On the road with the Colonials: Day 10

At the end of today, GW will either be headed to the program's second-ever regional final appearance or on a bus back to the nation's capital. The day started with an 8.15 a.m. bus departure time for shoot-around, followed by breakfast. On another note, it's good to see GW men's coach Karl Hobbs here to support McKeown and company.

We are leaving for Greensboro Coliseum in 10 minutes, so please check back in a little while.

Update, 1.25 p.m. - The team received a send-off from the dance team and the Colonial Brass as it left the hotel (pictured to the left). Many more family members, students, and administrators have made the trip to Greensboro as opposed to the relatively small GW contingent that followed the squad around last week.

The team bus was accompanied by a police escort to Greensboro Coliseum (shown to the left - sorry for the glare in the picture, but the bus was packed and it was tough to maneuver around). As has been the case for each of the previous two NCAA Tournament games, the ride over was quiet, as everyone seemed dialed in on the task at hand.

It's almost time to get down to business. Check back for more after the broadcast, which you can hear here starting at two p.m.

Update, 6.02 p.m. - Well, it's all over. GW's season comes to a close here in Greensboro following a 53-42 loss to Rutgers. The Colonials battled for 40 minutes, cutting the deficit to four with just under four minutes left after trailing by 12 at intermission. However, Essence Carson scored the final nine points for the Scarlet Knights, ending the careers of Sarah-Jo Lawrence, Kimberly Beck, Whitney Allen, and Lora Mitchell.

It was a very emotional postgame scene. Lawrence and Beck were visibly upset during the press conference, while McKeown choked back tears at times. McKeown spoke of how proud he was of his seniors. It's hard to imagine what the program is going to be like without those players.

The mood was mixed on the bus ride back to the hotel. It's going to be a long trip back to Washington, D.C. The caravan should make it back to campus right around midnight. I'll be back with more tomorrow. Thanks to anyone and everyone who followed us on the road with the Colonials over the last couple of weeks. Also, special thanks to everyone around the program who made what we've done possible. It has truly been a pleasure, one that I will never forget.

Update, 12.23 a.m. - It was a surprisingly upbeat ride back to the nation's capital, as everyone enjoyed Enchanted and The Gameplan. However, there was also a sense of finality, as despite the fact that there is a team banquet in a few weeks, there is a good chance that the group that took the bus back from Greensboro may never all be together again. After spending five plus months together as a family, there was a strange feeling as everyone got off the bus back on campus.

I rode with the team back from Norfolk two years ago after the NCAA Tournament loss to Tennessee, and there was a sense of optimism when that ride ended at Guthridge Hall. However, it was truly the end of an era as the bus made its final stop a few minutes ago.

I'd like to once again thank everyone who checked out our posts from the road. Special thanks to everyone with the women's team for giving us such unprecedented access with the squad; we hope we didn't cause too much of a hassle. Again, it was a truly amazing experience.