Virginia Tech knocks off North Carolina

Happy Friday, everybody. Here's some reading to start your weekend.

Virginia Tech defeated North Carolina on Thursday night in a taut, important ACC game. The Hokies scored another important win to stay afloat in the unpredictable league.

Darryl Slater of the Richmond Times-Dispatch writes that on Thursday night, Cassell Coliseum "felt like February in the ACC: Two teams, desperate for a win, chasing a spot in the NCAA tournament, playing in a packed-to-the-rafters arena, and doing it with drama fitting of the stage."

After the loss, North Carolina Coach Roy Williams said: "It's tough, what we're going through, there's no question about that. It doesn't get any easier." The Tar Heels play at Maryland on Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the ACC released its football schedules for the 2010 season. Virginia Tech has a bye week before facing the reigning ACC champion, Georgia Tech, on Nov. 4. But as noted by David Teel of the Newport News Daily Press, the Hokies seem to have a brutal month of November as they round out their regular season schedule.