Weekend Watchdog: Boogity, boogity, boogity
Darrell Waltrip’s there.
Danica Patrick’s going to be there.
It’s Boogity, boogity, boogity time.
The flag drops on the Daytona 500 on FOX Sunday at 1 p.m. Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle will lead the field to the start/finish line as Waltrip starts another year in the announcer’s booth. Continue reading “Weekend Watchdog: Boogity, boogity, boogity” »
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” »
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.
And then there were eight: VCU advances to Elite Eight in dramatic fashion
A Bradford Burgess layup on an inbounds play with seven seconds to go extended Virginia Commonwealth’s Cinderella run as the Rams knocked off Florida State 72-71 in overtime in the Southwest Region semifinals Friday night.
The Rams (27-11) led by as many as nine points in the second half but went ice-cold in the final four minutes of regulation. A Chris Singleton three-pointer tied the game at 65 with 46 seconds to go and ultimately sent the game to overtime. Continue reading “And then there were eight: VCU advances to Elite Eight in dramatic fashion” »
Weekend Watchdog: 16 … 8 … 4
The Cinderella stories have enjoyed their moment in the sun – especially in Richmond. Now it’s time to boil down the field to the Final Four.
CBS and TBS offer doubleheaders Thursday and Friday to get us ready for the regional finals this weekend. CBS covers the action from Anaheim, with San Diego State facing Connecticut in the early game at 7:15 p.m. followed by Duke-Arizona.
TBS gets to be in New Orleans, with Florida-BYU followed by Wisconsin-Butler. Continue reading “Weekend Watchdog: 16 … 8 … 4” »
Weekend Watchdog: 16 … 8 … 4
The Cinderella stories have enjoyed their moment in the sun – especially in Richmond. Now it’s time to boil down the field to the Final Four.
CBS and TBS offer doubleheaders Thursday and Friday to get us ready for the regional finals this weekend. CBS covers the action from Anaheim, with San Diego State facing Connecticut in the early game at 7:15 p.m. followed by Duke-Arizona.
TBS gets to be in New Orleans, with Florida-BYU followed by Wisconsin-Butler.
Friday, the Cinderella stories from Virginia will be on TBS. Richmond takes on top-seeded Kansas at 7:27 p.m. before VCU meets Florida State in a 10-11 matchup that broke many brackets.
CBS has the games from Newark, with North Carolina playing Marquette in the opener before Ohio State takes on Kentucky.Then CBS has coverage of the final seven contests – two Saturday starting at 4:30 p.m., two Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. and the Final Four next weekend.
The women’s Sweet 16 fills the weekend on ESPN. Ohio State meets Tennessee at noon Saturday, followed by Oklahoma-Notre Dame. Out west, it’s Gonzaga-Louisville at 9 p.m. with Stanford meeting North Carolina in the nightcap on ESPN2.
Sunday’s contests start with Georgetown facing Connecticut at noon on ESPN, with the winner meeting either DePaul or Duke (2:30 p.m. on ESPN2) for the Final Four berth. The final regional kicks off with Georgia battling Texas A&M, followed by Green Bay against top-seeded Baylor.
NCAA Division II’s Elite Eight concludes Saturday at 1 p.m. on CBS. Division II crowns its women’s champions Friday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
In the week between Bristol and Martinsville, where does NASCAR go? California.
FOX has the Auto Club 500 Sunday at 3 p.m., while the Nationwide drivers are on ESPN Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
The IndyCar season opens in St. Petersburg, with ABC covering Danica and the other drivers Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
MASN gets ready for opening day with the Nationals playing the Cardinals Friday at 6 p.m. The Orioles take on the Red Sox Sunday at 1 p.m.
ESPN has the White Sox against the Cubs Thursday at 5 p.m. and Braves taking on the Phillies Friday at 1 p.m. Saturday at 4 p.m., ESPN2 shows the Cubs against the Rangers.
Comcast offers college baseball Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. as Georgia Tech visits Miami.
After the college basketball quiets down Sunday night, ESPN shows Portland at Oklahoma City at 8 p.m. Dallas plays Phoenix in the nightcap.
The Wizards head west, facing Denver Friday at 9 p.m. on Comcast and Golden State Sunday at 9 p.m.
