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#2 March Madness upset: No. 11 Virginia Tech over No. 6 Texas
The 25th-ranked Texas Longhorns (21-11) are a team with the ambitions and abilities of an Elite Eight team. But the Virginia Tech Hokies (23-12) can eliminate them before their tournament ever gets going. Virginia Tech, effectively ranked 26th, is coming into the tournament with momentum. Texas is coming into the tournament reeling.
Virginia Tech only made the NCAA tournament because they won the ACC Tournament. That means they have been in tournament mode for weeks.
The mental state of the Longhorns and coach Chris Beard is critical to Virginia Tech's ability to pull off an upset in the first round. If Texas plays at their best, the Hokies could be in danger, but Texas has not been at their best in almost two months. Texas is on a three-game losing skid and is 9-9 since Jan. 8.
Some games in March Madness are about letting opponents beat themselves. Virginia Tech needs to play at the level they brought against Duke in the ACC championship game and allow Texas to implode. Both events will give the Hokies a win over the Longhorns.
