Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry has announced his starting quarterback for the 2023 season.
Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry has announced that the Hokies starting quarterback for their week one matchup against Old Dominion will be redshirt senior Grant Wells.ย The redshirt senior will reprise his role as the starting quarterback after starting in 11 games last season.
Pry announced the decision on Together We Triumph, a Virginia Tech NIL sports content network that hosts exclusive podcasts with Brent Pry and more. Wells beat out Baylor transfer Kyron Drones for the starting job, though Pry noted that Drones will also play regularly for the Hokies.
Wells did not have the first year that Brent Pry or Hokies fans would’ve hoped for in 2022. He completed 196-of-332 passing attempts, a 59% completion percentage for 2,171 yards, and nine touchdowns while throwing nine interceptions. The former Marshall quarterback also rushed for 205 yards and six touchdowns across 111 carries. With Wells leading the offense, the Hokies averaged just 19.3 points per game and went 3-8 in 2022.
Over his three years as a starting quarterback, Wells has played in 34 games for Marshall and Virginia Tech, completing 62.7% of his career passing attempts for 7,797 yards and 43 touchdowns. He also has 436 career rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.
The Hokies will begin their 2023 season on September 2 against the Old Dominion Monarchs. Old Dominion upset Virginia Tech last fall in Norfolk 20-17.
Virginia Tech saw one of their quarterbacks enter the transfer portal on Monday morning.
The [autotag]Virginia Tech Hokies[/autotag] lost a part of its quarterback room on Monday as backup signal caller Tahj Bullock entered the transfer portal according to multiple reports.
Bullock was a consensus three-star recruit across the recruiting industry and was ranked as the No.18 dual-threat quarterback by ESPN in the 2021 recruiting cycle. He originally committed to the Hokies under then-head coach Justin Fuente.
He would make his collegiate debut in the 2021 Pinstripe Bowl where he completed 2-of-4 passing attempts for 27 yards while picking up 14 rushing yards, Bullock did not see the field this past fall under the Hokies’ new coaching staff in head coach Brent Pry and offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen.
The move is not all too surprising as the Hokies picked up a transfer portal commitment back in December from Baylor transfer Kyron Drones. Drones this spring battled primarily former Marshall quarterback and second-year Hokie Grant Wells for the starting quarterback job.
Also on the Hokies roster at quarterback outside Drones and Wells are senior Connor Blumrick, redshirt freshman Devin Farrell, freshman Dylan Wittke, freshman William Watson III, and walk-on redshirt freshman Ben Locklear. With a crowded quarterback room, it wouldn’t be surprising to see at least one more quarterback from the Hokies enter the transfer portal.
The room will only be more crowded come 2024 as well with the Hokies currently holding a commitment from four-star quarterback Davi Belfort, the son of MMA legend Vitor Belfort.
The LSU and Virginia Tech game peaked at 5 million views while South Carolina and Iowa peaked at 6.6 million.
The women’s final four were the most-viewed NCAA D1 women’s college basketball semifinals in ESPN history with an average of 4.5M viewers. The LSU and Virginia Tech game peaked at 5 million views while South Carolina and Iowa peaked at 6.6 million. They were the 2 most-viewed basketball games, men’s or women’s, ever on ESPN+.
This comes as no surprise to anyone who watched these fierce matchups. The South Carolina and Iowa game was a sell out with 19,288 fans in attendance. The American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas held the Final Four games and holds the National Championship on April 2. This arena is home to the Dallas Stars of the NHL and the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA.
LSU and Iowa will take the stage one last time this season on April 2 to see who will take home the National Championship. This is the first time in program history the LSU Tigers, men or women, have made it to the National Championship game. This is the first time Iowa’s women’s basketball program has reached the National Championship game and only the second time in school history.
#WFinalFour ๐๐๐๐๐๐ across ESPN platforms to become the most-viewed #NCAAWBB semis (4.5M avg viewers) in ESPN history
While neither team shot exceptionally well, the Tigers roared back in the fourth quarter to take the lead.
For the first time in women’s basketball program history, LSU is headed to the National Championship after defeating Virginia Tech 79-72 in the Final Four.
This is head coach Kim Mulkey’s second year with the program. While neither team shot exceptionally well, the Tigers roared back in the fourth quarter to take the lead. The Hokies had 18 turnovers to LSU’s seven turnovers and at the end of the day, that made the difference.
LSU’s Angel Reese broke her double-double record and recorded her 33rd double-double of the season. She now has more than any other player in Division I basketball, men’s or women’s. Hokies player Georgia Amoore also set a record of her own. She has the most 3-pointers in the NCAA women’s tournament at 23. She made four alone in this game.
— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) April 1, 2023
Both schools made history for their school getting this far, but the Tigers will be advancing. They will face the winner of the South Carolina vs Iowa game. The Championship game will air at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 2 on ABC at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
A look at the women’s Final Four open practices from Alex Sinatra.
Tickets for the women’s Final Four are more expensive than the men’s Final Four. It’s almost like when you give more television time and devotes more resources to something, it grows. Who would have thought?
The women’s Final Four is taking place in Dallas, Texas, at the American Airlines Center. The venue held open practices for each of the four teams competing this year and it was free to the public on March 30.
Gates Open
10:00 a.m.
Virginia Tech Open Practice
11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.
LSU Open Practice
Noon – 12:50 p.m.
South Carolinaย Open Practice
1:00 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.
Iowaย Open Practice
2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
The Final Four takes place on March 31st, Division II and Division III national championships take place on Apr. 1, and the Division I national championship game takes place on Apr. 2.
For open practices, DJ Shawna was mixing the music and each team had a different musical vibe.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqUBEfnrsRi/
Virginia Tech was the first to practice and this is the first time they are on the big Final Four stage. They went into March Madness as a No. 1 seed and are the 2023 ACC Womenโs Champions. They matchup against LSU on March 31 at 6:00 p.m. CT.
Next up was “Bayou Barbie”, Angel Reese, and the rest of the LSU Tigers. The fans went wild during the entirety of LSU’s practices. ISDs in and around Dallas-Fort Worth bused in students to watch the festivities and experience the overall atmosphere of a Final Four.
Kim Mulkey stressed โrebound and defenseโ matters when asked how they made it to the #WFinalFour because โyou canโt always shoot the ball well every nightโ pic.twitter.com/2kldLKtESs
— ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐. (@YourPotential4) March 30, 2023
LSU is seeded No. 3 in the tournament, but are playing like a No. 1 seed. Their last win to cement their place in the Final Four was against Miami and Mulkey indicated they didn’t shoot well in that game but rebounding and defense helped them advance.
The next team was South Carolina and the immaculately dressed Dawn Staley.
— ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐. (@YourPotential4) March 30, 2023
Staley indicated during an on-court interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe that it takes a team of unselfish players to build this Gamecocks dynasty. She indicated for their team it takes “8-10 players to truly get those National Championships.”
— ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐. (@YourPotential4) March 30, 2023
Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes rounded out the open practices. Hawkeye fans were out in full force and made their presence known. Iowa takes on South Carolina on March 31 at 8:00 p.m. CT.
Brands like Playa Society and TOGETHXR have come together to celebrate the women’s side of the game.
The Women’s Final Four and National Championship games take place in Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center. The D1 Final Four takes place on March 31st, D2 and D3 National Championships take place on April 1st, and the D1 National Championship game takes place on April 2nd.
The NCAA and their corporate sponsors put together a list of events and activations from March 30th – April 2nd. These events are free to the public and take place throughout the city of Dallas.
There will also be pop-ups and other brands that champion women’s sports holding events in honor of the Final Four and Championship games. Brands like Playa Society and TOGETHXR have come together to celebrate the women’s side of the game. They are holding “an all-day womenโs basketball celebration with snacks, drinks, and giveaways.”
If you want to smell the sweat, be in the roaring crowd, and watch history unfold with your own eyeballs, then you need to book a flight or start driving today.
The Final Four of the 2023 March Madness Womenโs NCAA tournament is set and the teams are heading to Dallas, Texas.
This is the first time in program history that Virginia Tech is advancing to the Final Four and itโsย LSUโs first Final Four since 2008.
South Carolina looks to defend their 2022 National Championship and finish this season with a perfect record. Iowa is gearing up for its first tripย to the Final Four since 1993 and Caitlin Clark is on her way to cementing her name in all the history books of the sport.
Now, how do you watch these historic games? Both will be televised on ESPN, but what if you crave more? If you want to smell the sweat, be in the roaring crowd, and watch history unfold with your own eyeballs, then you need to book a flight or start driving today.
Tickets for the games at the American Airlines Center in Dallas start at around $300 on Ticketmaster.
Here’s all you need to know about flights from your respective college town:
The Hokies add former Old Dominion small forward via the transfer portal.
The Virginia Tech men’s basketball program has picked up a strong transfer portal commitment from Old Dominion forward Mekhi Long, it was announced on Tuesday. Prior to spending the last three seasons with Old Dominion, Long also spent one year with Rhode Island.
This past season for Old Dominion, the Bryans Road (MD) native averaged 10.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. He also led the Sun Belt Conference with 11 double-doubles including four double-doubles in which he scored 15 points or more.
In 2022-23, Long shot 43.8% from the floor and 35.9% from beyond the arc. He won’t take many shots from deep but is a quality shooter when he does choose to. He also shot 66.1% from the free-throw line. Over his career, free throws have been a struggle with a career free throw percentage of 64.1%.
