The upcoming weekend may be surrounded by more sports buzz than any other weekend of the year. Think about it. We have the Final Four to watch, which is always exciting. Both the NHL and NBA regular seasons are winding down, with some teams making last-ditch pushes for playoff berths while others begin growing their playoff beards. And, as former Cavalier Daily Sports Editor Ben Gomez put it, "Spring Christmas" has arrived as "Take me out to the ball game" is heard in ballparks across the country for the first time in months.
Needless to say, with so much going on this week it took me some time to think of what to focus on in this column. After some internal debate, I decided I would become too frustrated if I began to rant about the dismal prospect of the Mets' upcoming season, so I figured I would jump on the VCU train while it is still running. In 2006, when George Mason made its Final Four run - also as a No. 11 seed - it was the first time I had heard about the school, since I hail from Long Island. Now I go to school roughly one hour from the Virginia Commonwealth campus, and I feel some sense of "hometown" pride for the team. On top of that, I have to root for the underdog - although with Butler currently favored by just two-and-a-half points against the Rams, it is hard to tell who the true underdog is anymore.
This raises another interesting question - which team's run was more impressive? VCU was truly one of the "last four in," as it had to beat USC in the first round of four play-in games just to make the field of 64. VCU then went on to beat No. 3-seeded Purdue and No. 1-seeded Kansas by sizeable margins. The Rams average about 10 three-pointers per game and are playing better than anyone at their defensive end of the court.
Now let's look at Butler. The Bulldogs have reached their second straight Final Four after losing a close game to Duke during last year's final. They have had a bit of luck on their side this March, but that shouldn't diminish the tournament r
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