If you take a quick glance at the Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball standings, you would probably surmise that Virginia Tech doesn't even belong on the same floor as the cream of the crop in the league.
With four teams ranked in the national top 12 -- No. 4 Maryland, No. 8 Duke, No. 11 North Carolina and No. 12 Florida State -- the ACC has proven to be one of the toughest conferences in the country. Out of the league's 12 clubs, the Hokies are 2-12 in conference play and rank 11th in scoring offense, 11th in scoring margin, 11th in rebounding and 10th in turnover margin.
One of their two conference wins this season was against fellow bottom-dweller Clemson, who is likewise 2-12 in ACC competition. The other, and most recent, was against Wake Forest, who was 5-9 and finished 9th in the final regular season standings.
But when you analyze the Hokies' resume a little closer, it's easier to see that the numbers aren't always what they appear to be. While the team may not have racked up ACC wins this season, they showed a knack for playing most teams on their brutal schedule close, especially the premiere ones.
"We have got a little down this year just because of our record and stuff," said junior Lindsay Biggs. "But we just have to keep in mind that we can play with anyone in this conference, which means anyone in the country because, in my opinion, it's one of the best in the country."
Against teams in the top half of the conference, Tech lost by 11 points or less almost 50 percent of the time. In just 23 days, the Hokies lost four games against current top-25 ranked squads by an average of five-and-a-half points. After falling to Florida State by just four points Jan. 8, Tech suffered a five-point defeat at the hands of then-No. 4 Duke eight days later, followed the next week by a six point loss to then-No. 16 Virginia.
"We try to draw on how close we have been, and we need to do just a little bit more to turn that corner and turn an 'L' into a 'W,'" said head coach Beth Dunkenberger.
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