Virginia coach Tony Bennett knows the NCAA Tournament selection committee could be stingy with the Atlantic Coast Conference in Sunday's selections. ESPN's Joe Lunardi predicted Friday that the ACC will seed four teams in next month's tournament, but other experts believe only three teams will qualify. However, Bennett said the Cavaliers (20-6, 11-4, ACC), who have won nine of 10 games, will face archrival Virginia Tech (14-11, 6-8). I believe we are in a good position to qualify for the tournament. “Our job is to fight like crazy to make sure we don't get disqualified,” Bennett said after the team's home win over Wake Forest on Saturday. “…it's better to play at a high level and that's the only game left, but common sense should prevail when it comes to the selection committee.'' Lunardi agrees. His latest prediction is that Virginia will get the big bid. Although an ugly result, the Cavaliers' 49-47 victory over the Demon Deacons strengthened Virginia's resume with quality wins over fellow tournament contenders. Saturday's win also featured a characteristically solid defensive effort from the Cavaliers, who have struggled in their past two games. After allowing 70 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time this season, Virginia tightened its grip on Wake Forest, holding it to its lowest point total of the season. The Cavaliers had a season-high 13 shots against Wake Forest, and sophomore guard Ryan Dunn had seven blocks, the most by an ACC player in a game this season. Dunn posted an ACC-best 2.4 blocks and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game, cementing himself as the anchor of a defense that allowed the third fewest points per game (58.4) in Division I. Guard Reece Beekman said of Dunn, “When he dials in, I trust him over anybody.” Beekman leads Virginia with 14.2 points per game and leads the AC with 6.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game. The senior scored 16 points in the Cavaliers' 65-57 home victory over the Hokies on Jan. 17. However, in order for Virginia to win all of the regular season games and earn one Quad victory, they will need to end their losing streak against Blacksburg at three games. . In a recent meeting there, Virginia Tech defeated the then-number one school. 6 Cavaliers 74-68, February 4, 2023. The Hokies are 11-2 at home this season, but have endured an inconsistent conference campaign. Virginia Tech's momentum, which they gained from three straight wins toward the end of January, has since waned to 1 win and 4 losses. The Hokies lost 96-81 Saturday at No. 7 North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., marking the most points they have allowed in a game this season. Foul trouble in Virginia Tech's frontcourt allowed the Tar Heels to rally to 54 points. Paint and 17 second chance points. The Hokies scored at least 10 points from six different scorers, but were unable to get within seven points in the second half as they made 1-of-12 3-pointers after halftime. “That's the way the game is,” guard Tyler Nickel said, according to Tech Sideline. “Sometimes you have a cold spell or a disappointing night. … We just got cold overall. We had a good look. We had a bad night. In Virginia Tech's first matchup with Virginia State of the season, Nickel scored eight points off the bench, while Sean Pedulla and fellow guard Hunter Cattore scored 18 points and 12 points, respectively. Recorded the score. Pedulla leads the Hokies with 15.5 points per game, but has shot just 26.5 percent (9-of-34) from the field over the past three games. –Field level media
