VCU Keeps on Going

Virginia Commonwealth University shouldn’t have made the NCAA tournament. An ugly 23-11 record, along with a 49 RPI rank and 85th ranked strength of schedule isn’t impressive enough to warrant an at-large bid to the biggest tournament in college basketball. Hell it hardly warrants a one seed in the NIT. But it didn’t matter, everybody knew the Rams would lose to USC in the First Four and it would be over.

But they didn’t.

But then everybody knew they’d lose to Georgetown and it would be over.

But they didn’t.

And then everybody and their grandmas knew they’d lose to Purdue.

But they didn’t.

Certainly they’ll lose to Florida State.

And they didn’t.

But then it really didn’t matter because EVERYBODY knew they’d lose to Kansas. They’d finish their magical run in the Elite 8 and live as a wonderful story in the history of college basketball. The Morris twins were simply too big for the Rams who had to be too physically, mentally and emotionally spent to win another game.

Instead? The Rams cut down the nets in San Antonio and start booking their flights to Houston after a 71-61 victory of the Jayhawks.

Yes, you read that right. The Virginia Commonwealth Rams will be in the Final 4.


In what has to be the most Cinderella of all runs to the Final 4 (narrowly beating George Mason in 2006 and Butler last year), the Rams have shocked powerhouse after powerhouse to clinch an opportunity to play for a National Championship.

The Rams were given the best possible bulletin board material every game. NOBODY thought they could win. Analysts continued to pick them to lose, thinking the slipper had to fall off sooner or later. But the slipper is the difference between the analysts and the Rams. To the Rams, there is no Cinderella story or glass slipper. They believe they should be winning these games. It doesn’t matter that they’re considered a mid-major. It doesn’t matter that they have made only one Sweet 16 appearance or gotten respect nationally.

It doesn’t matter because the Rams know they can play.

A team that lives and dies with the three-point shot, VCU is able to shoot from all five positions and spread the floor every possession. If the Rams lived by the shot, the Jayhawks certainly died by it. Shooting only 2-21 from behind the arc, the Jayhawks simply didn’t make the shots to win an exhibition game, let alone an Elite 8 game.

The Rams have won each of their games by an average of 12 points. 12! That’s incredible! It would be amazing for the Rams to have a lead of 12 at any time, let alone winning by that much. But led by 33-year-old Shaka Smart, who certainly will be leaving for a much bigger paycheck after the tournament, the Rams have instilled a belief in their locker room that they can beat anybody, any day.

On Selection Sunday, between the countless “experts” telling the Rams how much they didn’t deserve to be in the tournament, senior guard Joey Rodriguez tweeted “Ready to shock the world”. And right now, that’s exactly what the Rams are doing, shocking the world.

Jimmer Fredette on the Cover of Sports Illustrated

BYU guard Jimmer Fredette is on the latest cover of Sports Illustrated and you probably won't think it's a real picture but oh man it is. Only 5 more hours until the Sweet 16 starts and we get some more Jimmer.


If being Mormon made me have a vertical like that, I'll be showing up at your door tomorrow to try and convert you. Hell, I might even give up sex for that vertical. I probably wouldn't give up alcohol for it though.

Connecticut's Maya Moore Alley-Oop Against Purdue

This is what qualifies as an alley-oop in women's basketball. Also, this is what qualifies as a highlight in women's basketball. We might as well just call this play a dunk.

I'm really glad the NBA subsidizes the WNBA so that she will be able to play professional basketball in front of 5,000 "fans". No, you know what, more sports should do this. In fact, the MLB should subsidize a professional softball league so that we can watch them play on a field that's the same size as 10-year-old little leaguers play on.

Tennessee Fires Bruce Pearl

ESPN just reported that Tennessee fired head basketball coach Bruce Pearl. This isn't that much of a shocker after the NCAA charged him with unethical conduct earlier in the season and then his team got shit on by Michigan 75-45 on Friday. Here is his September 10, 2010 press conference where he admits "he had given investigators false information when asked about a cookout at his home attended by high school juniors". He also cries during it so there's that.