The Capitals take on Ottawa Friday on Comcast-plus and Montreal Saturday at 7 p.m. on Comcast.
Major League Soccer has started for the year, and Comcast has D.C. United’s game at New England Saturday at 4 p.m. At 11 p.m., Houston takes on Seattle.
As time for the Kentucky Derby approaches, MASN shows Spiral Stakes Saturday at 5 p.m. and the Sunland Derby from New Mexico Sunday at 7 p.m.
Weekend Watchdog: 68….64…32….16
It used to be called Court TV. This week, it’s hardcourt TV.
CBS shares the NCAA tournament with the new contract, adding TBS, TNT and TruTV (formerly Court TV) so all games can be seen in their entirety on cable systems across the country.
You caught the first four tournament games on TruTV, didn’t you? Play-in games Tuesday and Wednesday were on the channel. Hokie fans couldn’t watch after being left out of the tournament again.
The field of 64 kicks off Thursday at noon when West Virginia meets the play-in winner Clemson on CBS. TruTV starts at 12:30 p.m. with Butler-Old Dominion, while TBS offers Morehead State against Louisville at 1:30 p.m. and TNT starts its day from Tucson at 2 p.m. with Temple taking on Penn State.
Each network has four games Thursday and four more Friday. TNT covers the formerly barren area between 5-7 p.m., when CBS shows local and national news. So race home from work and watch college basketball the rest of the night.
CBS continues its full weekend schedule starting Saturday at noon and Sunday at noon. TNT has two games Saturday beginning at 6 p.m., while TBS begins its weekend coverage at 7 p.m.
Then it’s down to 16 teams, and likely no more basketball on TruTV until next year.
The women’s tournament gets going Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN2. Play in the Charlottesville region starts Sunday at noon on ESPN2 when Miami faces Gardner-Webb. Local favorite James Madison plays Oklahoma at 2:30 p.m.
ESPN shows a second-round NIT game Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m.
For more top college athletes, ESPN shows the NCAA wrestling championships Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
NASCAR heads to Bristol this weekend, with the Sprint Cup race Sunday at 1 p.m. on FOX. Danica Patrick and the Nationwide racers hit the track Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN.
The surging Capitals take on New Jersey Friday at 7 p.m. on Comcast, while the Rangers visit Pittsburgh Sunday on NBC.
Comcast offers the Flyers against the Thrashers Thursday at 7 p.m. and at Dallas Saturday at 8 p.m.
The Wizards play at Toronto Friday at 7 p.m. on Comcast-plus.
The PGA tour is on NBC Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. for the Transitions Championship.
MASN has a Nationals exhibition game against the Tigers Sunday at 1 p.m.
Weekend Watchdog: 68….64…32….16
It used to be called Court TV. This week, it’s hardcourt TV.
CBS shares the NCAA tournament with the new contract, adding TBS, TNT and TruTV (formerly Court TV) so all games can be seen in their entirety on cable systems across the country.
You caught the first four tournament games on TruTV, didn’t you? Play-in games Tuesday and Wednesday were on the channel. Hokie fans couldn’t watch after being left out of the tournament again. Continue reading “Weekend Watchdog: 68….64…32….16” »
Weekend Watchdog: And the field is….
It’s time for those mid-March traditions – waiting for the NCAA tournament field to be announced, and watching either Duke or North Carolina win the ACC championship.
The 58th edition of the ACC tournament kicks off Thursday at noon on NBC29 and other ACC Network affiliates with Virginia meeting Miami.
Boston College plays No. 12 seed Wake Forest at 2:30 p.m., and Virginia Tech tackles Georgia Tech at 9 p.m. ESPN2 has the 7 p.m. Thursday game between Maryland and N.C. State. Continue reading “Weekend Watchdog: And the field is….” »
Weekend Watchdog: And the field is …
It’s time for those mid-March traditions – waiting for the NCAA tournament field to be announced, and watching either Duke or North Carolina win the ACC championship.
The 58th edition of the ACC tournament kicks off Thursday at noon on NBC29 and other ACC Network affiliates with Virginia meeting Miami.
Boston College plays No. 12 seed Wake Forest at 2:30 p.m., and Virginia Tech tackles Georgia Tech at 9 p.m. ESPN2 has the 7 p.m. Thursday game between Maryland and N.C. State.
