88

82

Virginia Tech used a barrage of three-pointers in the first half to gain a six-point lead, which ballooned to 17 points in the second half before Georgia Tech used a late run to get back in it. However, the Hokies hit their free throws down the stretch in an 88-82 win that secured the fourth seed in the upcoming ACC tournament for Virginia Tech (23-7, 10-6) and the seventh seed for Georgia Tech (19-11, 7-9 ACC).

The Hokies were on fire from long range in the first half at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, nailing eight of their 10 attempts from beyond the arc. As a team in the first half, Tech shot 59.3% to gain a 45-39 lead on top of the Jackets, despite their 36% shooting.

Fight For Old D.C. is proud to announce its first annual Bracket Challenge presented by HokieJerseys.com! This has been in the works for a while now, and we really hope you all participate. Hit the jump to see how it works:

Virginia Tech Hokies (22-7, 9-6 ACC)

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (19-10, 7-8 ACC)

Saturday, March 6 @ 4 p.m.

TV: Raycom Sports

Alexander Memorial Coliseum, Atlanta, GA

The Opponent: Georgia Tech has consistently been the most inconsistent team in the ACC this year. They boast a 14-1 home record, with their only loss coming to Florida State in overtime in December. Conversely, the Jackets are 1-7 on the road in conference, with the only win being against UNC in the middle of January.

The Jackets are big, and that may be an understatement. Gani Lawal (6-9, 234 lbs) and Derrick Favors (6-10, 246) control the post for Georgia Tech, averaging 25 points and 17 rebounds per game between themselves. On the other side, Tech's tallest starter, Victor Davila, is only 6-8.

71

59

It took awhile for the Hokies to get going, but once they started hitting shots, it was all but over for NC State. Tech (22-7, 9-6 ACC) closed the first half on a 12-2 run and finished off the Wolfpack (16-14, 4-11 ACC) in the second half en route to a 71-59 victory on Senior Night at Cassell Coliseum.

Virginia Tech Hokies (21-7, 8-6 ACC)

NC State Wolfpack (16-13, 4-10 ACC)

Wednesday, March 3 @ 7 p.m.

TV: Not Available

Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, VA

The Opponent: The last time these two met, the Hokies trounced the hapless Wolfpack 72-52 in Raleigh. State didn't make a three-pointer for the first time since 1989 and shot a woeful 28.6% for the game. On the flip side, Tech had perhaps its best offensive game of the year, shooting 52.6%.

The Hokies started out hot, making their first 10 shots against the Wolfpack, en route to a 26-7 advantage. State never got going and seemed to mail it in for the majority of the game. However, the Pack have seen their fortunes turn as of late.

104

100

Tech needed to win this game to improve its NCAA chances, and they had a lot of opportunities to knock off the Maryland Terrapins. In the end, though, it was Greivis Vasquez and the Terps who came out on top, 104-100 in double overtime at Cassell Coliseum. It was the third loss in a row for the Hokies (21-7, 8-6 ACC), and the first in front of the Cassell faithful. Maryland (21-7, 11-3) clinched the second seed in the upcoming ACC tournament, and can move into first with a win over Duke Wednesday.

The Hokies seemed to be out of it at the end of regulation, but Terrell Bell stole an inbounds pass, and JT Thompson nailed his second career three-pointer after a Tech timeout to tie the game up at 80-80. After Eric Hayes hit a clutch jumper for the Terps, Malcolm Delaney went the length of the court in less than five seconds and converted a difficult layup to tie the game at 82-82 and force overtime.

60

80

There is nothing good to say about this one, absolutely nothing. Let's just hope that we don't play like that against Maryland on Saturday. Every team is due for a bad game, and hopefully that will be the last time that Tech (21-6, 8-5 ACC) shows up like that.

Give credit to Boston College (14-13, 5-8 ACC), as the Eagles shot 51% and took advantage of all that Tech gave to them. Joe Trapani, who scored six the first time around against Tech, finished with 17, all in the first half. Even more impressive was his 3-for-5 performance from beyond the arc. The Eagles had a very balanced attack as Rakim Sanders added 15, Corey Raji added 13 and Tyler Roche scored 10.

Virginia Tech Hokies (21-5, 8-4 ACC)

Boston College Eagles (13-13, 4-8 ACC)

Wednesday, February 24 @ 7 p.m.

TV: ESPNU

Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

The Opponent: The last time these two teams met up, I projected a rather easy Hokie victory, and that obviously wasn't the case. Tech struggled with the inferior Eagles, and needed a late Dorenzo Hudson put-back, after a controversial jump ball call, to squeak out a 63-62 win at Cassell Coliseum.

Needless to say, Seth Greenberg will have his squad prepared in what many pundits consider to be a trap game for the Hokies. Sure, Tech can look ahead to Saturday's battle for second place with the Maryland Terrapins, but a loss on Wednesday will make that battle obsolete, as the Hokies would fall two games behind the Terps in the loss column before the game even begins.

55

67

The game was there for the taking. The Hokies had a chance to knock off the #6 team in the nation on the road, but couldn't push through. Duke proved too tough of a task for the young Hokies (21-5, 8-4 ACC), as the Blue Devils (23-4, 11-2 ACC) won going away 67-55 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Hokies got off to the good start that they needed, but unfortunately couldn't hang on to the momentum. With Tech up 14-11 7:30 into the game, the Devils took over with a 23-9 run to take an 11-point lead. Being the resilient bunch that they are, the Hokies clawed their way back into the game with a 6-0 run to end the first half. Still, though, the Blue Devils had a five-point advantage at 35-30, despite making only one two-point basket and shooting 23% overall.