The buses rolled away from the Foster-Stevens Center Monday afternoon — filled with optimism, filled with excitement, filled with that special four letter word, hope.
UTEP, hoping to put a miraculous finish on a miraculous turnaround, headed for the airport Monday, headed for Birmingham, Ala., headed for what they hope will be the conclusion of a memorable season.
The Miners, of course, beat Charlotte Saturday afternoon to clinch the fourth seed in this week's Conference USA tournament. The top four seeds get Wednesday off — saving 40 minutes of leg-pounding basketball, saving 40-minutes of adrenaline.