NCAA Basketball Roundup: Duke wins rivalry clash, Gonzaga falls to Saint Mary’s

Virginia Tech proves believers right with win over Virginia

When a team is 1-7 in league play, usually they’re considered an afterthought and overall bad team. But that wasn’t the case with the Hokies, who had several of those come down to the final minute, none going their way.

But with Hunter Cattoor back and a few big games left, Virginia Tech has been running out of time to boost its resume. They’ve remained outside of the projected Field of 68 Bracketology but thanks to some good metrics, have had a glimmer of hope. The problem is that looking at the rest of its schedule, the team only has a road game at Duke as a Quad 1 opportunity after this weekend.

The good news is that they were able to beat rival Virginia, 74-68 in a close matchup for all 40 minutes. Sean Pedulla had 22 points, while Justyn Mutts had 17 points and eight rebounds. It gives the team a true signature win that can keep their hopes alive for the next month.

This will still likely won’t have them in the field but Virginia Tech is now healthy among its key core and has some momentum going forward. Just like how there are teams that usually go from safe to out of the field in the final month, the Hokies could be that team that comes from the dead to the NCAA Tournament.