VCU sixth in final USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ poll
It’s a well-known fact that Shaka Smart is a history buff.
Then it really comes as no surprise as Smart and his Rams continue to rewrite the history books when it comes to VCU basketball. For the first time ever, the Black & Gold earned a top-10 ranking, finishing sixth in the final USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ poll of the 2010-11 season. Continue reading “VCU sixth in final USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ poll” »
VCU runs ends with loss to Butler
A pair of threes by Shelvin Mack broke open a close game midway through the second half, and Butler held on down the stretch to defeat Virginia Commonwealth 70-62 in the Final Four on Saturday in Houston.
Mack’s first three gave Butler a 47-43 lead with 11:16 to go. He made another 1:19 later to make it 50-45 Butler, then capped a personal eight-point flurry with a layup that put the Bulldogs up seven at 52-45 with 9:38 left. Continue reading “VCU runs ends with loss to Butler” »
Weekend Watchdog: Opening up and closing down
In college basketball, four teams are vying for number one.
In major league baseball, everybody’s tied for first place.
The 2011 Major League Baseball season gets going on a Thursday this year, with three games on ESPN. The Tigers visit the Yankees at 1 p.m. and the Padres take on the Cardinals at 4 p.m.
The night closes with a big bang, as World Champion San Francisco Giants host the Dodgers by the Bay at 8 p.m. Continue reading “Weekend Watchdog: Opening up and closing down” »
Weekend Watchdog: Opening up and closing down
In college basketball, four teams are vying for number one.
In major league baseball, everybody’s tied for first place.
The 2011 Major League Baseball season gets going on a Thursday this year, with three games on ESPN. The Tigers visit the Yankees at 1 p.m. and the Padres take on the Cardinals at 4 p.m.
The night closes with a big bang, as World Champion San Francisco Giants host the Dodgers by the Bay at 8 p.m.
ESPN continues the opening action Friday with a pair of games – Houston at Philadelphia at 1 p.m. followed by Boston-Texas. Weather permitting in Philly.
Sunday night on ESPN2, the Dodgers and Giants close out their series at 8 p.m.
The Nationals open the season at home against the Braves. MASN has the first pitch Thursday at 1 p.m., and the last two games of the series Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
The Orioles start the year in Tampa Bay, playing Friday at 7 p.m. on MASN. The teams play Saturday night on MASN and Sunday afternoon on MASN2.
NCAA basketball closes its season with the men’s Final Four in Houston and the women’s championship in Indianapolis.
Who had VCU playing Butler for a spot in the national championship game? It sounds more like a Bracket Buster game from February. But these two have advanced to Saturday’s 6 p.m. game, and one will play either Kentucky or Connecticut for the title Monday.
On the women’s side, Texas A&M plays Stanford in one semfinal Sunday and it’s a Big East battle between Notre Dame and Connecticut in the other on ESPN. The victors meet Tuesday for the national championship.
Before the Final Four, the NIT crowns its champion Thursday at 7 p.m. on ESPN. Wichita State, which eliminated Virginia Tech, takes on Alabama.
NASCAR invades the paper clip this weekend, as the racers cruise around the Martinsville Speedway starting at Sunday 1 p.m. on FOX.
The PGA tour gets ready for the Masters with the Shell Houston Open on NBC Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.
TNT returns Thursday NBA doubleheader action as the Celtics visit San Antonio at 8 p.m. followed by the Mavericks against the Lakers. ESPN offers a Friday twinbill, with the Celtics at the Hawks at 8 p.m. The Lakers visit the Jazz at 10:30 p.m.
The NBA on ABC opens April with the Suns at San Antonio Sunday at 1 p.m. Then the Nuggets face the Lakers.
A tough task faces the Wizards Friday – a Cleveland team coming off a win over LeBron and the Heat. Comcast has the coverage at 7 p.m., then Sunday at 6 p.m. the Wizards head to Charlotte.
