With VCU atop the A-10 conference, UVA ranked and other collegiate basketball programs around Virginia excelling on the court, there's plenty of chances for multiple teams in the Commonwealth to make the NCAA tournament come March.
But how many will actually be dancing in a month? Adam Epstein and 14-time Sportswriter of the Year award winner and current Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist David Teel discussed it on Wednesday (Feb. 9).
"[...] I think the Cavaliers are trending to a four- or a three-seed," Teel said, "and perhaps most convenient for UVA fans, I would think they would be opening that first weekend of the NCAA Tournament back in Greensboro, site of the ACC tournament."
Epstein stayed in the ACC but moved over to Virginia Tech.
"You also wrote that teamrankings.com has Virginia Tech with a 42% chance of making the NCAA tournament, he said. "A healthy Hunter Cattoor makes a world of difference for the Hokies, but it's going to be difficult in my opinion for them to get into the tournament.
Teel concurred.
"I agree," he said. "That percentage really struck me as too high of a probability [...] I think the Hokies need to win seven to be seriously in the at-large discussion."
What about the A-10? With VCU's loss on Tuesday (Feb. 7) against Dayton, the Rams now have a tenuous grasp on the top spot in the conference.
"[A win] would have strengthened VCU's hold on first place and the conference; as it is, the Rams are now back tied with St. Louis," Teel said. "Although they would, as of now, have the tiebreaker based on their victory on the road against the Billikens last Friday. [...] It's going to be a one-bid league. You look at the conference as a whole, [it] has one -- count them, one, quad-one wins among all those teams. But nobody's getting that at large."
VCU's crosstown rivals in the Richmond Spiders sit further down the A-10 standings.
"They're going to need to get hot again in March," Epstein said. "Do you think they have the roster to do that?
"I don't," Teel said. "That was such a veteran group last season, and it's just not this go-around. It's hard to imagine the Spiders being consistent enough."
They discussed a few more teams around the Commonwealth -- Norfolk State, Liberty and ODU. AWadd asked about the latter's chances and received a one-word response.
"David, is it worth mentioning ODU?" Epstein asked.
Simple answer.
"No."
Check out more from the segment, including Teel's prediction for how many Virginia college hoops teams will be dancing in March, below.