Greenberg Is Off to Fast ACC Start

These are good times for Virginia Tech Coach Seth Greenberg, who has accomplished the unexpected.

Virginia Tech finished fourth in its inaugural season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, upset Duke and might earn its first NCAA tournament appearance since the 1995-96 season.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Assn. selected Greenberg, who spent nine seasons as an assistant and head coach at Long Beach State, among its coaches of the year. The Hokies, however, put the party on hold.

Virginia Tech faces Georgia Tech on Friday in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament at the MCI Center, and a loss might end the Hokies’ pursuit of an at-large NCAA tournament berth.

They hope to soon have more to celebrate.

“I’ve been sitting here all morning watching Georgia Tech, and I’m kind of getting a little ill right now,” Greenberg said. “Am I optimistic? Well, you’re as optimistic as you can be before any game in this league.

“The bottom line is that this league is not a very forgiving league. You can feel great about yourself, great about the way you’re playing, and then go right out and get yourself thumped. That’s just how it is in the ACC.”

Greenberg, in his second season at Virginia Tech, quickly adjusted to life in the nation’s premier basketball conference.

Virginia Tech, selected to finish 10th in the conference’s preseason poll, is 15-12 overall, went 8-8 in the ACC, and is seeded fourth in the tournament that starts today.

The Hokies, who left the Big East after the 2003-04 season, began 0-2 in conference play, but Greenberg led an impressive turnaround.

A 70-69 upset of then-No. 12 Georgia Tech in January -- the Hokies’ first road win over a ranked opponent in 23 years -- highlighted a four-game conference winning streak.

The Hokies’ biggest victory occurred Feb. 17 -- a 67-65 win over No. 7 Duke at Blacksburg, Va. It ended a losing streak at three games and enhanced Greenberg’s standing on campus.

“It was as good an atmosphere as I’ve ever experienced,” he said. “The ownership that our student body took in that game ... it was something. And the genuine joy that that win brought to our people was really nice.

“It was exciting, so I’m happy for the school, the program and our kids, because this school has tremendous pride and passion for its teams. The Hokie Nation is a real entity, and it’s nice that we’ve been kind of able to feed the hunger for success.”

Under Greenberg, Virginia Tech (15-14, 7-9 in the Big East last season) has had its first consecutive winning seasons since 1994-95 and 1995-96.

The USBWA selected Greenberg as its District 3 coach of the year. The district comprises Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Maryland.

Moreover, Greenberg is considered among the leading candidates to be selected as ACC coach of the year.

Talk about a strong opening act.

“It’s all about our kids,” Greenberg said. “No one has given us a chance all season, and these kids have earned everything they’ve gotten.

“It’s not always pretty, but they play hard and together. They’ve all accepted their roles and learned how to compete.”

Virginia Tech has benefited from the presence of sophomore guards Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon.

Dowdell averages a team-high 14.9 points and makes 44.3% of his three-point shots. Gordon, selected to the ACC all-defensive team, provides intensity and averages 10.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

“You can’t survive in this league without a good backcourt,” Greenberg said, “and we do get good guard play.”

The Hokies are sound on defense, also strengths of Greenberg-coached teams at Long Beach State and South Florida, but lack depth and, earlier this season, were short on the dedication Greenberg has demanded of players.

The latter problem was fixed.

“Their definition of working hard and mine were probably not on the same page,” Greenberg said. “Now, they better understand where I’m coming from, and the results of playing that hard have been obvious.”

Despite its surprising season, Virginia Tech still faces a difficult task this week to reach the NCAA tournament.

The ACC has the nation’s highest Ratings Percentage Index, according to Internet sites that attempt to re-create the formula used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.

The Hokies, though, have an overall RPI of only 118 because of a weak nonconference schedule that included games against Maryland Eastern Shore (2-26) and James Madison (6-22). And Virginia Tech’s 107th-rated strength of schedule, also among the criteria the NCAA uses in selecting the 65-team field, won’t help its case.

“More than anything else, we’re probably going to go back and look at the portion of the schedule over which they had some control,” said Bob Bowlsby, Iowa athletic director and chairman of the Division I men’s basketball committee.

“And this is a general statement, it doesn’t pertain to Virginia Tech, necessarily, but the section of the schedule that you have control over is your nonconference schedule. It isn’t intended that everybody has to play all their games against top-25 opponents, but you also don’t have to play them against the bottom 125, either.”

Still, the ACC had seven ranked teams in the Associated Press top 25 poll from Nov. 29 through Jan. 2, so a fourth-place finish in the top conference has elevated the Hokies to bubble status.

No. 2 North Carolina, No. 3 Wake Forest and No. 5 Duke are expected to receive NCAA tournament berths regardless of their performances in the ACC tournament.

Georgia Tech, which has an RPI of 37 and the nation’s 17th-toughest schedule, might secure a bid Friday if it defeats Virginia Tech. Maryland and Miami finished with 7-9 conference records but also are believed to be ahead of Virginia Tech because of RPIs in the 50s and schedules rated 13th and 16th, respectively.

In order for the selection committee to welcome in the Hokies, they might have to win the ACC tournament title.

“I think we’ll get six” bids, said Greenberg, who guided Long Beach State to NCAA tournament appearances in the 1992-93 and 1994-95 seasons.

“This is the best league in the country, and it has been the best league in the country all season long. At one time, we had seven teams in the top 25, then league play started and we all beat up each other. Well, are we all going to pay the price because the league is so good?

“Are we going to pay the price because it’s hard to win at Virginia Tech, it’s hard to win at Georgia Tech and it’s hard to win at Miami? Most times, a .500 record in this league should be good enough to get you in.

“I think it’s good enough for Maryland and it’s good enough for Georgia Tech. We’re going to find out if it’s good enough for Virginia Tech.”