The Capitals host Columbus Thursday at 7 p.m. and the Sabres Saturday at 7 p.m. on Comcast. NBC has the Rangers facing the Flyers Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
Tennis stars compete at the Sony Ericsson Open this weekend. ESPN2 has coverage Thursday and Friday starting at 1 p.m., and Friday at 7 p.m., then CBS takes over Saturday and Sunday.
In college baseball, Florida meets Tennessee Saturday at 1 p.m. on Comcast. Sunday at 2 p.m., Alabama hosts Arkansas. If you want college football, ESPN has the Texas preseason finale Sunday at 3 p.m.
ESPN2 has a women’s soccer match between England and the USA Saturday at 3 p.m.
The SEC women’s gymnastics championship will be on ESPN2 Sunday at 3 p.m.
Chris Graham: Fair-weather fans
See anything wrong with this picture?
And no, I’m not referring to the fact that the governor’s office released a photo of Bob McDonnell talking on the phone with VCU coach Shaka Smart after the Rams’ win over top-seeded Kansas to earn the school’s first Final Four berth last weekend.
It’s what McDonnell is wearing in the photo.
I mean, I get it. I’m a UVa. alum, and if somebody were to snap a random picture of me on a weekend after watching sports they might catch me in some combinations of orange and blue.
But then if I knew the photo was going to be circulated widely, and if I had any sense of political wits about me, maybe I’d, I don’t know, you know, change.
I’m not suggesting that McDonnell go homer and don black and yellow with a gaudy hat featuring a ram that you can tug a string and gets hand to clap.
(Though that would make for a good image. So actually …)
Seriously. Just take the Notre Dame sweatshirt off. I’m sure he had a T-shirt on underneath. Or heck, doesn’t he live in the governor’s mansion? Go get a generic windbreaker or something.
It’s not like you need to give Smart and his bunch any more motivation. First it was Vitale and Bilas saying forcefully that VCU shouldn’t have gotten in. Then it was everybody else doubting them as they prepped for their next big-name opponent.
Now the governor calls to congratulate the team on its big win wearing a sweatshirt of a team that lost to a team that VCU beat on its way to the Final Four.
Now I hear that the governor and Congressman Eric Cantor are heading to Houston to root the Rams on.
Can you say “fair-weather fans”? Thought you could.
More columns by Chris at TheWorldAccordingToChrisGraham.com.
The AFP on WREL: Improbable
AFP editor Chris Graham talks Virginia sports with WREL-1450AM’s “Online with Jim Bresnahan.”
The segment begins, naturally, with an examination of the improbable run of Virginia Commonwealth to the Final Four. It’s not a fluke, says Chris, citing data on how VCU has improved markedly in defensive efficiency and shooting from the field. Continue reading “The AFP on WREL: Improbable” »
The AFP on WREL: Improbable
AFP editor Chris Graham talks Virginia sports with WREL-1450AM’s “Online with Jim Bresnahan.”
The segment begins, naturally, with an examination of the improbable run of Virginia Commonwealth to the Final Four. It’s not a fluke, says Chris, citing data on how VCU has improved markedly in defensive efficiency and shooting from the field.
The Rams can win it all, Chris says. But will they get to Monday’s final and cut down the nets?
A look at the new #1 team in college baseball, Virginia, wraps us up.
Unbelievable! VCU knocks off Kansas to earn Final Four berth
Virginia Commonwealth led by as many as 18 points in the first half, and then withstood a furious second-half Kansas rally to shock the top-seeded Jayhawks 71-61 on Sunday and advance to the first Final Four in the school’s history.
“We knew Kansas was going to make a run in the second half, but we never gave up the lead, and our guys kept fighting,” VCU coach Shaka Smart said after the historic upset.
