Virginia Tech’s opening round matchup of the ACC Tournament has been set. The #6 seed Hokies will take on #11 seed Georgia Tech on Thursday night at approximately 9pm, soon after the 7pm game ends.
The Hokies and Yellow Jackets split two meetings during the regular season. Georgia Tech won 72-57 in Atlanta back on January 25. Late turnovers by Virginia Tech turned a very close game into a blowout for the home team, with Georgia Tech point guard Iman Shumpert finishing with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
In the second meeting, Virginia Tech caught fire and blew away the Yellow Jackets 102-77 in Cassell Coliseum on February 13. Shumpert again had a big game for Georgia Tech, scoring 27 points, but it was not enough. The Hokies put all five starters in double figures, led by Malcolm Delaney’s 33 points. Jeff Allen added 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Yellow Jacket head coach Paul Hewitt was ejected just 12 minutes into the game.
The Hokies have lost two games in a row, and are squarely on the bubble. A loss in the opening round to Georgia Tech would almost surely put them in the NIT, and there’s a good chance the Hokies will need two wins in the ACC Tournament to have a good chance at making the NCAA Tournament.
If Virginia Tech wins on Thursday, they’ll face #3 seed Florida State on Friday at 9pm. Virginia Tech won the only regular season meeting with the Seminoles 71-59 way back on January 8.
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