NCAA Bracket 2011: Virginia Tech Hokies Left Out of NCAA Tournament Again

Selection Sunday has come and gone, and the bubble has burst for several schools. Virginia Tech once again was on the wrong end of the bubble.

For four straight years, the Hokies could make a claim they deserved to be in the “big dance.” This year, however, is they're being left out is a travesty.

In years past, Coach Seth Greenberg was told he needed to strengthen his non-conference schedule. Mission accomplished, as Tech faced preseason top-10 picks Purdue and Kansas State.

Virginia Tech also faced perennial SEC favorite Mississippi State, Big 12 member Oklahoma State and Penn State from the Big 10, not to mention ACC foes such as Duke, North Carolina, Florida State and Clemson.

While the results of those games were mixed, the Hokies did pick up some key wins. Just two weeks ago they defeated Duke, then No. 1 in the nation. They beat Florida State twice. By the way, check out Florida State’s record versus the top 50. They were assumed in because of 11 wins in the conference.

So why the exclusion? Committee chairman Gene Smith, athletic director at Ohio State, was stumbling over his words when pressed about Virginia Tech, giving a flimsy response about the non-conference schedule.

In Smith’s interview on CBS, he mentioned how there are 10 members on the committee and all have different criteria. Yes, you read that right. They all have different criteria. Shouldn’t there be an agreed upon criteria that each member abide by?

No question the ACC was down this season compared to recent years. Early defections, graduations and coaching changes led to that. But that doesn’t mean Virginia Tech, who won 21 games, ninth in the conference, should have to pay the price.

Another issue with this committee is the criteria Smith spoke of, which changes every year. When teams are told they didn’t make it, they want to know why, only to hear another excuse the next year.

Jay Bilas, Dick Vitale, Digger Phelps and Hubert Davis of ESPN were furious over the exclusion of Virginia Tech and Colorado in particular. Bilas and Vitale both wanted to know what is the criteria the committee used. Bilas suggested the committee be made up of former coaches or basketball people, and Vitale agreed.

Of course, if you are a Virginia Tech fan, this leads to other possibilities.

Seth Greenberg has been vocal in recent years about his team and why they should be in the NCAA tournament. Has he rubbed someone on the committee the wrong way?

Or is senior forward Jeff Allen so disliked that his team pays for it? Allen, who once pushed a ref, has had several run-ins with players over the course of his career and is often a marked man when it comes to fouls. He gets in foul trouble early, and often, if it is questionable, the referees call it.

Now Malcolm Delaney, a three-time all-ACC player, two-time first-team all-ACC, will never get to play in an NCAA tournament. Ditto Jeff Allen, a great player in his own right. While there are great players who have never played in an NCAA tournament game before, none have ever had to go through this process four times—and never make it.  

Seth Greenberg is a class-act. He has done an amazing job getting the Virginia Tech program where it is at. He stands up for his kids like no other. What a joy it was to see Greenberg, in tears, after the last-second win vs. Florida State in the ACC tournament. Greenberg was emotional after so many last-second defeats went against his teams in recent years.

Why couldn’t Roy Williams or Mike Krzyzewski speak up for Virginia Tech? Sure, it may be too late to make a difference this year, but the committee would remember if those two spoke. Ask those two coaches which team has given them the most trouble in recent years. Not only does Virginia Tech take them down to the wire every time, they have beaten them numerous times.

Being left out of the NCAA tournament has almost become a rite of passage of sorts for Virginia Tech. Can they eventually overcome this? While winning the NIT may not be the accomplishment they set out for, ending their careers on a winning streak would be a vindication of sorts for the seniors.