The Tech Lunch Pail is excited to announce the launch of the new TLP Insider subscription. Sign up for an account and get the best news, inside scoops, and analysis on the Hokies! Learn more

Virginia Tech NCAA Tournament Watch 2017 (Selection Sunday Edition)

Justin Robinson Miami 1
[caption id="attachment_5742" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Virginia Tech is likely to be on the 7 or 8 seed line tonight. [Credit: Harley Taylor][/caption]Selection Sunday has arrived and the Virginia Tech Hokies will hear their name read tonight on CBS's Selection Sunday telecast for the first time in a decade. The Hokies enter today comfortably in the field of 68 with fans getting set to celebrate tonight with Virginia Tech hosting a large watch party at Cassell Coliseum. CBS Sports' Jerry Palm still has Virginia Tech as a 7 seed while ESPN's Joe Lunardi continues to have the Hokies as an 8 seed. The Bracket Matrix Project, which averages over 100 bracket projections, has Virginia Tech projected as an 8 seed as well today. Here's a look at some of the resume numbers for the Hokies heading into tonight's bracket reveal. (RPI numbers here)
  • RPI: 46
  • BPI: 50
  • KenPom: 44
  • Record vs. RPI top 50: 5-8
  • Record vs. RPI top 100: 11-9
  • Record vs. RPI top 150: 13-10
  • Record vs. RPI outside top 150: 9-0
  • ESPN SOR: 24
  • SOS: 75
Virginia Tech saw their RPI drop one spot, but their KenPom rose three spots while their BPI stayed at 50th. While these numbers aren't great, they aren't bad overall and show that the Hokies are a quality team though the Hokies are hurt in these metrics by how they've had a ton of close wins whether that team be Virginia or Boston College along with their extremely weak non-conference schedule heavily limiting those metrics. Virginia Tech's strength of schedule has risen six spots in the past week as getting to face two top 50 RPI teams in Wake Forest and Florida State has improved that metric. While 75th isn't great and keeping them down some, it's also solid enough to where the Hokies definitely can end up on the 7 or 8 seed line. The biggest things for the Hokies is their strong group of quality wins with the Hokies gaining a fifth RPI top 50 win this past week against Wake Forest. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech has seen a couple of their other big wins continue to improved with Michigan being a top 30 RPI team and playing in the Big 10 Tournament Championship while the Hokies' win over Duke is now a win against a RPI top 10 team. Virginia Tech will also have no losses against teams outside the RPI top 150 even if NC State made it interesting as the Wolfpack are 135th in the RPI according to ESPN. That lack of a bad loss has helped keep the Hokies away from being near the bubble whatsoever along with the Hokies having plenty of high quality wins and a very good 11 wins against the RPI top 100 along with a winning record of 11-9 against those teams. The Hokies took care of business in non-conference play and avoided a bad loss while getting big wins in-conference over Duke and Virginia along with a big non-conference win at Michigan that has the Hokies comfortably in on Selection Sunday. Right now, Virginia Tech seems very likely to end up on the 7 or 8 seed line with my prediction being that the Hokies will be on the 8 seed line. The Hokies have a strong resume to get up to a 7 seed and be able to avoid a 1 seed in the second round should they win their first round game, but what may prove costly is their non-conference strength of schedule which is ranked 308th in the nation according to ESPN. Virginia Tech has gotten the job done this season with a 22-10 overall record and 10-8 ACC record that will have the Hokies playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade with VT not having the Selection Sunday worries and fears that plagued the Hokies a few times between their last appearance in 2007 and tonight's coming return to March Madness.
You must login in order to comment on this post.
Loading Indicator