Non-conference
strength of schedule kept Virginia Tech out of the NCAA Tournament two seasons
ago, and Selection Committee Chairman Gene Smith used non-conference performance
as a reason the Hokies were left out again this
year. Scheduling has become a big issue for Virginia Tech, and hopefully next
year will be the year it doesn't keep the Hokies out of the Big Dance. Seth
Greenberg has set up a good schedule so far, but there are ways to make it even
better while also being able to win enough games.


Greenberg takes a lot of heat for scheduling teams ranked below 200th in his
non-conference schedule. This season, the Hokies played five non-conference
opponents that finished 250th or worse (out of 345 teams) in the RPI: 
Campbell (286), UNC-Greensboro (293), Cal-State Northridge (250), USC-Upstate
(311), and Longwood (322). UNC-G (road) and CSNU (neutral) at least weren't home
games, so the Hokies got more credit for those wins under the RPI formula.