Hokies' Tournament Hopes Take a Hit as New Mexico State Wins the WAC

The only way New Mexico State could make the NCAA Tournament was by winning the WAC conference tournament. The Aggies did just that Saturday night, knocking off Utah State and knocking Virginia Tech closer to the NIT.

The Hokies will be one of the last teams in or one of the last teams out when the bracket is announced at 6 p.m. EDT on CBS. Opinions are split down the middle among those who make a hobby of projecting the field. SB Nation's own Chris Dobbertean has the Hokies as his last team in the tournament. That's a dangerous proposition for Tech as bubble teams Mississippi State and Minnesota remain alive for automatic bids.

Patrick Stevens of also has the Hokies in the Big Dance, but perilously close to the edge. Others aren't so kind. Jerry Palm of CBS and Joe Lunardi of ESPN don't include Tech in their brackets. It's going to be close either way. However, none of these guys are on the selection committee. (Ed. Note: Apparently Lunardi's latest bracket, which they just showed on TV, has us in the field. That ass hole changes his mind every five minutes. Shows you how useful these projected brackets can be.)

Hokie fans should be rooting hard for Kentucky when it plays Mississippi State in the SEC title game at 1 p.m. EDT on ABC and Ohio State when it plays Minnesota in the Big Ten title game at 3:30 on CBS. I'll have more later today, including a Selection Show open thread.

There are two ways Hokie fans can handle today. You can pace the floor, wring your hands and consult the bracketologists every hour on the hour until the field is announced. Or you can do what I'm going to do, which is stop worrying, enjoy one of the best days on the sporting calendar and accept life on the bubble.