Murray State University Athletics
NCAA Friday: Racers Arrive In Baltimore
3/21/2008 5:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
After a brief 87-minute flight from Paducah, Ky., to Baltimore, the Murray State women's basketball team arrived at the site of its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Perhaps it was appropriate that the team arrived at the home of the National Anthem at the twilight's last gleaming, just after sundown, at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Now, the team will prepare for what may be a perilous fight against No. 9 Duke.
The day began around 1:30 this afternoon, when the team, cheerleaders and band loaded up their buses at the Regional Special Events Center and left for Paducah. The team bus ride was light-hearted but not noisy, as players listened to music or read on the trip. Once at Barkley Regional Airport, the team went through the usual security measures, although for many of the team members, this was their first time on an airplane.
At takeoff at 5 p.m., strong winds came out of the southwest, perhaps adding to the first-timers' anxiety, but the plane quickly got above the clouds and leveled off for a smooth ride across Kentucky and the Appalachian Mountains into Maryland.
Soon after checking into the hotel, the team got together for a brief meeting before retiring to their rooms. On Saturday, team administrators have morning meetings, and in the afternoon, the team has its press conference at 2:20 p.m. Central Time, followed by an open practice on the Comcast Center floor at 3 p.m. CT. Duke will have its press conference and practice an hour prior to MSU's.
