Virginia Tech has been selected for the 2009 National Invitation Tournament, which begins this week. The Hokies are a #2 seed in the 32-team field, and they will host #7 seed Duquesne on Wednesday night in Cassell Coliseum. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm, and the game will be televised by ESPNU.
Duquesne finished the season 21-12 overall, with a 9-7 record in the Atlantic Ten. The Dukes reached the finals of the A-10 tournament before falling to Temple. They are coached by former Virginia Tech guard Ron Everhart. The Hokies are 7-5 all-time against Duquesne. The teams were A-10 rivals from 1995-2000.
If the Hokies manage to beat the Dukes, they’ll host the winner of the Baylor-Georgetown game. Baylor is a #3 seed, while the Hoyas are a #6 seed. That game will be played Wednesday night at 9pm. Time and television coverage of Tech’s second round matchup, should they make it that far, will be announced at a later date, but the likely dates are March 20th, 21st or 23rd.
The #1 overall seed in Virginia Tech’s bracket is Auburn. Other teams include #4 Tulsa, #5 Northwestern and #8 Tennessee-Martin.
The Hokies finished the season with a record of 18-14 overall. They defeated Miami in the opening round of the ACC Tournament, but lost a close battle to UNC 79-76 in the quarterfinals. That loss knocked Tech out of contention for an NCAA tournament berth.
For a complete NIT bracket, see the link below, which opens in PDF format.
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