I'd like to thank ESPN commenter "buzzard1022" for summing this up: "Why do I get the feeling that when Pearl takes his next job as a used car salesman, we'll be reading about his arrest for rolling back odometers?"

Ohio State Looking Pretty Good

Coming into the NCAA Tournament there were two recurring themes: 1) the Big East was clearly the best conference in the country and 2) there were no GREAT teams in the field of 68. Well now I’m gonna have to let you know neither one of those are true.

The Big East, who came into the Tournament with a record-breaking 11 teams, now has two left: Marquette (an 11 seed) and Connecticut (3 seed). The conference has lost a 1 seed, a 2 seed, and a 3 seed as well as a normal powerhouse Georgetown and sleeper-favorite St. Johns. In an apparent “down season” for the ACC, the conference comes into the Sweet Sixteen with one more team than the Big East.

The second statement was thrown around for a majority of the season when it seemed nobody wanted to be ranked number one in the nation. Ohio State lost and then Duke would lose and then Kansas would lose and the number one overall seed came down to the conference championships. Ohio State was given it and they are certainly showing they deserve it.

The Buckeyes rolled in a 98-66 victory over the George Mason Patriots and to be honest, it wasn’t even as close as THAT score. The Patriots started on a hot-start, leading early 11-2. The Buckeyes then decided they wanted to start playing and finished the half on a 50-15 run.

We’re trying to make a statement,” guard William Buford said to ESPN. “We wanted to let everybody know we mean business.”

Well William, you did.

The Buckeyes shot 16-26 from three-point range and an impressive 61 percent from the field. The numbers can only slightly do justice to the Buckeye’s dominance. Play after play after play the Buckeyes manhandled the Patriots inside and outside of the paint and proved to the nation just how good they can be.

In a round where Duke struggled to beat Michigan and Pittsburgh lost to Butler, nobody would have been surprised if Ohio State had limped through and squeaked out a victory against Mason. Instead, the Buckeyes erupted for 98 points in a game where Jared Sullinger, arguably their best player, played only 22 minutes.

“Just so many weapons on our team,” Lighty said to ESPN. “And everyone was clicking on high cylinders tonight. When that’s happening, it’s pretty hard to beat us.”


It’s the many weapons the Buckeyes possess make them such a contender for the title. When the Buckeyes need a bucket they have the country’s best big man in Sullinger. Having a low-post threat is a huge advantage in the usual close games of March. Maybe not the game-winning shot, but in game up one with two minutes left, going down low for an easy bucket is the way to close out games.

Down three? Jon Diebler, William Buford, David Lighty and even freshman Aaron Craft are all capable of knocking down big shots. The Buckeyes’ guards are also all fantastic perimeter defenders who can single-handedly lock down an opposing team’s star player.

The Buckeyes simply looked so much better than George Mason. The swagger the team possesses allows them to walk onto the court knowing they can beat anybody in the nation. And they’re big. Sullinger comes in at 6’9, 280 and lines up next to Dallas Lauderdale, rolling up at a subtle 6’8, 225. That’s a heck of a front line that could overwhelm any team.

The Buckeyes come into the Sweet 16 after dominant performances, striking fear into the hearts of their upcoming opponents. If the Kentucky Wildcats can’t attempt to at least slow down the powerhouse Sullinger and big-time shooter Diebler expect another thorough victory.

Even after a game where the Buckeyes won by 32 and almost hit the centurion, Sullinger let out a worrying message to all the other teams left in the country.

“We can play better.”

Bye Bye ODU :(

I think we can all agree it wasn’t the send-off we were hoping for. With a favorable bracket and maybe a bit too high of expectations, ODU fans saw a Sweet 16, Elite 8 or, dare I even say it now, a Final 4 berth not TOO far away. We knew we were good, probably better than Butler, and with a lucky bounce here and there we were hoping to send our four fabulous seniors out in style. Unfortunately we got a couple of unlucky bounces and sent them out in a disappointing first-round loss.

