Hokies Hope a Familiar Finish Won't Sink Tournament Dream

North Carolina 79, Virginia Tech 76

ATLANTA, March 13 -- For the second consecutive season, Virginia Tech entered the ACC tournament knowing it needed at least two wins to feel confident about its NCAA tournament hopes. For the second consecutive season, the Hokies beat Miami in their first ACC tournament game to set up a meeting with top-ranked North Carolina. And for the second consecutive season, Virginia Tech will suffer through Selection Sunday with the anxiety of a team on the bubble, this time after a 79-76 loss to the Tar Heels on Friday.

"Our theme for the last 24 hours has been 'same story, different ending,' " Coach Seth Greenberg said. "Unfortunately, we got the same story and the same ending."

Virginia Tech guard Malcolm Delaney was confident in the team's worthiness, but less so about the NCAA tournament selection process.

"I don't think we're going to get in," Delaney said. "I believe we should, but I'm not looking forward to Sunday. I don't want to look forward to looking at teams getting in and we don't get in like last season."

The Hokies traded punches through 40 minutes with the No. 1 team in the nation -- although the Tar Heels were without ACC player of the year Ty Lawson -- and have a résumé that includes wins over Wake Forest and Clemson on the road, five losses on waning-second shots and a handful of close games against some of the nation's best teams. But it still might not be enough.

Trailing by one point with the ball and 22 seconds left, Greenberg collected his team during a timeout. He called "54," a play that put the ball in Delaney's hands and called for him to penetrate with the help of a screen.

Greenberg's objective was to get North Carolina freshman Ed Davis caught in a screen after watching Davis struggle with those situations throughout the game. Delaney drove, but the play did not go as planned. He returned a pass to J.T. Thompson at the top of the key. Thompson tried passing the ball to A.D. Vassallo, but he was swarmed by North Carolina defenders. A whistle sounded with 5.2 seconds left. The officials called a held ball, and the possession arrow pointed in the Tar Heels' direction.

Greenberg fumed on the sideline. Delaney thought it was a foul.

"I guess they got to the ball," Thompson said, "but it took a lot to get to it."

Said Greenberg: "What I saw doesn't count, so it makes no difference. The only people that count were the guys wearing a striped shirt."

On the Tar Heels' ensuing possession, forward Tyler Hansbrough made two free throws to extend the lead to three points, and Vassallo missed a three-point attempt as the clock expired to seal the Hokies' fate.

Up until the game's final 73 seconds, Virginia Tech had been charged with nine personal fouls in the second half while the Tar Heels had been charged with three.