SAN JOSE, Calif. – History was made on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, as the fourth-seeded Virginia Tech men's basketball team won 67-58 over 12th-seeded Liberty at the SAP Center.
The win signified a lot for the Hokies (26-8), including their first run to the Sweet 16 since the tournament expanded (1985), as well as the most wins in program history with 26 and coach Buzz Williams' 100th win at Tech.
Four Hokies scored in double figures, with forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. leading way with a team-high 19 points and nine rebounds. Guard/forward Ty Outlaw had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, the first double-double in an NCAA Tournament game by a Hokie since Bobby Beecher in 1986 and the eighth all-time.
Guards Ahmed Hill and Justin Robinson also had 10-plus points, with Hill having 14 points and Robinson with 13. Guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker had a team-high six assists, six points, six rebounds and three steals.
Tech will take on the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, Duke, on Friday in Washington, D.C. in the Sweet 16. The two played earlier this season on Feb. 26 and the Hokies came away with a 77-72 win in Blacksburg.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Liberty (29-7) got off to a hot start, hitting six 3-pointers the first 15 minutes into game to take a 26-18 lead, forcing a Tech timeout. Out of the break, the Hokies answered with an 8-0 run behind an and-1 and layup from Blackshear and a triple from guard Justin Robinson to tie it up at 26-all with 1:40 remaining in the first half.
But the Flames answered with six straight points before guard Ahmed Hill hit a 3-pointer right before the buzzer to cut it to a three-point deficit at halftime, 32-29.
To open the second half, the Hokies got into rhythm offensively and poured in 21 points to take a six-point lead, 50-44, at the 11:33 mark and wouldn't look back, as they didn't allow the Flames to make it less than a two-possession game.
After a Liberty 3-pointer with 2:20 remaining to make it a five-point game, Robinson came down the court and hit a clutch 15-foot jump shot to push it back to a seven-point advantage and essentially bet he dagger with that being the closest it would get the following two minutes.
QUOTING HEAD COACH BUZZ WILLIAMS
On the last few seconds with Justin Robinson dribbling over to him and the two of them sharing a smile and a few words, and what they said to each other?
"Just that I'm so excited for him," Williams said. "To miss 12 games as the all-time leader in assists, and there was never any assurance that he was going to be able to play again. Obviously, we were all hoping that, but he hasn't played since January.
"And for him to be able to come back on this stage and obviously be a part of winning on Friday and then to continue our season, just thankful, thankful for my relationship with him. Thankful for my relationship with his parents, thankful for how all of this has transpired. Regardless of how it plays out, right, he was able to end his career in this manner is so much better than him sitting over there in civilian clothes."
QUOTING FORWARD KERRY BLACKSHEAR JR.
On what was going through his head after the win:
"For me, I just thought about all the people who have been a part of the program, people who helped me in life both on and off the court," Blackshear said. "This moment is so big for us, so big for everybody in this program. I thought of Ernest (Eugene). I thought of Devin Wilson. Thought of Coach (Jeff) Reynolds. Thought of (Justin) Bibbs, just all those people who helped us get to this point. It's been a long journey. So, I'm glad to be here."
TWEET OF THE GAME
Locker room vibes 💦 #getBETTER | #Hokies 🦃 pic.twitter.com/AG8O50uiRv
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) March 25, 2019
NOTES
- Tech dominated inside, outscoring the Flames 30-10 in the paint. It also capitalizes off Liberty miscues, outscoring Liberty 15-7 in points off turnovers.
- The Hokies held the Flames to just six made field goals in the second half.
- Williams is now tied with former Tech coaches Howie Shannon and Charles Moir for most NCAA Tournament wins with two.
- The 26 wins topped the 1994-95 and 2009-10 seasons with 25 wins each.
- For only the third time in NCAA Tournament history, an ACC matchup will take place in the Sweet 16, as the Hokies and Blue Devils will go at it in Capital One Arena Friday. The two other times were in 2018 (Duke vs. Syracuse) and 2015 (Louisville vs. NC State).
SWEET 16 TICKET INFO
Tickets go on sale Monday, March 25 starting at 10 a.m. ET. The ticket sales timeline is below and there is a four ticket limit for each account. All donor rankings listed are as of June 30, 2018:
Monday, March 25th
10 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Hokie Ambassador, Hokie Scholar, and Hokie Stone levels
12 p.m. - 2 p.m. - Donors ranked 1-300
2 p.m. - 4 p.m. - Donors ranked 301-600
Tuesday, March 26th
10 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Donors ranked 601-900
12 p.m. - 2 p.m. - Donors ranked 901-1200
2 p.m. - 4 p.m. - Donors ranked 1201-1500
Wednesday, March 27th
10 a.m. - On sale to all remaining Hokie Club members
12 p.m. - On sale to the public (if tickets remain)
Gallery: (3/24/2019) 2019 NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND GAME