As Chris Coleman detailed in “Black Saturday,” there was a lot to
be nervous about with regards to the Hokies’ NCAA hopes after Saturday’s games
ended. But where it all really went south for me was when ESPN’s Joe Lunardi,
around 3:30 Sunday, moved Tech from a comfortable position in the “Last 4
In” to “First Team Out.” Translation? Lunardi had talked to
someone, and he knew how it was going to go down.

I’m guessing that Lunardi isn’t any better than any other bracketologist,
except, as it starts to come down to the wire, he can make phone calls and tell
people he’s from ESPN. Suddenly, he’s got all the information he needs. He’s the
Joe Schad (of College Football Live) of ESPN’s college basketball bracketology
side of the house.

So when Lunardi moved the Hokies from In to Out, I knew it was over.

After that, it was a kick-the-dog, yell-at-the-kids kind of afternoon, but I
kept it cool. I’ve been a father long enough to separate my Hokie fandom, which
doesn’t always go smoothly, from family, which should always go smoothly. We
went out to our usual Sunday dinner early and had a good time. And, honestly, we
don’t even have a dog.

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