This wasn’t supposed to happen to Virginia Tech.
Not during its 2-7 stretch to open conference play. Not after winning nine of its last 11 regular season games. And not even after Darius Maddox’s nail-biting, game-winning buzzer-beater on Wednesday against No. 10-seeded Clemson that propelled the Hokies to beat No. 2-seeded Notre Dame the next night and North Carolina on Friday.
But it happened.
And because of the lows VT had at the beginning of the season, those valleys prepared it for the peak of its season so far: playing in the ACC Tournament championship game on Saturday night against No. 1-seeded Duke after Tech’s 72-59 win over the No. 3-seeded Tar Heels (24-9, 15-5 ACC) in the ACC semifinal at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Because the late season run happened, it righted the Hokies (22-12, 11-9 ACC) and set up what was once a stumbling season, eventually, into an unforgettable conference tournament run. Saturday night will be the first time Virginia Tech appears in the ACC championship since it joined the conference.
“I feel like it’s big, not only for me, but for our team, to definitely send our seniors out the right way,” Maddox said after Friday’s win over Carolina. “I didn’t even know that was the first time in history. So it’s a blessing.”
It seems fitting that this season — once defined by inconsistent results that produced confused answers but etched into a test of the impossible — was turned around in such a moment and continued on into this week. Even after the Hokies were written off, they weathered the storm and turned it into an unforgettable run.
“We’re going to stick to what we’ve been doing the last couple games because that’s what’s been getting us wins,” Maddox said. “We’re a hungry team, and we’re just going to go out there and fight like we did yesterday, today, and the day before.”
After starting the ACC schedule with a 2-7 record, Tech became the first team in NCAA history to turn that start into a winning conference record. If you want to summarize it into a sweeping narrative, here it is:
At no point was Virginia Tech supposed to be here with a chance to win an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a win on Saturday. A week ago, the Hokies were on the edge of the bubble conversation. Now, they’re going to be a difficult team to leave out of the NCAA Tournament after they upset two of the top three seeds — with a chance to knock off the last one Saturday — on Selection Sunday.
That’s exactly what you watched with your own two eyes. That’s exactly what you watched with your hearts in your throats as the Tigers clawed their way back into Wednesday’s game, only for the Hokies to prevail. That’s exactly what you watched when Virginia Tech won three-straight games in three consecutive days — an unlikely scenario, if not the unlikeliest.
Coming into the year, though, the expectations were through the roof. After a finish as the third-best team in the conference last year only to be upended in the ACC quarterfinal coming off a COVID pause — coincidentally by Roy Williams’ Tar Heels — and a first round exit by Florida as a seven-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Friday’s result is where most expected the Hokies to be in Mike Young’s third season as head coach.
But it didn’t go that way out of the gates. After most wrote them off, the Hokies had to fight their way back to prove that last year wasn’t fluke, back into the bubble conversation and back into the top of the conference.
They did it in Blacksburg five times. In Tallahassee, in Pittsburgh, in Atlanta. In dramatic fashion, Coral Gables. And now in Brooklyn. Impossibly.
“Just because we’re desperate doesn’t mean we’re not confident,” Keve Aluma said.
This wasn’t supposed to happen to Virginia Tech. Not in January and certainly not now. But it did — one that’ll be impossible to forget.
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This is a true team and that is paying off very nicely down the stretch. One more guys! Go Hokies!
Excellent article, Chris. You captured my thoughts perfectly.
Now let’s get one more!
I’ll fully admit I wrote them off as an NIT team at best after the 2-7 conference start, and I’ve never been happier to be wrong. Very proud MY and this group. Let’s go Hokies!
Go. Hokies.
Take Lunatardi and all the rest, out of our discussion.
Win the ACC tonight.
Great article Chris! I’m very proud of this bunch!
I remember seeing the stats article claiming this run was possible (even probable). I cocked my head at that article like the dog and Victrola picture from years ago. Well, I guess someone knew something I didn’t know and confirms that bad grade I got in stats decades ago. So fun to watch! Go Hokies!