The Hokies are officially shuttered from the March Madness festivities for the fourth straight season.
Though Virginia Tech basketball already confirmed that it would be declining a National Invitational Tournament , Sunday confirmed it would not be part of the 68-team March Madness field this year. It is the fourth straight season that the Hokies are not in the Big Dance, and the fifth consecutive year that Virginia Tech has not received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
SMU, NC State, Texas, and Miami were the last four teams in the tournament. Oklahoma, Auburn, San Diego State, and Indiana were the first four teams out.Virginia Tech's declining of the NIT removed what would have been its third stint in the tournament in the past four seasons. The Hokies lost in the first round of the ACC Tournament to Wake Forest in a 95-89 overtime defeat. It was Virginia Tech's first loss after regulation this season; the Hokies were previously 4-0 in such contests, including a triple-overtime victory over then-No. 21 Virginia on Dec. 31. "Virginia Tech men's basketball has elected to decline an opportunity to compete in the 2026 National Invitation Tournament," the team posted in a statement released on X. "Given the current health status of members of our roster and the need for a number of our student athletes to focus on recovery and preparation for their professional careers, we believe it is in the best interest of our players and the long-term direction of our program to conclude our season at this time. While we respect the tradition and competitiveness of the NIT, the standard for our program remains clear. Our expectation is to compete in the NCAA Tournament. Our staff and student athletes are already focused on the work ahead, and we are committed to doing everything necessary to return Virginia Tech to the Big Dance in 2027."that he would "absolutely" welcome an invitation to the NIT. Virginia Tech participated in the NIT in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, bowing out in the first and second rounds, respectively. The Hokies began their non-conference slate of the season with a 11-2 record and followed that up with a 95-85 victory over UVa. to start its ACC slate. However, Virginia Tech languished through a trio of one-possession losses in the span of two weeks, falling to 2-3 in league play. Though Virginia Tech bounced back with three wins in their next four games, the remainder of the season was not as fruitful; the Hokies lost seven of their final 11 games to close out the regular season, with a narrow 76-72 loss to then-No. 13 UVa. in the regular-season finale.THOMAS HUGHES Hughes serves as Virginia Tech On SI's lead editor, a position he has held since July 2025. He is a sophomore at Virginia Tech, majoring in multimedia journalism with a minor in creative writing. Hughes is also the assistant editor-in-chief for 3304 Sports, as well as an on-air talent for 3304's SportsCenter-style studio show. He is also a staff writer for Steering Wheel Nation, having written pieces on several motorsport series, including Formula 1 and the NTT IndyCar Series.It’s Time to Change the Way We Do March Madness Brackets
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