At first I was pleasantly surprised at Virginia Tech’s 5th seed, but then reality sunk in and already I was dreading Virginia Tech’s first-round game against Illinois on Friday, March 16.
If you have to ask why then you probably don’t follow the Big Dance very well. For those that do follow March Madness, then you know and understand my trepidation regarding the 5 vs. 12 matchup.
Since 1988, at least one No. 12 seed has beaten a No. 5 in the first round every year except one. And according to R.J. Bell, founder and President of Pregame.com, during the last five tournaments, No. 5 seeds are only 11-9 vs. No. 12 seeds. Yikes! That’s not a good sign for the Hokies, especially against a Big 10 team.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited that the Hokies are in their first NCAA Tournament since my junior year at Tech – 1996; but at the same time, a fifth seed? Is that the committee’s idea of a joke? “Sure, we’ll let the Hokies in the tournament, but we’ll make them the fifth seed! Mwoohahahahaha!!”
Ah, what can you do? Seth Greenberg, in his fourth season at Virginia Tech, has taken the Hokies from the worst team in the Big East, to one of the top four teams in the ACC – arguably the toughest conference in college basketball. And in his fourth season, he’s taken our beloved Gobblers back to the Big Dance. So, I guess I should be happy with the fifth seed, even if it’s the toughest “higher” seed to be.
Regardless of what happens next Friday, we’re just happy to be there and win or lose, Tech’s proven it is one of the best teams in college basketball … except when they play N.C. State, which thankfully didn’t make the tournament.
Moving on …
Now that the brackets have been determined, it’s time to lay down some of your hard-eared money on some illegal office pool gambling! If you need some help on how to fill out your brackets, check out this http://sportsgambling.about.com/od/officepools/a/Bracket_Tips.htm” target=”_blank”>link.
