Virginia, USA – The Commonwealth will be well represented in the upcoming NCAA Men’s and Women’s Division I basketball tournaments, as well as the National Invitational Tournament better known as the NIT.
The Virginia Tech Hokies claimed the ACC Tournament Title for the first time in school history, securing the conference’s automatic bid in the process. Sunday it was announced that the Hokies are the No. 11 seed in the East Region and they will face No. 6 Texas in the first round. That game will be played on Friday, March 18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Virginia Tech closed the season with a record of 23-12, winners in 13 of their last 15 games.
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Joining the Hokies in the East Region will be the MEAC Champion Norfolk State. The Spartans are the No. 16 seed with a record of 24-6 and are slated to battle the top seed of the region, Baylor Bears in Fort Worth, Texas on Thursday, March 17.
While Virginia Tech made history in the ACC Tournament, Longwood University did the same in the Big South Tournament. The conference champions will compete in their first-ever NCAA Tournament at the division one level. The Lancers hold a record of 26-6 and won 8 consecutive games heading into the big dance. Longwood, the No. 14 seed in the South Region, will take on No. 3 Tennessee on Thursday, March 17 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Richmond Spiders stunned the top team Dayton in the A-10 Tournament Championship on Sunday to receive its first NCAA Tournament since 2011. The Spiders hold a record of 23-12, will be the No. 12 seed in the Midwest Region and face No. 5 Iowa in Buffalo, New York on Thursday, March 17.
Virginia will compete in the NIT, hosting the 3 seed in their region--Mississippi State on Wednesday night at JPJ. VCU is a three seed in thier region, they will open by hosting Princeton, while the Liberty women have been invited to play in the WNIT, with brackets set to be released on Monday.
On the women’s side of the NCAA Tournament, the Virginia Tech Hokies earn an at-large bid for the big dance. They are awarded a 5 seed in the Spokane region, and will open with ASUN Champion Florida Gulf Coast on Friday in College Park, Maryland. The Hokies ended the season ranked No. 17 in the Women’s Basketball AP Top 25 Poll with an overall record of 23-9 after reaching the semifinals of the ACC Tournament.
The Longwood women also heard their name called Sunday night after claiming the Big South Championship over Campbell. Longwood will face Mt. St. Mary’s in a play-in game for the 16 seed in the Raliegh region. The winner will face the #1 seed in the Region, ACC Champion NC State. It will be their first trip to the NCAA Tournament at the Division one level, just like the Lancers’ men’s program. They went 21-11 this season, 15-3 in the Big South.