Long will look to help replace both Grant Basile and Justyn Mutts in the Hokies lineup. Basile and Mutts were the Hokies’ top two scorers from this past season averaging 16.4 and 13.3 points per contest.
Source: Old Dominion transfer Mekhi Long has committed to Virginia Tech.
This season, Virginia Tech was 19-15 including 8-12 in ACC play, missing the NCAA Tournament in the process.ย Next season will be head coach Mike Young’s fifth with the program. Through his first four seasons, the Hokies have made the NCAA Tournament twice and won an ACC Conference Tournament championship in 2022. He’s collected a 73-51 overall record with the Hokies across 124 games.
This is the first time in program history that Virginia Tech is advancing to the Final Four and LSU’s first Final Four since 2008.
The Final Four of the 2023 March Madness Women’s NCAA tournament is set and the teams are heading to Dallas, Texas.
This is the first time in program history that Virginia Tech is advancing to the Final Four and it’s LSU’s first Final Four since 2008. The two schools go head-to-head on Friday, Mar. 31st at 6:00 p.m. CT.
This is not, however, the first Final Four appearance for powerhouse South Carolina as they are looking to defend their 2022 National Championship and finish this season with a perfect record.
Iowa, however, is earning its first trip to the Final Four since 1993. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark cemented why Iowa deserved to be in the Final Four with her Elite Eight dominance. She became the first player in NCAA Tournament history to record a 40-point triple-double. The Gamecocks and the Hawkeyes battle it out Friday, Mar. 31st at 8:00 p.m. CT for a spot in the National Championship game.
Both games can be seen on ESPN.
No. 1 Virginia Tech vs. No. 3 LSU
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
This matchup is unexpected, but will be full of superb basketball. The Tigers are already on fire with Angel Reese dominating with double-doubles this season and seemingly endless stellar on-court performances. The Hokies are walking into uncharted waters for their program, but their head coach Kenny Brooks is leading the way and anything is possible for this team.
Both teams are coming into this matchup with some impressive statistics. Hokies Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore combined for 49 points in their 84-74 victory over Ohio State in the Elite Eight. LSU’s Angel Reese leads the NCAA in double-doubles with 32 this season. In LSU’s win over Miami, LSU guardย Alexis Morris led the Tigers with 21 points.
Both sides are doing impressive things in this tournament and it is difficult to predict who might pull out a victory. In LSU’s win against Miami, 54-42, they defended strongly and kept the score lower than expected. If the Tigers can continue to use that sort of defense against the Hokies then they might pull out a win. However, the Hokies have a fire that will be tough to extinguish and if they continue to rack up points then they will punch their ticket to the championship game.
Pick: Virginia Tech
The second game features two red hot teams on a collision course.
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 2 Iowa
USA TODAY Network
This is a matchup people have been hoping for all year and it will be the pinnacle of basketball this season. Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks are hungry for a repeat of last season and want to keep their season perfect. With big Kamilla Cardoso dominating in the paint and forward Aliyah Boston snagging rebounds and throwing up points, they will be an impressive opponent for the Hawkeyes. The Gamecocks come into this Final Four matchup after having defeated Maryland, 86-75.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark recorded her 11th career triple-double with 41 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in their win over Louisville, 97-83. Clark became the first player in NCAA Tournament history, men’s or women’s, to record a 40-point triple-double. Clark isn’t the only Iowa player to rack up some impressive stats in the Elite Eight. Teammate McKenna Warnock notched her 20th double-digit game with 17 points and five rebounds and Gabbie Marshall had 14 points.
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If Iowa can pressure South Carolina and force turnovers then Clark will have the opportunity to do what she does and that will translate to a win for Iowa. However, this is new territory for the Hawkeyes and sometimes experience in these high-pressure situations equals victory. The Gamecocks have been here before and they understand what to expect. This gives them a slight edge over Iowa.
Only two No. 1 seeds remain in the women’s tournament and this is the first time since 1998 that the Sweet 16 will be without two of its No. 1 seeds.
Only two No. 1 seeds remain in the women’s tournament and this is the first time since 1998 that the Sweet 16 will be without two of its No. 1 seeds. We have a No. 8 seed in Ole Miss and a No. 9 seed in Miami matched up against No. 5 and No. 4 seeds respectively. This tournament is about to heat up and it feels like upsets are on the brink.
Sweet 16 games begin Friday, March 24 with four matchups on Friday and four matchups on Saturday. The frontrunners in the tournament are still the top-seeded teams, but lower-seeded teams are peaking at just the right time and anything can happen in March.
Hereโs everything you need ahead of this weekendโs Sweet 16.
