I'm going to do, which is stop worrying, enjoy one of the best days on the sporting calendar and accept life on the bubble.

Houston Wins C-USA Tournament, Hokies Move Down the Ladder

2010-03-13T19:25:15Z

Chris Dobbertean of SB Nation's Blogging the Bracket has updated his Last Four In/Last Four Out following Houston's win over UTEP to claim Conference USA's automatic bid. The Hokies are currently his second-to-last team in the NCAA Tournament field, ahead of Washington and behind San Diego State.

The last four teams out include Rhode Island, Minnesota and Mississippi State, all of whom are still alive in the conference tournaments, along with UDub. The good news is Rhode Island is currently getting blown out by Temple in the Atlantic 10 tournament (Update: URI lost, 57-44. Rams probably out of the tournament). The rest of the bubble schedule is after the jump.

Big Ten Semi: Minnesota vs. Purdue, 4 p.m. EST, CBS
SEC Semi: Mississippi State vs. Vanderbilt, 3 p.m. EST, ABC
ACC Semi: Georgia Tech vs. NC State, 3:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
Pac 10 Final: Washington vs. California, 6 p.m. EST, CBS
MWC Final: San Diego State vs. UNLV, 7 p.m. EST, Versus
WAC Final: Utah State vs. New Mexico State, 10 p.m. EST, ESPN2

Hokies fans need to root for Purdue, Vanderbilt, Cal and Utah State. Georgia Tech and San Diego State are on the bubble, so losses on their part could hurt or help in the end.

2010 ACC Tournament: Greensboro is Upset City (Plus Rooting Guide for Virginia Tech Fans)

2010-03-13T05:18:24Z

Turns out misery loves company. After the Hokies were upset in the afternoon session by 12th-seeded Miami, both 2-seed Maryland and 3-seed Florida State went down in the night session. This is bad news for the Hokies NCAA Tournament chances because two teams that are out and one team on the bubble are still alive for the league's automatic bid.

Tech needs to root for ... ugh ... Duke to win the tournament and keep Miami or NC State from stealing a bid and moving the Hokies farther down the ladder toward the NIT. Georgia Tech is probably in the tournament thanks to its win over Maryland, but I'm not willing to take any chances. We need Duke to take care of business.

Here's a run down of who Tech fans need to be rooting for in the conference tournaments:

Atlantic 10: Anyone but Rhode Island. The Rams are probably lower than the Hokies on the bubble.
Big Ten: Ohio State and Purdue. Illini and Gophers could steal a bid.
C-USA: UTEP. Houston is nowhere near being in the tournament.
MWC: Not San Diego State. The Aztecs are lower on the ladder than the Hokies, but still probably in the tournament.
Pac 10: Cal. Washington is down on the bubble and Stanford is out. Game in progress as of this post.
SEC: Anyone but Mississippi State. The Bulldogs could be left out without an automatic bid.
WAC: Utah State. Aggies might have an argument even without an automatic bid. Leave nothing to chance.

Miami 70, Virginia Tech 65: Hokies' Weekend Just Got More Interesting

2010-03-12T21:56:44Z

More photos » Gerry Broome - AP

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Final - 3.12.2010	1	2	Total
Miami Hurricanes	35	35	70
Virginia Tech Hokies	37	28	65

Complete Coverage >

Virginia Tech had a chance to take it out of the selection committee's hands Friday in Greensboro. By beating Miami, a team that finished D.A.L. in the ACC, the Hokies could have cemented their place in the NCAA Tournament. However, the Hokies gag reflex reared its ugly head and Tech fell to Miami, 70-65 in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament.

Tech made 22 of its first 48 shots from the field (46 percent) but made only two of its last 15 shots coming down the stretch. The Hokies were out-rebounded 46-29 and saw their first-team All-ACC guard Malcolm Delaney shoot 3-for-15 from the floor.

The Hokies have a bad SOS and a below-average RPI. They could ill-afford to give the selection committee the opportunity to leave them out of the tournament for a third consecutive season. They may have just done that.

"I would hope that the team that tied for 3rd in the ACC would be in pretty good shape," Seth Greenberg said during the post-game press conference. "Certain things are in my control and out of my control. That ones out of my control."

