'This One Hurts the Worst'

Last-Second Loss to No. 1 UNC Leaves Hokies' NCAA Chances Unsettled: North Carolina 68, Virginia Tech 66

CHARLOTTE, March 15 -- Seth Greenberg sat and rubbed his hand over his face, half wiping away his tears and half trying to hide them. He sipped a cup of water to keep from sobbing, not because Virginia Tech had just outplayed the No. 1 team in the country and lost anyway, or because the most anxious day of his career awaited.

Greenberg cried because he had been talking about how proud he was of his team, how far the Hokies had come since joining together in August to where they are now: on the delicate brink of the NCAA tournament after an exhilarating 68-66 loss to North Carolina on Saturday in the ACC tournament semifinals.

Virginia Tech, even by UNC Coach Roy Williams's admission, controlled the game. North Carolina trailed by seven with six minutes remaining and led for only 18.8 seconds of the second half. But that included the final 0.8 of a second, when Tyler Hansbrough corralled a rebound, aimed at the rim and made a 15-foot baseline jumper.

The shot thrust the Hokies' season into uncertainty and devastated players who nearly sprung one of the season's most striking upsets. Virginia Tech (19-13) would have virtually clinched an NCAA tournament bid with a victory; now, it will wait until 6 p.m. Sunday, when the NCAA tournament selection committee unveils the bracket.

Senior Deron Washington wrapped a towel around his head as he skulked off the floor. Freshman Hank Thorns covered his face with his jersey. Tears welled in several Hokies' eyes once they reached the locker room.

"This one hurts the worst," Thorns said. "It really hits the heart."

Stinging as it was, the narrow margin may catapult the Hokies into the field. Challenging the Tar Heels (31-2) did not hurt -- and might have even helped -- Virginia's Tech's closing argument to earn one of the final at-large berths. Greenberg did the rest at his postgame pulpit, his tears yielding to confident defiance.

"If anyone watched that game that knows anything about basketball, if you don't think this team is one of the top 65 teams in the country, you're certifiably insane," Greenberg said. "I don't know who else could come into this environment, basically play a road game, whoever else is on the bubble, and play those guys the way we just played them."

Greenberg did not stop there, later comparing the ACC with other conferences contending for the final at-large bids available.

"We're the number one RPI conference in the country," Greenberg said. "It's hilarious that we whup up on the Big Ten every single year in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, and they're talking about maybe a fifth team [from the Big Ten making the NCAA field]. It's absolutely absurd. It's ludicrous."

Still not finished, Greenberg directed his next screed at the committee, which does not include a representative from the ACC among its 10 members.

"In the end, it's a human decision," Greenberg said. "If you're telling me those people are totally unbiased, come on, now, give me a break. We'll see whose opinions are strongest. It's amazing to me we don't have somebody from our league in that room. How can the committee not have somebody from the ACC? That, to me, is mind-boggling."