Virginia Tech basketball: ESPN analyst praises Cassell Coliseum

Dan Shulman is one of ESPN’s top play-by-play men for college basketball. Shulman generally gets some of the best games of the week, and he’s a busy man during basketball season.

Shulman was on the call for Virginia Tech’s 62-53 win over archrival Virginia Monday night at Cassell Coliseum. Cassell was rocking, often getting after UVA guard Kihei Clark who shot an airball early in the game, and fans never let him forget about it.

Monday’s atmosphere was extraordinary, and Shulman agreed, saying, “I haven’t been to a louder place this year.”

That’s high praise from someone who’s been to some of the best venues in the country.

Cassell Coliseum has always been an excellent place to watch college basketball. It was often half empty until Buzz Williams arrived, but Williams rebuilt the program, and Mike Young picked up where Williams left off. There’s a different energy around both the men’s women’s basketball teams now. Young and Kenny Brooks are in charge of up-and-coming programs, and the students, alums and the New River Valley community are all buying in.

Both the men and women will need fans to continue packing Cassell over the next few weeks. It begins this weekend when the men’s team puts their six-game winning streak on the line against North Carolina.