While Billy Packer and Jim Nantz (CBS sports announcers) were on national television last week ranting and raving about the sub-par job of the NCAA committee (chaired by Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage), it appears Littlepage did not get the credit he deserved. Many critics argued to Littlepage that the ACC and Missouri Valley Conference should not have received the same number of bids to the tournament.
In the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, the Missouri Valley held its own in winning four of six games while sending two of its four selections into the Sweet Sixteen. While impressive by itself, all four teams were seeded seventh or higher, meaning they had to upset top caliber teams to reach the sweet sixteen. In comparison, ACC teams were ranked one, two, three and 10 and only managed to send two teams to the Sweet Sixteen.
I'm not trying to say that the ACC is an inferior conference to the Missouri Valley Conference. I just that it is outrageous for Littlepage to take the heat for a committee that gave the Missouri Valley Conference four teams in the tourney, especially in a down year for the ACC. Both Bradley and Wichita State managed to knock out teams this past weekend from the SEC and Big East, two of the stronger conferences in Division I basketball.
Now that Littlepage can stop defending the Missouri Valley Conference, he can turn his attention to the Virginia spring sports scene. While the daffodils prepare to bloom in Charlottesville, Virginia spring sports are starting to heat up under the tutelage of Littlepage.
While it is still early in the season in each of the spring sports, Virginia could play deep into the NCAA playoffs in at least five spring sports. Rather than berating Littlepage about the tournament selections, here are a few topics that the announcers could have covered instead.
Virginia baseball recently peppered up its own version of March Madness. This past week, Virginia faced the unenviable task of playing the top two teams in the country, Clemson and Georgia Tech. The Wahoos managed to take four of six from these two baseball powerhouses. Imagine the hoopla if Virginia managed to beat USC and Texas in back to back weekends in football. If you have yet to take in a game at Davenport Field, it is worth the time.
The Virginia men's tennis team is catching stride after winning two straight ACC contests in easy fashion. The squad looks to win its third straight ACC championship this spring. The Snyder Tennis Center, home of the Wahoos tennis team, is a fantastic venue to catch a mid-afternoon tennis match.
If lacrosse is your thing, Klöckner stadium is the place to be. With both women and men having strong seasons, there is a quality game going on each weekend. The women recently knocked off No. 7 Penn State and No. 4 Maryland to get the season off to a good start. The men, meanwhile, are undefeated thus far and appear poised for a rendezvous with the NCAA playoffs.
While some people probably do not even realize Virginia has a rowing team, the women's crew team has continually put together a top ranked crew that competes for the national championship each year. The Wahoo women open the season ranked third in the country and look to build on last year's second place finish. While the Rivanna Reservoir is hidden off grounds, it is a great place to catch a race in the middle of the spring.
Now that the Missouri Valley has proven their place in the tournament, maybe Littlepage can spend more time talking about Virginia sports than Mid-Major basketball teams.
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