 That was in 1960, when under coach Coach Chuck Noe the Hokies hit the 20-win mark for the first time.That team lost to West Virginia, led by Jerry West, in the conference tournament championship game, and therefore was not eligible to advance to the NCAA tournament.Tech left the Southern Conference in 1965, and in its first season as an independent went to the NIT for the first time in school history, posting an overall mark of 19-5 after losing to Temple in the first round.