VCU (28-11) became the first team to win five games to reach the Final Four after being forced into a First Four matchup as one of the final four teams to receive an at-large bid into the tournament as the #11 seed in the Southwest Region. Continue reading “Unbelievable! VCU knocks off Kansas to earn Final Four berth” »
Unbelievable! VCU knocks off Kansas to earn Final Four berth
Virginia Commonwealth led by as many as 18 points in the first half, and then withstood a furious second-half Kansas rally to shock the top-seeded Jayhawks 71-61 on Sunday and advance to the first Final Four in the school’s history.
“We knew Kansas was going to make a run in the second half, but we never gave up the lead, and our guys kept fighting,” VCU coach Shaka Smart said after the historic upset.
VCU (28-11) became the first team to win five games to reach the Final Four after being forced into a First Four matchup as one of the final four teams to receive an at-large bid into the tournament as the #11 seed in the Southwest Region.
The Rams played again like the higher seed on Sunday, dominating the first 20 minutes of play en route to posting a 41-27 lead at the halftime break. A 12-2 KU run cut the lead to four at 43-39 at the 15:11 mark, and a Tyshawn Taylor three-point play brought the Jayhawks to within two at 46-44 with 13:13 left. Smart went to a zone defense at that point to try to slow Kansas down, and the strategy worked as VCU held Kansas to three points over the next 4:45 during an 11-3 run that put the lead at 57-47 on a Jamie Skeen dunk.
A pair of key threes by Joey Rodriguez and Bradford Burgess provided some needed breathing room as Kansas made one last run to cut the lead to 65-59 with 1:43 to go on a Markief Morris layup, but the Jayhawks would get no closer.
“We got prepared well by Coach. He prepared us really well, and we just went out there and executed what he told us to do,” said Skeen, who led the Rams with a career-high 26 points.
Brandon Rozzell scored 12 off the bench for VCU, which will play Butler next weekend in the national semifinals.
Marcus Morris had 20 points and 16 rebounds for Kansas (35-3).
The Virginia Commonwealth win completes an odyssey through the Southwest Region that included wins over Southern Cal from the Pac 10, Georgetown from the Big East, Purdue from the Big Ten, Florida State from the ACC and then Kansas from the Big 12.
“I’m so happy for all of our guys and all of our fans, everyone that believed in us all the way. We had to win five games to get here, but we did it,” Smart said.
The AFP on WREL: Sweet (16) Dreams
AFP editor Chris Graham talks Virginia sports on WREL-1450AM’s “Online with Jim Bresnahan.”
The segment begins with a look back and look ahead at VCU and Richmond and their runs in the NCAA Tournament. Can either of the two surprise Sweet 16 teams be Final Four-bound? Continue reading “The AFP on WREL: Sweet (16) Dreams” »
The AFP on WREL: Sweet (16) Dreams
AFP editor Chris Graham talks Virginia sports on WREL-1450AM’s “Online with Jim Bresnahan.”
The segment begins with a look back and look ahead at VCU and Richmond and their runs in the NCAA Tournament. Can either of the two surprise Sweet 16 teams be Final Four-bound?
Chris and Jim then break down the rest of the Sweet 16. Who will make it to Houston?
Chris then reports on the exciting three-game college baseball series from the weekend pitting two top-five teams in UVa. and Florida State. Chris was there for all three one-run, extra-inning affairs, and thinks he might have seen two of the teams that will be playing in Omaha in June.
The AFP on WREL: Finality?
Posted by afp on April 1, 2011 · Leave a Comment
The segment begins with a look at recent activity in Richmond regarding legislation passed in the 2011 Virginia General Assembly session – specifically looking at Gov. Bob McDonnell’s budget amendment cutting funding for public broadcasting. Will the governor finally get his way on a long-time political rallying point for conservatives? Chris thinks he just might.
The talk shifts to Jim Webb and his criticisms of the Obama administration for its Libya policies – then wraps with a look at VCU’s chances to bring home a basketball national title in this weekend’s Final Four.
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with bob mcdonnell, final four, jim webb, libya, public broadcasting, vcu basketball