The good news for the Hokies is there aren't a lot of other bubble teams playing their way into the tournament. Tech was in good standing coming into Friday's game and other teams will need to do work to bump the Hokies out of the tournament.

But it wouldn't have come to that if Tech had simply beaten a team they should have beaten in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.

Virginia Tech vs. Miami: 2010 ACC Tournament Quarterfinal Game Thread

2010-03-12T18:45:10Z

Virginia Tech Hokies (23-7, 10-6) vs. Miami Hurricanes (19-12, 4-12)

Time: Approximately 2 p.m. EST
Date: Friday, March 12, 2010
Place: Greensboro Coliseum (23,500), Greensboro, NC
TV: Raycom Sports/ESPN2
Radio: XM 190
Online: Raycom/ESPN360.com
Spread: Virginia Tech -3.5

The Hokies will open the ACC tournament against Miami for the third consecutive year. You're never safe until your name appears during the Selection Sunday show and the Hokies can't afford to put any doubt into the minds of committee members. This may not be an absolute must-win for Tech, but a win would probably solidify its place in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007.

TV Coverage: If you live in the ACC geographic footprint, you will have to watch the game on your local Raycom affiliate or on Raycom.Swarmcast.com. The game will be blacked out on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com. If you live outside of the ACC, you can watch on ESPN2 or ESPN360.com.

Game Thread! Use the comments section of this post to discuss the game. I'll be watching from work, so I'll be around. I'll be on Twitter during the game as well.

Seth Greenberg to St. John's Rumors Heating Up

2010-03-12T16:24:16Z

More photos » Sara D. Davis - AP

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The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported this morning on a story that broke last night in the New York Post: Seth Greenberg is on St. John's short list for potential head coaches.

Just over a week ago, I said that this was going to be a move the Johnnies would seriously consider, and it looks like they were already thinking that way.

When your hometown team comes calling with an offer of nearly double your current salary, it makes for a tough, tough decision.

Has he built a stable program in Blacksburg? Yes.

Do his daughters go to Virginia Tech? Yes, well only one of them will after his eldest Paige graduates in May.

I'm not saying Seth is already out the door, but there is no way in hell he doesn't entertain the offer. I know this is his dream job, and even if the timing might be less than ideal, dreams don't hang around forever.

ACC Quarterfinal Friday: An in-depth look at each matchup

2010-03-12T07:01:38Z

More photos » Gerry Broome - AP

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Day one was a doozy, here's a look ahead to Friday's quarterfinal round.

#1 Duke vs.

#9 Virginia, 12:00 p.m.

Regular season results – Duke 67-49 at Virginia on Feb. 28

Team records – Duke 26-5 (13-3) Virginia 15-5 (6-11)

Projected starters –

Duke

G- Jon Scheyer (18.9 ppg, 40% 3pt, 89% FT)

G- Nolan Smith (17.6 ppg, 3.0 apg)

F- Kyle Singler (17.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg)

F- Lance Thomas (5.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg)

C- Brian Zoubek (5.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg)

Virginia (ACC Tournament stats)

G- Mustapha Farrakhan (10 points, 4 assists)

G- Sammy Zeglinski (21 points, 5-10 3pt)

G- Jeff Jones (14 points, 3-5 3pt)

F- Mike Scott (11 points, 13 rebounds)

C- Jerome Meyinsse (12 points, 4 rebounds)

Team statistical comparison –

DUKE	STAT	UVA
79.1	Points per game	66.0
38.9%	Three-point percentage	35.2%
39.2	Rebounds per game	34.0
27.1%	Opponents 3-point %	35.6

Overview –

This one really shouldn’t be very close. The number that jumps off the page with Duke is three-point shooting both offensively and defensively. Not only do the Blue Devils shoot 39 percent from behind the arc, but also they are the number one team in the country in three-point percentage on defense. Duke averages 23.4 points per game from threes, while its opponents average only 10.1.

Virginia already exceeded expectations by snapping a nine-game losing streak sans its leading scorer in round one. Sammy Zeglinski erupted against Boston College, shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc. Virginia is not a very strong outside shooting team typically, but would need a similar performance on Friday to even hang close.

Plain and simple, Duke has too much size for Virginia to handle. The Devils constantly throw large bodies out on the floor, and Virginia is not deep enough to hang around. Expect Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler to have huge games. It would not be surprising to see one or both creep towards the 30-point mark in this game.

