Welcome to the 2016 Elite Eight blog!

Hello Viking fans! Welcome to the 2016 Augustana men's basketball Elite Eight blog. Throughout our trip to Frisco, Texas I will update the blog and keep everyone back home up to date on all things Elite Eight. Four years ago, the Elite Eight blog made its debut, following the women's basketball team on its trip all the way to the Final Four.

Also be sure to follow us on social media throughout the trip. There will be multiple accounts on the trip documenting our daily activities. Accounts to follow: @EvansT99, @GoAugie, @AugieMensBball

GoAugie.com will also be your headquarters for everything Elite Eight. I put together a website with important links and information for hotels, restaurants, directions and ticket information at www.GoAugie.com/elite8

Details of our departure from Sioux Falls to Frisco are still being worked out but the tentative plan is for the team to head south on Monday. As of today, the forecast calls for 72 degrees, sun and wind in Frisco on Monday.

Augustana will open play in the Elite Eight taking on Tarleton State on Wednesday, March 23 at 6 p.m. (CT). Keep in mind, when reading brackets on NCAA.com, all times are listed in Eastern. All times listed for games and events on GoAugie.com will be in Central time.

The 2016 Men's Elite Eight will be played at Dr. Pepper Arena which is the home of NBA D-League Texas Legends. As we all know, the Vikings have had some success playing in the home of an NBA D-League team (Sanford Pentagon, hint, hint...)

On Thursday the coaches and administrators will have a conference call with all participating teams. On that call we will learn more about our schedule upon our arrival in Frisco. I was on a conference call tonight with the sports information directors from all eight participating schools and the media hosts for the Elite Eight on Wednesday night and was told that the attractions around Dr. Pepper Arena will not disappoint. The arena is within walking distance of numerous hotels and not far away from a mall.

The Augustana Alumni Association will be hosting a pregame social on Wednesday, March 23 at Ringo's Pub in Plano, Texas starting at 4 p.m. Ringo's is a five-minute drive from Dr. Pepper Arena and will be a great place for Viking fans to get together and get ready for the game.

Thanks for reading and I hope that you are able to follow along all week long for updates of Augustana's trip to the Elite Eight.

Go Vikings!