COLUMBIA, S.C. – Gardner-Webb enjoyed another day in the spotlight Thursday, as its men's basketball team worked through an open practice session and media availability in advance of its NCAA Tournament debut.

The Runnin' Bulldogs practiced off site Thursday morning, then entered Colonial Life Arena for its 11:05 am press conference. The quartet of David Efianayi, DJ Laster, Eric Jamison, Jr., and Jose Perez sat at the media dais and took questions for 15 minutes before giving way to head coach Tim Craft.

More questions from local and regional television followed during the open locker room, before Gardner-Webb was introduced over the public address system for its open practice.

By 12:30, the team was back in the locker room wrapping up and getting ready to head back to its hotel for meetings, film and more preparation.

The Runnin' Bulldogs, seeded 16th in the South Region, will battle top seed Virginia – ranked No. 2 nationally – on Friday at approximately 3:10 pm. 

The game will be televised live on TruTV, with CBS' top broadcast team of Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson on the call.