Virginia’s best chance in this game is to force those two Devils into foul trouble, and shoot an even higher percentage from three-point range than it did Thursday.

Prediction – Duke 84, Virginia 69

#4 Virginia Tech vs.

#12 Miami, 2:30 p.m.

Regular season results –VT 81-66 at home on Jan. 13, Mia 82-75 at home on Jan. 31

Team records – VT 23-7 (10-6) Miami 19-12 (4-12)

Projected starters –

Virginia Tech

G- Malcolm Delaney (20.9 ppg, 4.2 apg, 3.1 t.o per game)

G- Dorenzo Hudson (14.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg)

F- Terrell Bell (6.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg)

F- Jeff Allen (12.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.2 spg)

C- Victor Davila (5.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg)

Miami (First round stats)

G-Durand Scott (6 points, 4 assists)

G-Malcolm Grant (9 points, 5 assists)

G- James Dews (15 points, 4 rebounds)

F- DeQuan Jones (14 points, 4 rebounds)

F- Reggie Johnson (22 points, 4 rebounds)

Team statistical comparison –

VA TECH	STAT	MIAMI
73.0	Points per game	72.1
72.5%	Free throw percentage	66.8%
42.6%	Field goal percentage	46.2%
13.8	Points off three-pointers	22.5

Overview –

There may never be as dominating of a victory by the last-place team in a conference tournament ever again like Miami’s 83-62 beatdown of Wake on Thursday. The Hurricanes exploited the Deacons’ weak outside shooting by playing a 2-3 zone much of the game.

Virginia Tech is in the same boat as Wake. The Hokies are one of the weakest three-point shooting teams in the country. In the first matchup between Tech and Miami, the Hokies torched the Hurricanes’ zone, shooting over 60 percent from the field in the first half.

If Seth Greenberg’s club is making outside shots, they are very tough to beat. Malcolm Delaney, Dorenzo Hudson, Terrell Bell and Jeff Allen are all capable of knocking down outside shots, but none do so on a very consistent basis.

Hudson is expected to play despite a foot injury that held him out of the Hokies’ season finale at Georgia Tech.

The X-factor in this game will be Malcolm Delaney, and how effective his jump shot will be. Against a zone, he is less likely to reach the foul line as often as he does (more than seven times per game). This game will be very close, but the Hokies know that a one-and-done in Greensboro just might keep them out of the big dance.

Prediction – Virginia Tech 72, Miami 69

#2 Maryland vs.

#7 Georgia Tech, 7:00 p.m.

Regular season results – Maryland 76-74 at home on Feb. 20

Team records – Maryland 23-7 (13-3) Georgia Tech 20-11 (8-9)

Projected starters –

Maryland

G- Greives Vasquez (19.6 ppg, 6.3 apg, 4.6 rpg)

G- Eric Hayes (11.0 ppg, 45.2% 3pt.)

F- Landon Milbourne (12.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg)

F- Sean Mosley (10.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg)

C- Jordan Williams (9.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg)

Georgia Tech (ACC Tourney stats)

G- Iman Shumpert (9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists)

G- De’Andre Bell (8 points, 5 rebounds)

G- Glen Rice, Jr. (8 points, 2-4 3pt.)

F- Derrick Favors (18 points, 9 rebounds)

F- Gani Lawal (12 points, 4 rebounds)

Team statistical comparison –

UMD	STAT	GA TECH
79.8	Points per game	74.7
72.1%	Free throw percentage	65.4%
11.8	Turnovers per game	16.2
71.0	Points allowed per game	71.7

Overview –

Maryland has one of the best teams nobody is talking about as we hit mid-March. Vasquez is the unquestionable leader and go-to guy for Gary Williams’ team, but the Terrapins are deceptively balanced. Eric Hayes is a dynamite outside shooter, and Jordan Williams has emerged as a viable threat in the low post.

Williams will have his hands full with Lawal and Favors, who carried the Jackets past North Carolina in round one. Milbourne and Mosley will have to match the physical play of Georgia Tech to allow Vasquez and Hayes to win the game for them.

The backcourt advantage leans heavily towards the Terrapins. Georgia Tech’s guards have been inconsistent all season. Glen Rice, Jr. is a 45-percent shooter from three-point range, and he will have to knock down shots to give Tech hope.

