SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) The final seconds ticked down and the celebration began for Virginia Tech. The more than half-century wait for a return to the Sweet 16 was finally over.

The fourth-seeded Hokies advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in school history, knocking off 12th-seeded Liberty 67-58 in the second round of the East Region on Sunday.

"This moment is so big for us, so big for everybody in this program," forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. said. "It's been a long journey. So I'm glad to be here."