Polls: Despite being clemson and unc last week, the Hokies are still receiving just 11 votes in the AP Poll and 10 in the Coaches’ Poll. I guess that shows how far unc has fallen that a win over the heels is considered no big deal. Rankings
wake and maryland also are not ranked, which surprised me. maryland is playing the best ball in the league right now along with duke. virginia isn’t receiving a single vote.
Only duke at # 7/8 and georgia tech at #20 are ranked from the ACC. I find it a joke that the jackets are ranked when they still cannot win on the road and sit at just 5-4 in the league and 17-6 overall. georgia tech is just 6-30 in ACC road games the last five years. I know this is a different team for them, but they still sit at 1-3 on the road along with a loss at georgia. Until Paul Hewitt starts winning road games, no way should they be ranked. They play at miami and wake coming up, so let’s see what happens.
Bracketology: ESPN talking head Joe Lunardi, their NCAA Tournament expert, has VT on the outside looking in at the Big Dance. At least VT is on his radar now, sitting as the 6th best team not in the tournament (part of the “Next Four Out” after the “First Four Out”). Lunardi’s Bracket
Lunardi has six ACC teams in the Dance, but not the team with the second best overall record and fourth best in league play. He has duke (#2 seed), georgia tech (6), wake (6), maryland (8), florida state (8), and clemson (11) in right now.
This just all goes to prove that the Hokies do still have a lot of unfinished business. And that business is taking care of business, i.e., winning games.
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Yeah that bracket by Lunardi fried my bacon a little bit too, but then I calmed down and realized that he’s right. He’s not projecting what will happen by the end of the season, he’s making his bracket as if the season ended today. And if the season ended today, we have one top-50 RPI win against Clemson at home, and that’s it. The selection committee would not love our resume right now. They’ll love it more if we get a win against Duke, Wake, or GT, and I think we have a good chance to get at least 1 of the 3. We also have the possibility of getting a good win in the ACC tournament, but I’d rather not have to wait until the final weekend to see if we did enough to get in.
I think: 9-7 in the ACC, 1 win in the ACC tournament – that’s what it will take for us to make the dance. If we go 9-7 and then bow out in our first game in the ACC tourney, we’ll be an afterthought and get left out. Greenberg didn’t do us any favors (even though I love him for it) with his “certifiably insane” quote; the bracket-makers are real people and remember that type of stuff.
We got some love from Patrick Stevens, who was let go because the Washington Times cut there Sunday Sports section:
http://d1scourse.typepad.com/blog/2010/02/bracketology-feb-9.html
I guess that’s not true media… but it’s the new media.
Oh… and Eric Prisbell and Jerry Palm have us in:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the65/2010/02/virginia_among_first_four_team.html
Lunardi is Lunardi.
Just get these two W’s this week.