Friday, February 18, 2005

Hokies Knock of Blue Devils

BLACKSBURG, VA -- The Virginia Tech Hokies MENS basketball team beat the Duke Blue Devils.

Let me say that again, unless the words, as if in some feverish dream, blurred like the disappearing message scrawled in the sand as high tide rolls in.

The Virginia Tech Hokies beat the Duke Blue Devils in basketball.

Upon making a game-winning heave for three points, Zabian Dowdell was held aloft as the Hokie hero who helped topple Coach K and his mighty Blue Devil warriors. The Hokies won the battle on the court, again not the field, 67-65 and the win brings new light to the rookie ACC school.

Earlier, the upstart Hokies surprised the football world by winning the ACC championship outright. The Hokies now are dropping jaws as their perrenial bottom-dwelling has been replaced by a legitimate chance to make the NCAA tournament, and a not so far-fetch chance of winning the ACC championship!

Alas, yes, it is quite far-fetched. And yet, here we are in mid-February with Hokie squad that is 13-10 (6-6), and in sixth place in the ACC. Far from the teams of yesteryears, Coach Seth Greenberg has brought this team well out of the trenches.

Not since the days of Ace Custis has Virginia Tech basketball been so exciting. This current team might prove to be better than Coach Bill Fosters 1994-5 team that went to and won the National Invitational Tournament. It may be as good as, if not better than the team led by Dell Curry that went to the NCAA Tournament in 1985.

Hokie basketball is alive and well. Time will tell as the Hokies continue to make strides. Oh, and by the way, there's only one senior on the squad.