[sweetnahmah1]

are they trying a new atmosphere?

I think that's what the curtains were for....classy touch if you ask me

o, i didn't see curtains. and it looked like there was no one there except one side of the student section was filled i guess. weird

[Sly Fox]

I think perhaps our Alaska game against Duke a couple of years ago which was on the big ESPN channel may have been an HD production. But I could be wrong.

[BJWilliams]

ESPNHD I dont think had been established at that point.

I really genuinely think that we are going to need to get to the line the same if not more times on Thursday....but additionally...we need to convert those trips.

Against VMI @ VMI we went to the free throw line 20 times...made 16
Against VMI @ LU we went to the free throw line 27 times...we made 15


Also, VMI is a 3 point shooting team for the most part as everyone is no doubt very aware...

Against VMI @VMI VMI attempted 30 three pointers...made 9
Against VMI @ LU VMI attempted 36 three pointers...made 18
Against Radford @ VMI VMI attempted 54 three pointers...made 16
Against Radford @ Radford VMI attempted 37 three pointers...made 13

[TheLouder]

I am nervous about this one.

[sweetnahmah1]

I am nervous about this one.

lil bit. but i'll be there cheering

[jcmanson]

Can't wait. I won't be able to get any work done today or tomorrow. I think Jesse/James' performance will have a greater impact than Austin/Tyler because we need someone to control the guys on the court. Jesse did a great job of that during the season, and James has done a good job of that the past 2 games.

[Rooster Cogburn]

I'll be in Florida on vacation, so I'll be checking FF for updates on the phone.

[UNCA Alum]

Holmes squared, Willie Bell, and Kenon all played against Winthrop in the championship game two years ago... so you have to give them the experience edge.

I imagine both teams will come out nervous and cold before heating up in the final 30 minutes. Watched a bit of the GW game last night b/c the Edge feed for the UNCA game. Realy liked that halfcourt trap that you put on to kind of slow them down after they made their run. I imagine you will do the same thing against VMI after made baskets and dead balls.

It will be a tight one and I think that the winner of the 6 o'clock game will represent the Big South in the NCAA Tournament.

[Hold My Own]

Experience isnt even close....we have the 4th youngest team in the nation!

[UNCA Alum]

True, but in my opinion there's a difference between conventional experience and big game experience. Take Radford for instance. Radford has the moxt experienced team in the league, but nobody on their roster has played in a game that means as much as the one they will play on Thur or (hopefully not) Saturday.

VMI's three main players have played in some big games before and I think that will help them out a lot on Thursday night.

[paradox]

Can't wait for this one.

VMI really took it to us like there was no tommorrow. Well, tommorrow is here, and this game actually means something.

[zdbecker]

Tickets sold out 10 minuttes after they were available! Any one been to a Radford game, with the GA tickets can u sit any where or are they assigned seating. Also, are alll you flames club and lunatics sitting in a certain section, there area bunch of us regular students who are going up early, but at the VMI game last time all of our students were so spread out, we should all organize to sit together we would be much louder and more organized. We need to be the loudest fan base out of the 4 teams there!

[ToTheLeft]

Pretty sure since there's no "home team" that we're gonna have general admission type seating, and have the whole place to ourselves (shared with the Cadets and VMI alums, of course)... I'm hoping we get to sit behind our bench... but regardless, I think we'll be able to find a good spot where we can all be together...

[zdbecker]

But I know the tickets are for both games, so there will probably be a lot of UNCA and Radford fans there as well checking out who there going to play, either that or the place will be nearly empty, I know VMI, LU, and UNCA only got a few hundred tickets each, the rest are for radford, so if the radford fans dont come out to the firsts game there may only be 5 or 6 hundred people there, hah. That would look odd on ESPNU.

[ToTheLeft]

Kinda fits in the Seth Thread, but also fits here

Big South
Why should you care? The Big South could produce some of the best scorers in the first round. VMI's twins, Chavis Holmes and Travis Holmes, had 21 and 30 points, respectively, in the opening-round win over Coastal Carolina on Tuesday night. VMI can post points at a record pace. Just ask Kentucky. VMI beat the Wildcats at Rupp 111-103 in their season opener. Liberty's Seth Curry -- yes, Stephen's younger brother -- scored 30 points in the Flames' opening-round win over Gardner-Webb.

What would be the best scenario? You can't go wrong with either VMI or Liberty. The VMI story of the Holmes twins would get plenty of play. The up-tempo, frenetic offense would be a good watch, too. Curry can carry Liberty, maybe not to a first-round win, but he certainly can keep fans interested until the other Curry plays.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/champweek ... id=3950601

Katz seems to want the winner of tomorrow nights game to go to the NCAA's.

