• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Virginia Tech looks to reverse struggles vs. Illinois

Mar 15, 2007 - 6:27 AM Illinois (23-11) at Virginia Tech (21-11) 7:10 pm EDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- Virginia Tech is stumbling into its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 years.

The fifth-seeded Hokies (21-11), losers of three of their last four games, face off against 12th-seeded Illinois on Friday in a West Region first-round game.

Virginia Tech had an opportunity to win the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title, but lost to Virginia and Clemson in its final two games. The Hokies lost in the semifinals of the ACC tournament, 72-64, to North Carolina State.

The Hokies are led by senior guards Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon. Dowdell was named to the All-ACC first team on the strength of his 18 points and 2.2 steals per game. Gordon was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and both Gordon and Dowdell were named to the ACC All-Defensive team.

Virginia Tech is making its first appearance in the NCAAs since the 1995-96 season, when they lost to top seed and eventual national champion Kentucky in the second round. At 5-7 all-time in the tournament, this is the Hokies' highest seed.

Illinois (23-11) is making its eighth straight NCAA Tournament berth, earning an at-large selection out of the Big Ten Conference. This is the 27th all-time appearance for the Fighting Illini, which ranks second among Big Ten teams.

Illinois won eight of its last 11 games down the stretch, falling to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament semifinals.

Senior forward Warren Carter leads the Illini averages 13.7 points and connects on 41 percent of his 3-point attempts. Defense is the key for Illinois, which holds opponents to just 57.3 points.

The Illini are 38-27 all-time in the NCAAs, losing to Washington in the second round in 2006. In five years under coach Bruce Weber, Illinois has made it out of the first found four times.

The winner will face either Southern Illinois or Holy Cross in Sunday's second round.