I hope some of you got to see an incredible basketball game tonight, as Virginia Tech beat UNC for the second time this season, 81-80 in OT (an incredible, acrobatic Wayne Ellington triple-clutch shot coming about 0.7 seconds too late). This was a huge win for the Hokies, as they now have the clearest path to the regular season championship and the #1 seed in the conference tourney.
Virginia Tech is 8-3 with 5 ACC games left – 3 at home, and only 1 game against a ranked opponent (Boston College, also at home). They also have a possible tough game at UVA, but it’s a bad matchup for the Cavs. Essentially, next Wednesday’s VT/BC game could be for the conference crown. With a victory, Virginia Tech would win all possible tiebreakers, with every conference foe having at least 3 ACC losses.
There’s plenty to like from an NC State perspective, too (beyond the obvious, simple joy of a Carolina loss). Who plays the Hokies following this emotional, draining win? NC State. What happened in the next game after VT beat UNC in January? 9-point road loss to pedestrian Florida State (who lost at home to GT tonight, the Bees’ first road victory in almost 2 years). The Hokies don’t play Duke, UNC or Wake again this regular season, and also won lower-profile games against UNC-G, Campbell, and App State, for a 7-0 mark against NC schools other than the Wolfpack.
