WSET.com - ABC13The King's Court for March 3, 2011

Back Home by Nick King

Seth Greenberg hardly had time to hug his daughters after Saturday night's win against Duke before he was fit for new shoes.

Dancing shoes, of course.

The shoe salesman in question? Dick Vitale, who proclaimed to Seth (as hundreds of students engulfed the court in Cassell Coliseum just in front of him) "You're in, baby!"

Ah, but that would be too simple for a Greenberg-coached team, groups which have perennially done anything in their power to be squarely on the NCAA Tournament's "bubble" in the first week of March. And on the 2nd day of March in 2011 - the Hokies lost to Boston College, by all counts rendering Dickie V's claim useless. Not that this is Vitale's fault. It just reinforces the notion that the Virginia Tech men's basketball teams operate on one of those theme park viking ships; you can get some separation from the base (the bubble), be it for the good or the bad (which happened early in ACC play), but you can never get full extension and swing to the top.

The thing is, if they can get to the top, and back into the Big Dance, you'd expect them to fare well. Greenberg is one of five coaches to pull off an upset of the number one ranked team three times since the 03-04 season. He also adds a fourth that came way back in the early 90's when he coached at Long Beach State. And when the Hokies did go dancing under Greenberg's tutelage - back in 2007 - they lost to a mid-major school, albeit a team (Southern Illinois) who'd shown it belonged in the national discussion.

What to take from that? The Hokies need to beat Clemson in their final regular season contest, then win once in the ACC Tournament. Surely, that will propel the Committee to extend an invitation to the Hokies. Once that happens, hope for chalk. Hope the Hokies don't play any teams seeded lower than them - it's clear they play better when the odds are stacked against them.