Virginia Tech Announces They Will Not Participate In This Year's NIT Tournament

Virginia Tech lost in the first round of the ACC Tournament this week and won't be playing in any postseason tournament

Mar 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Juke Harris (2) and forward Cooper Schwieger (13) and Virginia Tech Hokies guard Jaden Schutt (2) and center Antonio Dorn (77) react after the end of overtime at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech will not be participating in any postseason tournament this season.

After losing in the first round of the ACC Tournament to Wake Forest, the Hokies postseason hopes were grim and it looked like they were certainly heading for the NIT. This afternoon however, Virginia Tech announced that they will be declining any invitation to the NIT.

An update from our program ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/toajanzBj2

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) March 13, 2026

The statement said the following:

"Virginia Tech Men's basketball has elected to decline an opportunity to compete in the 2026 National Invitation Tournament.

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."

Virginia Tech needed to win a couple of ACC tournament games to even be considered, but they failed to do that.

Hokies head coach Mike Young talked about the missed opportunities that his team has had this season after their loss to Wake Forest:

"Doing it a long time. 24 years as a head coach, you have never heard me make an excuse. Was it hurtful? Yeah. But tonight, down Amani, and you've got to find a way to continue to win, and we didn't do enough of that. We didn't do enough of that. Not quite good enough.

There was a lot of mixing and matching throughout the year. It wasn't a shoo-in, this team. They all matter. We did a lot of things right. 11-2 coming out of non-conference. We didn't have a blemish. We still don't have a blemish. We had great opportunities. We had unbelievable opportunities. Now, a lot of those opportunities were on the road. North Carolina, Louisville. We won at Clemson, won at Syracuse, on and on. Had Duke at home, and they were playing really, really good basketball. We had our opportunities, and we came up just short. That's disappointing, infuriating, and I take a lot of responsibility there."

This Virginia Tech team came into the season with hopes of making the NCAA Tournament, but they did not do enough to be considered, and all in all, it should be viewed as a disappointing season.