We are less than two weeks away from Selection Sunday with Virginia Tech fans looking ahead in anticipation after a win over Duke made the Hokies a NCAA Tournament lock. Before Monday night, VT appeared to be safely in March Madness, but they knew that one more win would seal the deal.
Now, the stress is gone as the Hokies will head to the ACC Tournament knowing that they'll make back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for only the third time in school history. VT still has a chance to build a stronger resume while the Hokies' seeding floor appears to be around the 10 line at this point.
WIth that said, here's a look at where some of the most notable bracketologists have Virginia Tech seeded.
Among four of the major bracket projections, an 8 seed appears to be the growing consensus for the time being with NBC Sports having the Hokies the highest at a 7 and Joe Lunardi having the VT the lowest at a 9 seed. VT has risen up the seed ladder quickly since their big win over the Duke.
The Bracket Matrix average of an 8 seed is the highest the Hokies have been in their average of at least 70 brackets. While the win over Virginia helped push them away from the bubble, the win over Duke has the Hokies playing for seeding with a chance to improve their seeding compared to last season especially if they can take down Miami on Saturday.
One of the most notable things with all of the bracket projections is where the Hokies will be playing to open the NCAA Tournament. With 2 of Virginia, Duke, and North Carolina expected to be top 2 seeds, VT fans can expect that the Hokies will not be playing in Charlotte for the first and second rounds. If they end up in the 7-10 seed range, trips to Pittsburgh, Nashville, and Wichita are among the most likely destinations for their opening games.
As these bracket projections show, Virginia Tech is safely in the NCAA Tournament due largely to their 5 quadrant 1 victories, 4 of which have come against teams in the RPI top 10, something that no other team in the country can say. While the Hokies' weak non-conference schedule and lack of a marquee non-conference win outside of a neutral site victory against bubble team Washington, it won't keep the Hokies out of the Big Dance.
Photo Credit: Harley Taylor
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