DANCING!

We ended up with a 10-seed (as predicted), playing against 7-seed Florida in Omaha on Friday.  2-seed Missouri (who plays 15-seed Norfolk State) looms on Sunday if we can get past the Gators.

My quick, off-the-cuff thoughts:

-- First off, and most importantly, I'm just glad we made it in.  I made myself very nervous over the course of the last 48 hours, especially when bid-thief St. Bonaventure won the A-10 tournament.  Turns out, our loss to the Wolfpack probably just dropped us a seed line.  Anyway, it's a big deal to make the field, and I could not be more excited.

-- Florida is a tough draw, especially since we're missing Malcolm Brogdon (our tallest perimeter defender who can handle quick guards).  That said, I'm happy with the pairing.  For one, the Gators are a name team.  Beating them will really mean something.  Secondly, I think we're a decent matchup for them.  They, like us, are limited in the post.  They like to jack up threes, which could play right into our hands... if they're missing those threes.  They also like to press, which generally isn't good news for us, but with almost a full week to prepare, I'm optimistic that we'll come in with a decent plan on how to attack it.  All in all, I'm psyched.

-- I'm so happy for Mike Scott.  This is all he wanted, and he got it.  Congratulations  Mike!

-- Like I said before, we're playing with house money.  If we lose as a double-digit seed playing against Florida, nobody will criticize us.  But if we win...

-- Nothing is better than the NCAA tournament.  Nothing.  I'm so very happy we're in the field this year, and I truly think it's just the beginning.

-- As wary as we might be to look at this game against Florida, I can guarantee they are just as leery.  Tony Bennett, the Pack Line, Mike Scott... we have a lot going for us.

-- Florida is not upset-proof.  They lost as a 5-seed to 12-seed Creighton in the first round in 2002.  12-seed Manhattan upset 5-seed Florida in 2004.  And though it wasn't a seeded upset, 10-seed Florida lost to 7-seed BYU in 2010.  They also had close brushes against 12-seed Butler in 2000, and 13-seed Ohio in 2005.  They've won two national championships this decade, but without the likes of Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, and Al Horford, this team has been fairly shaky in tournament play.

-- This is the most important thing to happen during Tony Bennett's coaching tenure at UVA, to date.  It serves to validate his coaching chops, his systems, and his player development skills.  Remember, we currently have seven players in our rotation, and all seven came into the program as 3-star recruits.  I bet that is the least amount of high school talent of any of the non mid-major tournament teams.  Something to be proud of, and also food for thought while considering the fact that we get 4-star Malcolm Brogdon back next year, along with 4-star Justin Anderson and 4-star Evan Nolte.  Our talent level is on the rise across the board.

-- I think that's about it for now.  I'm sure we'll flood this space with thoughts as we build toward Friday.

CONGRATULATIONS to the Wahoos and their long-suffering basketball fans!  Today is a proud day indeed.

GO HOOS!