It's that glorious time of year again -- March Madness, also known as the NCAA Tournaments for men's and women's college basketball.
It's great to be back. After a two-year absence, the Virginia women's basketball team took the court in Norfolk Sunday night for its first NCAA Tournament game since 2005, using a dominant second half to defeat UC Santa Barbara 86-52. The game came more than two weeks after Virginia's semifinal loss to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament, and the Cavaliers were a bit sluggish at the start of the contest. "I think our timing was a little bit off," coach Debbie Ryan said.
With 35 seconds left in the game and Virginia down by 4, I had my column essentially written. CBI this, CBI that.
For Virginia men's basketball fans, it seems like the magic of senior guard Sean Singletary will never end -- and most hope it never will.
The Virginia softball team got off to an inauspicious start in the Cavalier Classic Thursday afternoon against Georgetown, as the Hoyas broke a 0-0 tie in the final inning with four runs to defeat the Cavaliers 4-0. Virginia (7-17) started off strong, in part because of an impressive pitching performance from junior starting pitcher Karla Wilburn, who threw six scoreless innings before giving up three runs in the top of the seventh.
At the end of the 2007 season, there were clear divisions between the elite, the middle of the pack and the bottom of the heap in the ACC.
Setting high standards has become a specialty of the Virginia men's tennis team. The Cavaliers were the first ACC team to win the National Team Indoors title in February, and after defeating Virginia Tech 7-0 Wednesday, the team has won 17 consecutive matches, a new school record.
When the Virginia women's basketball team returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005 this weekend, it will be fortunate enough to play in its own backyard.
Besides sharing a top-five ranking, the Virginia and Princeton women's lacrosse teams have both faced four ranked teams in their first seven games.
The No. 2 Virginia men's lacrosse team goes head-to-head with Johns Hopkins tomorrow afternoon, as the Blue Jays look to break their losing streak with a win on the road. The defending national champions dropped to sixth in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches Poll this week after their second straight overtime upset.
The Virginia women's tennis team will look to get back on a winning track this weekend when it hosts two tough ACC opponents in Miami and Florida State at the Snyder Tennis Center Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The Cavaliers (6-7, 2-1 ACC) come into the weekend after recent struggles including two dropped matches in a row and four losses in its last five contests.
It was the last indoor track and field meet of senior Emily Harrison's college running career. As she crossed the finish line of her 5K event at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships last weekend, Harrison said, she did not know right away how she had performed. "I was not 100 percent sure what place I was," Harrison said.
I know I missed the praising Sean Singletary party last week following his final regular-season game, but there is still something bugging me about the end of his career that no one has talked about. Prior to the Maryland game during the senior night celebration, Singletary became the second Wahoo to have his jersey retired, joining Curtis Staples on a banner draped from the JPJ rafters.
In addition to betting, griping usually follows Selection Sunday. The decision regarding which 34 teams will receive at-large bids to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is necessarily subjective -- teams wait to learn their fate, unsure if the selection committee will give them a March Madness berth. Virginia freshman Claire Crippen, on the other hand, has known she would be competing in the NCAA Division I Women's Swimming Championship since December. Using objective time standards, the NCAA Championship features the top 30 athletes nationwide in each event, and Crippen demonstrated she deserved a place among the best during December's Georgia Invitational.
The No. 1 Virginia men's tennis team shut out No. 37 Virginia Tech 7-0 yesterday in Blacksburg to remain undefeated on the season. Virginia (17-0, 3-0 ACC), whose dominant effort included victories from the team's five nationally ranked players and three nationally ranked double teams, dealt the Hokies (9-3, 2-1 ACC) their third consecutive loss. Virginia was led by No.
Baseball remains undefeated in non-conference play In a midweek doubleheader against Stony Brook Tuesday, Virginia maintained its undefeated record in its non-conference schedule and remained unblemished at home, winning the early game 3-0 and roaring back from a 3-run deficit in the eighth inning to take the latter game 6-4. In game two, the Cavaliers (16-4, 2-4 ACC) were faced with something they had not yet encountered against a non-conference foe this season: a deficit in the last half of the game.
Freshmen Sanam Singh and Michael Shabaz of the Virginia men's tennis team, each ranked among the top 5 in junior-level competition, were expected to come into Virginia's prestigious tennis program and make an immediate impact. As often happens in sports, and life in general, buzz and hype can transform any performance that isn't perfect into a disappointment.
A somewhat dull game quickly became exciting as the Virginia men's basketball team rallied from a 12-point deficit to defeat Richmond 66-64 last night in the first game of the new College Basketball Invitational.
Although statistics may not reflect his importance to the team, 6-foot captain junior short-stick midfielder Will Barrow has proved vital to an undefeated 8-0 Virginia men's lacrosse team.
I don't know about you, but last night I was a ball of nerves. For last night's opening round of the Cut-Below Invitational -- or maybe it's the Contemptible Business Initiative, my memory's a bit fuzzy -- there was a good deal of excitement in John Paul Jones Arena.