I don’t want to dwell on the game. Mainly because I don’t think I’ve recovered enough to talk about it. I found myself sunk deeper into my couch than the loose change you dropped three months ago. I couldn’t feel, breathe or eat. I felt nothingness. It forced me to miss class only to continue to dwell on the inevitable: we lost and I wasn’t going to be able to change it. You know that feeling you got when you watched the last episode of Dexter season 4 and you found out Rita died (Spoiler alert!)? Or how about when you found out Santa Claus wasn’t real? Yeah it was like that, but worse.

But I said I wasn’t going to dwell and damnit I’m not going to! I want to write this column on the admiration and respect I, and hopefully all ODU fans have for our incredible four seniors who played their last game in a Monarchs’ jersey. Those four, Darius James, Keyon Carter, Frank Hassell and Ben Finney, racked up 93 wins for an up and coming Old Dominion basketball team. 93 wins, two conference titles, two NCAA Tournament berths and one victory isn’t so bad of a resume for a “mid-major” school.
The numbers will go down in the books but it’s the memories that will live on.

How many times have we needed a big basket and seen Finney step back and drain a three. Yes, the same Finney who is shooting 28 percent and probably missed his last 7 shots. But we need a basket? Number 35 is fine with taking and making it.

How many times have we needed somebody to calm us down and run the offense and seen James take over a game. The other team may have made a big three and made the game a bit closer. Instead of trying to throw up a superstar shot, James understands to slow the pace down and find the best pass. Which he usually does.


How many times have we seen a ball hit the back rim and shoot in the air only to see Frank the Tank reach up, with his ungodly long wingspan, and rip the ball down. No hesitation though, Hassell is straight back up with it, creating contact and finishing it for an and 1.

How many times have we needed a spark off the bench only to see Keyon Carter hop up, toss his warm-up jacket on the floor and come into the game. Always welcomed with an applause, it isn’t a rarity to see Carter hit his first shot of the game and then answer with a ferocious block on the defensive end.

More than anything else, the excitement the team provided will be my fondest memory. They always seemed to be having so much fun together. I’ll never forget the ESPN Bracketbuster game this year when Carter had a stellar game. After a timeout, Carter was out on the court early, rocking his head to the music on the Ted speakers and smiling at all the student section. It seemed they loved the fans as much as the fans loved them.

The team won’t be remembered for an unfortunate loss to Butler, but instead for the four incredible years they gave to this university. They started the steep climb of getting the Monarchs national respect and now it is up to the rest of the team to continue the ascent.

I have high expectations for this team because I think we are cabable of greatness. I’m excited about next year, seeing Josh Hicks get serious playing time, seeing what Marquel can do as a starter and watching Bazemore make the team completely his. The future is bright.


But I’m not gonna lie, I’m really gonna miss this team.

Four Great March Madness Moments Legoized

In today's "some people have way too much time on their hands" feature I bring you Four Great March Madness Moments: Legoized".

Who's ready for 12+ hours of basketball tomorrow? I double dog dare someone to try this at work tomorrow while streaming the games. I posted my first bracket yesterday but my plan is to get really drunk tonight and make some bold changes so stay tuned to see what kind of crazy things I get into later.

(Via Yahoo)

NCAA Tournament Opening Night - UNC Asheville, Clemson Advance

It really didn't feel like opening night but technically it was. Two 16 seeds battled for the right to take on Pittsburgh while two 12 seeds squared off to see who would face West Virginia.

In the first game of the night, UNC-Asheville beat Arkansas-Little Rock in OT 81-77. UNCA won despite leading for only 51 seconds in regulation. The game was exciting for their players but the celebrations will be short lived as they now have to take on top seeded Pittsburgh on Thursday. A 16 seed has never beaten a 1 seed. I sense they will have the lead for exactly 0 seconds in that one.

