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Hokies hoops history: Virginia Tech earns its best NCAA Tournament seed ever

Posted at 12:33 AM, Mar 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-20 00:36:58-04

Ahmed Hill of Virginia Tech Hokies reacts. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

BLACKSBURG, Va. (HokieSports.com) –Virginia Tech will face the Saint Louis Billikens in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in the East Region at the SAP Center in San Jose, California on Friday, March 22.

The Hokies, 24-and-8 on the season, are the fourth seed in the East Region and earned an at-large bid out of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Saint Louis, 22-12 overall, is the 13th seed. The Billikens earned the automatic bid out of the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 55-53 win over St. Bonaventure in the conference championship on Sunday afternoon.

This is the Hokies' third consecutive NCAA bid, marking the first time in school history that Tech has appeared in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments. Tech was the ninth seed in the East Region in 2017 and the eighth seed in the East Region in 2018.

Wabissa Bede of the Virginia Tech Hokies. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images)

This will be the ninth all-time meeting between the Hokies and the Billikens. Tech is 7-1 all-time against Saint Louis, but lost the last meeting, 77-71, in Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16, 2017 in the 2K Classic.

On Sunday, March 24, the winner of the Virginia Tech – Saint Louis game will play the winner of the No. 5 seed Mississippi State – No. 12 seed Liberty game.

The Hokies are one of seven Atlantic Coast Conference teams in the field of 68. Duke is the top seed in the East Region and Louisville is the East Region's seventh seed.

The Virginia Tech-Saint Louis game will start after the conclusion of the Liberty – Mississippi State game, which begins at 7:27 p.m. EDT on Friday night and the game will be televised by truTV. The event will be played at the SAP Center and is hosted by the West Coast Conference.