The top seeds get into the action Friday at noon, starting with North Carolina against either Virginia or Miami. Fourth-seeded Clemson plays at 2:30 p.m., with Duke tipping off the night session at 7 p.m. and Florida State in the final game at 9:30 p.m.
Saturday’s semifinals start at 1:30 p.m., with the final Sunday at 1 p.m.
Outside the ACC area, ESPN2 has the Friday coverage and ESPN shows the semifinals and final.
The Big East tournament opened Tuesday, but the top four seeds get to wait until Thursday to play. Top-seeded Pittsburgh has its first game at noon against Connectiuct on ESPN, then fourth-seed Syracuse plays St. John’s at 2 p.m. Notre Dame and Louisville are the top seeds for the evening contests. The semifinals are Friday night and championship Saturday at 9 p.m.
As the home of the NCAA tournament, CBS gears up with some big games. Conference USA crowns its champion Saturday at 11:30 a.m., then it’s the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament. The PAC-10 conference final will be at 8 p.m.
Sunday, the Atlantic 10 title tilt is at 1 p.m. followed by the Big Ten championship. Then it’s wait to see who’s in, who’s not and who’s going where at 6 p.m.ESPN2′s tournament coverage includes Thursday’s opening round of the Big Ten tournament, starting at 2:30 p.m. between Minnesota and Northwestern. Iowa faces Michigan State in the second contest. There’s also Big 12 games at 12:30 p.m. (top-seed Kansas vs. Oklahoma State) and 9 p.m.
The Big Ten goes to ESPN Friday afternoon, with games at noon and 2:30 p.m. (Illinois vs. Michigan). After the ACC tournament finishes its day, there’s a contest from the WAC at midnight on ESPN2.
Friday, Lafayette and Bucknell battle for the Patriot League crown at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
Six leagues crown their champs on ESPN2 Saturday – America East at noon, followed by MEAC, Southland, MAC, Big West and WAC. The Big 12 championship game is Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPN before the Big East finale.
ABC offers the Southeastern Conference final Sunday at 1 p.m.
Comcast heads west Thursday for three of the four quarterfinal contests in the Pac-10 tournament. The day begins at 3 p.m. and both games of the night session are on the channel starting at 9 p.m. The 5:30 p.m. game will be seen on Comcast-plus.
The first two games of the Atlantic 10 tournament take the stage Friday at noon. The Pac-10 semifinals will air after Capitals’ ice hockey Friday, with the first game joined in progress at 10 p.m.
MASN gets into the tournament fever Thursday with a pair of games from the Big 12 tournament – 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. The second semifinal tips Friday at 12:30 p.m.
Versus brings the mens and womens final from the Mountain West Saturday. The women tip at 4 p.m. and the mens teams battle at 7 p.m.
The women’s field will be announced Monday on ESPN, and there’s plenty of tournament action this weekend. Comcast has the Big 12 championship Saturday at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Pac-10. Sunday at 1 p.m., the CAA crowns its champion.
MASN shows a Big South semifinal Saturday at 4 p.m. and championship game Sunday at 2 p.m.
The pros play this weekend also. TNT has its doubleheader Thursday, with the Lakers at Miami at 7 p.m. with the Knicks taking on the Mavericks in the nightcap. ABC has Orlando at Phoenix Sunday at 3 p.m.
The Wizards host the Clippers Saturday at 7 p.m. on Comcast.
Spring training takes the air Friday on MASN, with the Nationals playing the Astros at 6 p.m. Saturday, it’s the Yankees playing Washington at 1 p.m.
TPC Blue Monster hosts the PGA tour this weekend, with the WGC-Cadillac Championship on NBC Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.
The Capitals are home this weekend, hosting Carolina Friday on Comcast and Chicago Sunday afternoon on the NBC Game of the Week.
The AFP on WREL: March Madness
AFP editor Chris Graham talks sports on WREL-1450AM’s “Online with Jim Bresnahan.”
College basketball has our attention with the beginning of March Madness. Chris breaks down the CAA Tournament that wrapped Monday night with ODU taking home the big trophy and where George Mason and VCU fit into the NCAA mix. Then the attention shifts to the ACC Tournament. Can Virginia or Virginia Tech shock the world down in Greensboro?