The second game of the tournament featured 12 seeds Clemson and UAB in a game that was never really close. After trailing 4-5 2:18 in, Clemson went on a 13-0 run and didn't lead by less than 8 after that en route to a 70-52 win. It was Clemson's first win in the tourney since 1997. Clemson now faces 5 seed West Virginia in the first game on Thursday. 12v5 is always a tricky match-up. In 19 of the past 21 years at least one 12 seed has beaten a 5 seed. Add to that the fact that Ken Pomeroy's rankings, a notoriously good tournament predictor, has WVU ranked 21 and Clemson 24 and we might be in for an early upset.

Tomorrow night 16 seeds University of Texas-San Antonio and Alabama St. play at 6:30pm with the winner to face overall 1 seed Ohio State on Friday and then at 9pm 11 seeds VCU and USC play to see who will face 6th seed Georgetown. Since we all love to gamble, Pomeroy has UTSA ranked 219 and Alabama St. ranked 295 while he has USC at 44 and VCU 84.

There were also 7 NIT games but no one really cares about the NIT. Watching the NIT is like rooting for your team in the Consolation bracket during fantasy football playoffs. That being said, I will be rooting for Bethune-Cookman to beat Virginia Tech tomorrow night because Tech sucks and it's hilarious that the selection committee keeps leaving them out of the big dance.

From Spartans to Cavaliers?

Rumors have it Michigan State's basketball coach Tom Izzo has been offered a job from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Izzo has been incredibly successful in his tenure at Michigan State. Since 1995, Izzo has been to six Final Fours, six Big Ten Championships, and won the National Championship in 2000. He also got his ass handed to him in the NCAA Finals by the best team in the world (North Carolina Tarheels) in the 2008-2009 basketball season.


Hiring college coaches to NBA positions can be a very risky maneuver by GM's because the college game is so far from the NBA game. Most of the time, the best college coaches are simply the best recruiters. When John Calipari was linked to the NBA, I was strongly against it, because Calipari is nothing but a recruiter. There are a select few in the College game (Izzo, Williams, Krzyzewski, Boeheim) who are amazing coaches. They set up dominant programs as opposed to coaches who can just have a great year due to great recruiting classes (Calipari, Donovan). With that being said, it would be very hard for Izzo to leave Michigan State this year. With the returning class Izzo has, the Spartans have a great chance of winning a National Title. Returning players like Kalin Lucas and Raymar Morgan would make it very hard for Izzo to leave.

In Izzo's current deal at Michigan State he's making 3 million a year so the Cavs will certainly have to offer him more than that. However, I think they'll also have to offer a certain player by the name of Lebron James (ever heard of him?). No way Izzo comes to Cleveland without a guarantee Lebron is coming back. He's in such a good place at Michigan State there's no way he would leave to go to a rebuilding team in the NBA.

In the end, I think Izzo stays in Michigan State, but it still makes it interesting with these rumors circulating.

March Madness Bracket 2010

As promised, here is our bracket:

1st round wins:

• MIDWEST - Kansas, Northern Iowa, Michigan State, Maryland, Tennessee, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Ohio State
• WEST - Syracuse, Gonzaga, Butler, Murray State, Xavier, Pittsburgh, BYU, Kansas State
• EAST - Kentucky, Texas, Temple, Wisconsin, Washington, New Mexico, Missouri, West Virginia
• SOUTH - Duke, California, Utah State, Purdue, Old Dominion, Baylor, St. Mary's, Villanova

2nd round wins:

• Kansas, Maryland, Georgetown, Ohio State
  
• Syracuse, Butler, Xavier, BYU
• Kentucky, Wisconsin, Washington, West Virginia
• Duke, Utah State, Baylor, St. Mary's

3rd round wins:

• Kansas, Ohio State
• Syracuse, BYU
  
• Kentucky, West Virginia
• Duke, Baylor

4th round wins (final 4):

• Kansas
• Syracuse
• West Virginia
• Duke

Championship Game:

• Kansas over Duke (84-77)