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B4 - The Final Blog

Well, the buses are loaded and we have begun the final trip home for the season. It's time to write and post the final blog of this amazing journey of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. A trip that took us from Blacksburg to San Jose and ultimately to our Nation's Capital. 
 
Though the game did not turn out the way we had all hoped, this was an experience of a lifetime. The fight and determination of this team was only matched by the chemistry they have displayed off the court. This is a team that will long be remembered at Virginia Tech.
 
Ty, Med and 5 have raised the bar when it comes to on and off court leadership. This senior class, along with KJ, have recorded the most wins in a four-year span in school history, but also have set a new standard in the class room. Four guys with their undergraduate degrees before conference play begins. That's pretty incredible.
 
I encourage all our readers to read Jimmy Robertson's storyfrom last night, well actually this morning about this team and the journey. Another outstanding story on Hokiesports.com.
 
A lot of thanks need to go out to those people who have helped us with the March Madness/Sweet 16 page on Hokiesports.com. 

Webmaster Damian Salas makes it look so good and Daniel Sabatino produced great video features. David Knachel and Lauren Rakes provided outstanding photo galleries and Lance Dozier, with help from Ben Smith on the graphics, handled all the social media chores. Thanks to Lauren Belisle, the marketing department and ticketing group for all their updates and to Lyle Wolf and Baylie Stous for keeping us and the team headed in the right direction, as well as our High Techs and Marching Virginians. 
 
So, as we close, I can't help but marvel at the strides this program has taken and know that they will continue to takes. The future of Virginia Tech men's basketball is bright. Thanks for coming along on the ride.
 Gallery: (3/29/2019) 2019 MEN'S BASKETBALL SWEET 16 GAME 

 

B3 - The It's About That Time Blog

Well, it's closing in on game time. The Hokies are in the building and getting ready in the locker room. Some of the staff is scouting the first game, which Michigan State leads 40-28 at the half.
 
The waiting for the late games is always challenging. The uncertainty of the exact tip time is challenging for teams, like the Hokies, that are regimented on pre-game schedules. The Hokies will be wearing the maroon uniforms tonight.
 
All that can be said and written has been. But in the end, it's always been up to the players and the coaches and their hours of preparation. Last month's game has no relevance at this point, it's all about the play on the court.
 
The game will be televised on CBS, with Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson. Jon Laaser and Mike Burnop will have the call on the Hokies' radio network and Kevin Kugler and John Thompson have the call on the national Westwood One radio network.
 
Until after the game, Go Hokies!

 

 

B2 - The Night Before Duke Blog

Okay, this is likely a somewhat short blog. Just want to hit on a couple of topics before returning in the morning.
 
The Hokies will have a film session in a few minutes to wrap up this busy day. I, for one, am happy to stretch out, get off my feet and relax. The app on my phone says almost 11,000 steps, so, yeah, that's a lot for me. That delicious dinner will help get me to sleep soon.
 
While some of us were at the NCAA pre-tournament meeting, the players were in the team room in a two-hour study hall. Class is in session and these events take us away from campus, but, the academic work never stops. This team is dedicated to the school work and free time here is often in front of a laptop getting the work done.
 
For those coming to the team send-off tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m., the Holiday Inn – Capital is just south of the National Mall, not far from the National Air and Space Museum and a short walk from the L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station. 
 
I love this city and our location here, you can't help but look out the window of the bus or even the hotel room and see history. Plus, the cherry blossoms are in bloom. A great city to explore, but the Hokies have other things on their minds.
 
We'll check back in tomorrow and set the stage for the game tomorrow night against Duke. In the meantime, take a few minutes to explore the Sweet 16 edition of the March Madness page on Hokiesports.com. There are a lot of cool things from the past couple of weeks, with new elements added daily.
 
Good night and until tomorrow, Go Hokies!

 

 



B1 - The Whew, What a Busy Day Blog
 
Apologies that it has taken so long to post our first blog from the Nation's Capital. It has been quite a busy 24 hours or so.
 
We arrived in two groups on Wednesday and gathered for a team meal before calling it a night last night. Everyone was tired from the travel and turned in for some much-needed rest.
 
The meetings started for some as early as 8 a.m. this morning at the Capital One Arena, formerly the Verizon Center. This venue has twice hosted the ACC Tournament since the Hokies joined the league and Tech has also played in two special events in the arena. Washington, D.C. is a nice, familiar place for so many in the Hokie Nation. 
 
The team got together after breakfast for a film session, before heading over to the arena. First up was practice. Unlike other rounds, when you advance to the Sweet 16, the media gets to watch the first 15 minutes of practice and after they were ushered out, the team was able to get in a "real" practice. Nice to be able to do that on the actual game floor.
 
Coach spent time with the CBS broadcast crew at the beginning and then it was down to business. Tech took care of all of its rituals on the day before practice away from Cassell Coliseum and headed towards the locker room for 30 minutes of media interviews.
 
Coach was on the podium first, followed by the three seniors, while the remainder of the team was available inside the locker room. Needless to say, with this regional not too far from home, the number of media was much larger than in San Jose and both sessions were crowded. 
 
After his time on the podium, Coach was whisked away for one-on-one interviews with CBS and Westwood One, the national radio rightsholder of the NCAA Tournament. With all that taken care of, it was back to the hotel for a late lunch.
 
Some of the administrative staff headed back to the arena (yes, a third time for yours truly) for the pre-tournament admin meeting. With that finished, once again back to the hotel. A special shout out to our 84-year old taxi driver, who made the short dash safe and fun. He assured us he will root for the Hokies tomorrow night.
 
A quick note before finishing up. We will have a team send-off tomorrow night. Come to the Holiday Inn – Capital at 7:30 p.m. on Friday to wish the team well as they head over to the arena for the Sweet 16 game with Duke.
 
Hope to have another post later tonight. As always, check in on us here on the March Madness page of Hokiesports.com and on our social accounts. And make sure to follow along for more behind-the-scenes action on the men's basketball Twitter account via @HokiesMBB.
 Gallery: (3/28/2019) 2019 MEN'S HOOPS SWEET 16 PRACTICE DAY