Virginia Tech or Princeton: Who will the selection committee choose?
Fans of the Virginia Tech Hokies will be watching ESPN intently at 8 p.m. as the NCAA Women’s Tournament selection show airs. As of the latest projections, the Hokies are the "first team out," while Ivy League school Princeton is the "last team in."
Virginia Tech exited the ACC Tournament in the second round with a 72-57 loss to Georgia Tech. Since then, the Hokies' tournament hopes have been uncertain. Meanwhile, Princeton narrowly fell to eventual Ivy League champion Harvard in a 70-67 semifinal loss Friday.
To assess which team is more deserving of a spot, it’s important to examine how both teams ended their seasons.
Virginia Tech finished its last 10 games with a 4-6 record, including losses to ranked teams North Carolina and Notre Dame. Three of the Hokies’ four wins came against teams that finished at or below .500—Virginia (17-15), SMU, (10-20) and Clemson (14-17). Their most notable victory in that stretch was a win over California, which finished 25-8.
Princeton, on the other hand, closed out its season with an 8-2 record over its last 10 games, including the Ivy League semifinal loss to Harvard. Without Princeton in the tournament field, the Ivy League is likely to receive two bids: Harvard, which secured an automatic berth, and Columbia, which currently sits in the "last four in" with a 23-6 record.
The ACC is a much stronger conference, projected to send eight teams to the tournament. By comparison, the Ivy League is expected to send two, potentially three, teams.
As of now, Virginia Tech ranks 46th in the NCAA’s NET rankings, while Princeton is just behind at 47th, highlighting how close the decision will be.
Had the Hokies defeated projected No. 9 seed Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament, they likely would have secured a spot in the field. That loss, however, may have pushed Megan Duffy’s team out of the tournament for good.
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