There was an obvious sadness in the room as Virginia Tech women’s basketball players and staff watched the NCAA Tournament selection show together on Sunday and didn’t see their name flash across the screen.
“While we were disappointed not to hear our name, we understood the process,” Hokies head coach Megan Duffy said Tuesday, “and I think we had a committee that was doing everything in their power to do the right thing and put the best teams in the field, and we were taking that accountability with whatever happened, we were going to be ready to move forward.”
The Hokies (18-12, 9-9 ACC) had been on the bubble for some time but didn’t close the season well, dropping six of their final 10 games, including three to non-NCAA Tournament teams — two of which came in overtime. Instead, they’re the No. 1 overall seed in the WBIT — a letdown, but not quite a shock.
“I think we had a small chance to get in,” Duffy said. “The last three weeks of the season, we were in and out of that bubble area, and at that point, you’re watching games and leaving it up to the selection committee. One of the things we talked about three weeks ago is we’re not going to make excuses. We’re going to own our season and the great victories with it, some of the mistakes we made along the way, and with us building our program from our first year, you want to really pull out those positives.
“Would we love to be dancing in our first year? Absolutely, but I think there’s some great value and momentum and to continue to be able to practice with your team and get some game experience in March.”
Outside of being 4-6 in the last 10 games and 1-8 vs. Quadrant 1 opponents, the Hokies had a non-conference strength of schedule rating of 152 — lower than Iowa State (No. 37) and Princeton (No. 126), who took the last two spots in the NCAA Tournament field after Columbia and Washington.
Duffy could only control so much of that this year because contracts were already inked for five of the 10 non-conference games when she was hired. The previous staff scheduled contests vs. UNC Wilmington, Iowa (Ally Tipoff in Charlotte), Coppin State, Rutgers (the return game of a home-and-home) and Radford. While the Hawkeyes made the dance, the other four had an average NET ranking of 228 and were all Quadrant 4 wins.
UNC Asheville, Elon, Campbell and the Fort Myers Tip-Off — vs. Davidson and Michigan — were solidified by Duffy and her staff while Tech was handed Georgia in the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Wolverines are in the NCAA Tournament while the other five teams were either Quadrant 3 or Quadrant 4 wins.
The scheduling aspect is something the Hokies will continue to examine moving forward, especially when it has such an impact on a squad’s postseason status. There’s so much unknown in that realm, though, due to the ever-changing landscape where players move schools constantly.
“Rosters are changing, you honestly don’t always know what your team’s going to look like next year,” Duffy said. “Sometimes scheduling is done before you know what your team is like, let alone getting a new head coach. So yeah, we’re going to look at all of the facets of what it takes to be a tournament team. … You have to find that balance of finding that non-conference strength and then also finding confidence with your young team, and every year will look a little bit different for us.”
Still, Tech’s focus is on North Carolina A&T in the first round of the WBIT on Thursday (6 p.m. ET, ESPN+). It’s a win-or-go-home situation that can’t be duplicated and teams have to be at their best — great experience for a young team that features five freshmen and three sophomores.
“It’s such a unique time of year when you’re one-and-done and there’s a little bit more added pressure,” Duffy said. “… This is a really good team that’s coming in Thursday so we have to approach it like we tried to approach ACC play, but everybody’s really good, and then you throw in the one-and-done. So what I’m looking for, especially this week, is just to show some growth from the Georgia Tech game and just being a little bit more settled in.
“Obviously, we have the advantage of playing at home in front of our crowd and getting Hokie Nation out to see us at least one more time, and I think there’s a mindset of, ‘We want to win the tournament,’ but at the same time, our success has really been taking it a couple days at a time.”
The Aggies (19-11, 15-3 CAA) won the regular-season title but were upset by No. 9 seed and eventual CAA Tournament champion William & Mary in the quarterfinals, sending them to the WBIT.
They’re led by CAA Coach of the Year Tarrell Robinson, who is in his 13th season, and two-time all-conference performer Jordyn Dorsey, the school’s all-time assist leader with 398. She’s averaging 15.6 points per game this season and was also picked to the league’s all-defensive team.
A&T played some challenging opponents this year, including North Carolina and Liberty. It also lost to SMU in its season opener. Ranked No. 151 in the NET, it’s 14th in the country in scoring defense (55.3 points per game), 16th in fewest fouls per game (13.5) and 20th in 3-point percentage defense (27.3%).
“One of the things about Tarrell’s team, just very well-coached,” Duffy said. “He’s a great man. He’s had a lot of success with this program. He goes out, he’s not afraid to play people, so even in their non-conference, he goes out and plays some really, really good opponents. They’re tough and hard-nosed.
“Maybe for a program [at] that mid-major level, sometimes you’ll see some smaller-sized kids. They’re big. They’ve got a 6-4 kid inside [in Chaniya Clark]. Their guards have good strength and size, so physically, we’re going to get challenged. They’re known for their defense, he switches up a lot of different things to kind of keep you off balance, and then similar to us, I think they have a really good balanced attack.”
If the Hokies beat the Aggies on Thursday night, they’ll host the winner of No. 4 seed Wyoming and Texas Tech in Cassell Coliseum on Sunday. The Cowgirls and Red Raiders tip at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.
WBIT Bracket: Link