Favors was ultra-impressive against Carolina Thursday night, and there is no reason to think he won’t build on that as he makes his case as one of the country’s best players. If he comes through with a big game, Tech has a chance.

Prediction – Maryland 74, Georgia Tech 69

#3 Florida State vs.

#11 North Carolina State, 9:30 p.m.

Regular season results – NC St. 88-81 at FSU on Jan. 12

Team records – Florida State 22-8 (10-6) NC State 18-14 (6-11)

Projected starters –

Florida State

G- Michael Snaer (8.9 ppg, 1.3 apg, 2.4 t.o per game)

G- Deividas Dulkys (8.6 ppg, 40.1% 3pt)

G- Derwin Kitchen (8.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg)

F- Chris Singleton (10.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg)

C- Solomon Alabi (11.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.3 bpg)

NC State (ACC Tourney Stats)

G- Javier Gonzalez (2 points, 4 turnovers)

G- Julius Mays (4 points, 3 turnovers)

F- Dennis Horner (2 points, 4 rebounds)

F- C.J. Williams (8 points, 4-4 FT)

F- Tracy Smith (19 points, 8 rebounds)

Team statistical comparison –

FSU	STAT	NC STATE
69.0	Points per game	68.0
64.9%	Free throw percentage	68.7%
8.4	Steals per game	6.4
60.2	Points allowed per game	65.1

Overview –

In reality, the Wolfpack had no means winning their first-round game against Clemson. They defeated the Tigers 59-57 in a game where Clemson shot 10-of-18 from the foul line and 20-of-51 from the field. Many of the Tigers’ misses were open looks, as David Potter and Andre Young went a combined one-for-12 from the field.

Florida State doesn’t boast much better shooters than Clemson, which is a good sign for the ‘Pack. Sidney Lowe’s gang, which has a knack for winning games in the conference tournament year after year, relies heavily on big man Tracy Smith to lead the way. Smith was the only scorer in double figures for NC State Thursday night.

Florida State likes to play aggressive half-court man-to-man defense, and are one of the best in the country at doing so. The Wolfpack turned the ball over 19 times against Clemson, another anomalistic number considering the fact they won the game. As I’ve said before, State has the worst ball-handling club in the ACC, and it has to catch up to them at some point.

As you can see above, though, Florida State also struggles from the foul line. Freshman guard Michael Snaer was named to the conference’s all-rookie team this week despite an appalling 1:1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Just as Miami was for Wake Forest, NC State is a tough matchup for the ‘Noles, who already lost to the Wolfpack at home in 2010. This could be one ugly game.

Prediction – Florida State 64, NC State 62

Poll

Which game surprised you the most on day one?

2010 ACC Tournament Bracket: UVa, Miami, Georgia Tech and NC State advance. Virginia Tech will meet...

2010-03-12T04:55:51Z

2010 ACC Tournament Bracket: UVa, Miami, Georgia Tech and NC State advance. Virginia Tech will meet Miami at approximately 2 p.m. EST Friday on Raycom/ESPN2.

Virginia Tech Will Face Miami in Quarterfinals of 2010 ACC Tournament

2010-03-11T22:38:41Z

Virginia Tech learned its opponent for Friday's quarterfinal game in the 2010 ACC Tournament. Miami, the No. 12 seed in the tournament, upset Wake Forest 83-62 in the first round Thursday afternoon in Greensboro. It will be the third consecutive year the Hokies have opened the conference tournament against Miami. They beat the Hurricanes in each of the last two ACC tournaments.

The Hurricanes shot over 51 percent for the game and were led by Reggie Johnson, who had 22 points. Miami was 6-for-13 from behind the arc in the first half and led by 14 at the break.

I really don't like this situation for the Hokies. They'll come into their quarterfinal game with nothing to gain by beating Miami but everything to lose if they fall. You don't want the last time the committee sees you to be a bad loss to a bad team.

On the positive side, there's no way Miami's going to shoot nearly as well as they did Thursday afternoon. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Nubian Peak for Name of the Year

2010-03-11T17:07:51Z

Nubian Peak for Name of the Year

Help CGB get Nubian the NOTY. Pharaoh says to vote Nubian and vote often.