Metallica at March Madness? The Virginia Tech Hokies have long used the metal band's "Enter Sandman" as entrance music. But after its use was banned by the NCAA for the tournament, Virginia Tech fans responded by loudly chanting "Enter Sandman" instead.
It happened during the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament's first round at Virginia Tech's Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia, on Friday (March 17), as a video shows and as USA Today reported.
Watch down toward the bottom of this post.
Why couldn't Virginia Tech use Metallica's "Enter Sandman" as their entrance music as usual? Though the Hokies have clearance to use the 1991 "Black Album" single at their home games — for playing the actual album version over the speakers — the NCAA banned its use for March Madness to keep things neutral.
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"It will only feel like a Tech home game Friday to a certain point," The Roanake Times remarked ahead of the matchup. "The Cassell public address system usually plays 'Enter Sandman' right before tipoff. But Tech won't be allowed to do that Friday."
Steve Allen, Getty Images
Metallica in 1992. (Steve Allen, Getty Images)But Tech fans weren't going to let it go "Sandman"-less.
"After @NCAA banned Enter 'Sandman' from being played at tip-off, this is how Hokie Nation responded," news anchor Riley Wyant tweeted alongside the clip.
"Let me clarify here — Virginia Tech hosted this Women's NCAA Tournament game as a 'neutral site,'" the NBC 12 News Virginia reporter continued.
"So, the NCAA said the Hokies would be fined if they played their traditional 'Enter Sandman' entrance," she added. "So yes, the song was banned for this instance but not for usual home games."
An "Enter Sandman" entrance has been a Virginia Tech tradition ever since the Hokies football team first used it as their walk-on song in August 2000.
In 2021, Metallica released an expanded and remastered edition of the "Sandman"-containing "Black Album." Get Metallica concert tickets here. The band's new album 72 Seasons comes out April 14.
The Hokies beat Chattanooga on Friday 58–33.
Metallica, "Enter Sandman" (Music Video)
