A little bit earlier, I rolled out an old chart of the last of the unbeatens.
Seemed like a good idea, given Wake Forest’s loss to Virginia Tech tonight.
SEE RELATED:
But what about those spoil sports? What happens to them?
It’s a great question, and one worth exploring in this chart featuring every team to knock off the final unbeaten since 1994 (postseason is NCAA tournament unless otherwise noted):
| Year |
Team |
Record
|
Postseason |
| 2009 |
Virginia Tech
|
13-5 |
TBD |
| 2008 |
Tennessee |
31-5 |
Regional semis
|
| 2007 |
Maryland |
25-9 |
Second round |
| 2006 |
Tennessee |
22-8 |
Second round
|
| 2005 |
Ohio State
|
20-12 |
None |
| 2004 |
Xavier |
26-11 |
Regional final
|
| 2003 |
Maryland |
21-10 |
Regional semis
|
| 2002 |
Florida State
|
12-17 |
None |
| 2001 |
UCLA |
23-9 |
Regional semis
|
| 2000 |
Seton Hall
|
22-10 |
Regional semis
|
| 1999 |
Syracuse |
21-12 |
First round
|
| 1998 |
New Mexico
|
24-8 |
Second round
|
| 1997 |
Missouri |
16-17 |
None |
| 1996 |
George Washington
|
21-8 |
First round
|
| 1995 |
Kansas |
25-6 |
Regional semis
|
| 1994 |
California |
22-8 |
First round
|
That’s not a bad record; other than probation-addled Ohio State in 2005, only two non-tournament teams have taken out the final unbeaten. The last first-round flameout in the bunch was in 1999.
It’s a trend that bodes well for Virginia Tech, which still feels the pain of last year’s NCAA tournament snub. A road victory over a team likely to remain in the top 50 (and possibly top 25) of the RPI could carry the Hokies very, very far come March.
Farther, perhaps, than they went a season ago.
—- Patrick Stevens
