The win over Duke has had its beneficial effects on the Hokies’ Poll rankings. AP lists us at 15, and it was the biggest positive move of the week at five places. The coaches have placed us up 3 at #16 overall.

At this point in the season it’s actually unreasonable to think that we aren’t going dancing, but seeding is the key. Instead of random assignment of opponents the tournaments are always torqued to the favored teams by seeding the lowest against the highest and then the competition is sorted out in the mushy middle.

The two scenarios that benefit us the most would be, first, a middle tier seeding where our first opponent is more on our level. The second and best version is that we go into the tournament as a higher ranked, higher seeded team and that would result in somebody having to play Cinderella to a dazzled Hokie team. Well, this is the third time that Buzz has directed this team into the hunt for the dance, and there is little dazzle to be flung about.

This Hokie team is hungry to get out of the lower rounds, and make a run. It certainly would be a shade easier if it was the other guys with the disco glitter ball twirlling in their brains. Of course 18 weeks ranked (a program record) for the season isn’t shabby, but it is potentially distracting.

Rankings and feelings shouldn’t be part of the formula, but it is. As to feelings of ranked and unranked and first round contests... it would be sort of fun to go to the UVA game and run a Chesapeake Bay Retriever back and forth in front of their bench a few times. I know that someone somewhere might get that reference. It’d be sort of low rent, but not.

Needless to say, it’d be better for the Virginia Tech Hokies to win out for the regular season. Beat Florida State in their house, and come home to a roaring Cassell to finish big against the Hurricanes for Senior Night. A deep run into the ACC Tournament and I’ll have something even more fun to photograph during the selection event.

GO HOKIES!!!