Wait, there is hope for the Virginia Tech men's basketball team after all. On Saturday night, the Hokies scored 50 points in the second half en route to a much-needed 87-76 victory over Wake Forest at Cassell Coliseum. With this win, the Hokies improved to 8 wins and 10 losses in the ACC with two games remaining.
Virginia Tech currently enters the final week in 10th place in the conference, and if they finish there they will play in the opening day of the ACC Tournament next Tuesday in Washington, D.C. But if things go well, Mike Young's team could avoid playing on opening day.
Multiple things will have to go right for the Hokies, but the opportunity is there. First, Virginia Tech needs to win its final two games Tuesday night at Louisville and then beat Notre Dame at home next Saturday. If that happens, the Hokies need to:
NC State needs to lose at least one game against either Duke or Pittsburgh. It also requires Florida State to lose a game against either Pittsburgh or Miami. Virginia Tech owns the tiebreaker with North Carolina State and her FSU if they are tied in the standings.
Why is it important for the Hokies to get their first day off? If the vision is to advance in the conference tournament as the only path to the NCAA Tournament, it's better to take a few minutes off than a five-day effort. It's easier to do it over a day.
Of course, whenever they enter the standings, the matchups become important as well. The Hokies are a team that can gain momentum heading into the ACC Tournament with three straight wins.