[g-webb1994]

I hate VMI. They moan and groan whining saying that their campus life is so rigorous, having to run, dorms like prisons, etc. They brag about it when they win in anything (rarely) and use it as an excuse when they lose (a bunch). If it is such a burden, why don't they drop down to D-2 or NAIA ball then?

I never was a Falwell fan, watching any minister go down the water-slide of a fraud will do that to you, BUT, he built a darned good school from scratch, and wanted a top-flight athletic program in the process. You have to respect that. Likewise, it makes it quite easy to root for you guys to win the tourney and go to the dance.

[Sly Fox]

Thanks, '94. Frankly that slide was the only part of the whole PTL mess that was cool with me. Doing it in a suit & tie was epic.

[UNCA Alum]

The Radford fans probably won't show up until the UNCA/RU game.... and the Keydets and Liberty fans will probably leave after their game.

It definitely creates kind of a weird environment with fans of all four schools there.

Hopefully the Keydets and Flame fans will stick around for the second matchup and pull for the upset. Kind of similar to back in '03 when we beat Winthrop at the buzzer in the first semifinal at the Vines Center and the LIBERTY band stormed the court. Hahahaha. Though something like that would probably only happen when it is Winthrop going down.

[markymark550]

Kinda fits in the Seth Thread, but also fits here

Big South
Why should you care? The Big South could produce some of the best scorers in the first round. VMI's twins, Chavis Holmes and Travis Holmes, had 21 and 30 points, respectively, in the opening-round win over Coastal Carolina on Tuesday night. VMI can post points at a record pace. Just ask Kentucky. VMI beat the Wildcats at Rupp 111-103 in their season opener. Liberty's Seth Curry -- yes, Stephen's younger brother -- scored 30 points in the Flames' opening-round win over Gardner-Webb.

What would be the best scenario? You can't go wrong with either VMI or Liberty. The VMI story of the Holmes twins would get plenty of play. The up-tempo, frenetic offense would be a good watch, too. Curry can carry Liberty, maybe not to a first-round win, but he certainly can keep fans interested until the other Curry plays.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/champweek ... id=3950601

Katz seems to want the winner of tomorrow nights game to go to the NCAA's.

Now that WU is out of it, either LU or VMI would be my choice too in terms of getting the conference some recognition. No offense to RU or UNCA (who I am now rooting for in the tournament), but they don't have any appeal outside of their fanbase. LU and VMI, on the other hand, would have something interesting to offer the Big Dance. LU's Curry connection and VMI's style are big enough draws to garner some attention.

[Kolzilla41]

I will be watching this game tomorrow night from my office on Campus North

[Cider Jim]

Anybody watching the game at Buffalo Wild Wings???

[SuperJon]

Pretty sure since there's no "home team" that we're gonna have general admission type seating, and have the whole place to ourselves (shared with the Cadets and VMI alums, of course)... I'm hoping we get to sit behind our bench... but regardless, I think we'll be able to find a good spot where we can all be together...

There are going to be Liberty sections, Radford sections, VMI sections, and Asheville sections. The tickets the LUnatics got were in the Liberty section. The tickets anyone bought from Liberty were in the Liberty section. Now, if you went through Radford, you're not going to be sitting with us. You'll be on your own somewhere else.

[ToTheLeft]

Ahhh. I guess I was thinking of the VBall tourney, where it was pretty much GA and you sat where you sat... I just realized I never went to a Semifinal game, I stayed home from that last year... nevermind.

[Fumblerooskies]

Hopefully the Keydets and Flame fans will stick around for the second matchup and pull for the upset. Kind of similar to back in '03 when we beat Winthrop at the buzzer in the first semifinal at the Vines Center and the LIBERTY band stormed the court. Hahahaha. Though something like that would probably only happen when it is Winthrop going down.

THAT...was a great game. Just about the entire Vines was packed with fans coming in for the LU-RU semi...and ALL were rooting against Winthrop. It was quite electric, for a UNCA fan.

[TIMSCAR20]

I was at that game that night too. We were staying in the Holiday Inn select and they put me and MRS SCAR in the room next to a guy by the name of Gregg Marshall. I remember hearing their video session before the game through the adjoining room and how intense WU was. What a game that night. Actually the Liberty/Radford game was pretty intense too. When we got back to the hotel there were a bunch of WU fans in the hotel lobby consoling Marshall and everyone else. It felt like someone had died for those folks.