Late Sunday night, Virginia Tech was included in the 2023 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) field. The Hokies open play on Wednesday at Cincinnati at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The winner will play the winner of Rutgers-Hofstra on March 18 or 19.
The Hokies are in the NIT field for the 14th time in program history, the first since 2016. Virginia Tech is a two-time NIT champion (1973, 1995) and is 25-11 all-time in the event. In 2016, the second year under then-head coach Buzz Williams, Tech beat Princeton in Blacksburg before falling to BYU in Provo, Utah.
After its season came to a conclusion on Wednesday night in Greensboro vs. NC State, Tech (19-14, 8-12 ACC) fell short of making the NCAA tournament field. It wasn’t the only ACC team to come up short in terms of its résumé, though – North Carolina (20-13), Clemson (23-10) and Wake Forest (19-14) all missed out. The Tar Heels declined a bid while the Demon Deacons didn’t make the field. The Tigers are a No. 1 seed.
The Hokies wanted another opportunity to play together after a rocky season, and they got it. Unhappy with the way the year played out, seniors Justyn Mutts, Hunter Cattoor and Grant Basile all expressed interest in closing 2022-23 out the right way. Head coach Mike Young said the same after the defeat in Greensboro.
“19 wins? I think that’s worthy,” Young said. “And I hope like crazy that that comes to fruition. … We’ll see how all that falls out on Sunday. But I hope that that happens.”
Tech and Cincinnati (21-12, 11-7) have met 30 times before, most recently in March 1991. They were Metro Conference foes from 1978 to 1991 before the Hokies went to the Atlantic 10. Tech holds the all-time record 18-12.
The Bearcats, coached by Wes Miller, rank 54th in KenPom and 70th in the NET. Young and Miller go back to their SoCon days when they were at Wofford and UNC Greensboro, respectively. Cincinnati was just 1-7 in Quadrant 1 games in 2022-23; the victory came at UCF (No. 71 in NET) in mid-February. Former Hokie forward Landers Nolley, who averages 17 points and six rebounds per game, is part of the squad.
Information on tickets can be found here. Here is the full NIT bracket:
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Oh, Landers Nolley, we hardly knew ya! 😂
Memphis didn’t hardly know him as well.
Memphis didn’t hardly know him as well.
OK, we were still in the Metro when I first came to Blacksburg in 1992. Cincinnati left in 1991 to join the Great Midwest Conference. We were kicked out of the merger between the Metro and the Great Midwest Conference that formed Conference USA in 1995. We were also denied entry into Big East basketball and had to join the A-10, which was decent at the time. The rest of the history is well known from there.
The Tar Heels declined a bid>>>>
News flash – Tar Heels thought they were too good for the NIT – plus their 4 and 5 star players wanted to save their energy for the NBA try-outs. Maybe that’s what they were doing in the ACC Tourney and regular season. Or – maybe – they were spending too much time ‘spending’ their NIL $$$’s
In any case – Go Hokies.
the UNC team voted. Too many super seniors, nobody wanted to play. Not the first team to do this.
Agree – but they should be ashamed of themselves – all their fans, tuning in all year, spending all that money to watch them, support the program, etc. They deserve to get to watch that team compete, IMO. This sounds exactly like a spoiled kid who didn’t get his way and so took his ball and went home (literally, in this case).
We hate them because they are arrogant, pompous and cheaters……with this act they are simply living up to their name.
I’d expect nothing less. In fact this solidifies what they are all about!
They aren’t playing so the administration can start earliest on their search for a new BB coach. Final Four last year, #1 at start of season, yet not making the NCAA’s? Dontcha think Hubert’s seat is pretty hot now? The boosters at Cheat can’t be happy….
nobody wanted to play>>>>
Really??? There are about twenty punch lines for this straight line. 🙂
You’re 100% wrong in your assessment – the players wanted to spend more time with their studies and prepping for exams.
Hope they can find the classroom building.
the players wanted to spend more time with their studies and prepping for exams.>>>>
Another great straight line! Jimmie Kimmel would make 40 punch lines out of this one. 🙂
Seriously – what kinda message would you expect UNC propaganda to release?
That is absolutely hilarious! Lots of studying needed to prep for that Basektweaving class and those on-line general studies courses!
From the NY Times
P.S. By Marc Tracy
Oct. 13, 2017
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The N.C.A.A. did not dispute that the University of North Carolina was guilty of running one of the worst academic fraud schemes in college sports history, involving fake classes that enabled dozens of athletes to gain and maintain their eligibility.
Rotten apples don’t fall too far from their tree.
How many Tar Heels did you personally interview to find out exactly what they’re thinking??? I don’t blame them for not playing in the NIT.
How many Tar Heels did you personally interview >>>>
Great question. I only talked with one relative of a scholarship athlete at UNC – plus several in-the-know folks from N C State – who might have a little history with UNC’s athletic program. Note: that UNC went on academic probation from their academic accrediting agency.
BTW- do you believe EXACTLY everything you hear or read? There’s a huge difference between not wanting to play and not playing because it interferes with family time and their academics. 🙂 Besides – the UNC spokesperson’s nose was getting longer the more he talked.
P.S. Care to guess when the UNC Spring exams start? May 1st!!!
You must be joking!
This fits UNCheat’s brand to a ‘T’.
Why would you have to interview anyone?
I’m delighted to have a few more games with this team!!
Let’s have a ‘little Bobby Stevens’ tournament! GO HOKIES!!
Technically, we were thrown out of the Metro in 1991. We then joined Atlantic 10, before finally being voted into the BE.
Ah, thanks. That’s what I meant. Appreciate it.
Glad to see the season goes on, for at least one more game.
Go, Hokies!
Neuman! (Nolley!)