University at Albany Great Danes bus is readied Wednesday.

The University at Albany men's basketball team is on the road to Philadelphia today and The Record is, too.

The Great Danes and Coach Will Brown are heading off to the NCAA college basketball tournament where they are slated to play the Blue Devils of Duke University at 12:15 p.m.  Friday in the Wells Fargo Center.


Record college sports reporter Andrew Santillo leaves this afternoon for the City of Brotherly Love to report on the Great Danes' journey.

Andrew Santillo

Andy, an Ithaca College graduate, has been a member of our sports staff since September 2006. After a busy winter covering the Great Danes and the Siena College Saints, he is excited about the opportunity to cover the NCAA basketball tournament for The Record and our sister newspapers in the New York cluster - The Saratogian, The Oneida Daily Dispatch and The Daily Freeman in Kingston - as well as the rest of the Digital First Media company.

In his tournament preview story today, Andy writes that the Great Danes, who are seeded No. 15, are up for the challenge of facing the big men of Duke, which is the No. 2 seed. Check out his story here.

In the coming days, don't forget to check out Andy's coverage in The Record in print and online at www.troyrecord.com


You can also follow Andy on Twitter at @AndrewSantillo. If you have any questions or comments about the Great Danes appearance in the Big Dance, don't hesitate to email him at asantillo@troyrecord.com

Here's wishing the Great Danes well in the NCAA tourney and don't forget to check out Andy's coverage of their run.

We also offer best wishes for success to the Great Danes women's basketball team, who are also competing in this year's NCAA tournament. Seeded No. 14, they take on No. 3 UNC at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, Delaware.