VCU tries to follow George Mason's footsteps
SAN ANTONIO -- Calling 11th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth the new George Mason is the obvious comparison.
Yet the Rams see their reflection in something else entirely.
"It's kind of like the movie 'Dumb and Dumber,' " VCU coach Shaka Smart said Saturday, setting up a popular line from the gap-toothed doofus played by Jim Carrey. " 'So you're saying we've got a chance?' "
One win from the Final Four, who says they don't? Two weeks after VCU star Bradford Burgess was at Five Guys Burgers and Fries because his team didn't even bother watching the NCAA Tournament selection show, the Rams are in Sunday's regional final against Kansas, the biggest underdog run since George Mason in 2006.
Like the Rams, George Mason was an 11th seed. Both schools hail from the unheralded Colonial Athletic Association. And just as George Mason toppled championship favorite Connecticut to reach the Final Four, VCU must now knock out the last No. 1 seed standing.
That's after VCU (27-11) barely made the tournament in the first place. They stunned TV pundits with an invitation to the First Four games, then took down teams from the Pac-10 (USC), Big East (Georgetown), Big Ten (Purdue) and ACC (Florida State) to get this far.
That's one more win than George Mason had at this stage.
"The run they made was great. Hopefully, we can do exactly what they did and go even further," VCU forward Jamie Skeen said.
The Rams are just the fifth 11th seed in history to reach the regional final. Only George Mason and LSU in 1986 survived to the Final Four.
Kansas coach Bill Self said Saturday that VCU has "caught the attention of America." It's unfolded while the Jayhawks (35-2) have barely given America a game worth watching because of their dominance. The average margin of victory in their three wins has been 18 points.
Kansas hasn't played a team seeded better than No. 9 Illinois, in between beating up on Boston University (16) and Richmond (12). If the Jayhawks beat VCU, they'll tie Michigan State in 2001 for the lowest sum of seeds (48) beaten to reach the Final Four.
The Jayhawks aren't apologizing.
"I think it's OK for America to root for the Cinderella team or the underdog," Kansas guard Brady Morningstar said. "That's just how the NCAA Tournament is."
VCU's run has also introduced the country to its engaging 33-year-old coach. Smart was plainspoken and candid Saturday during a half-hour Q&A with reporters, which ended with him choking up while discussing his ailing grandfather "just trying to enjoy his last days." He also explained why he symbolically burned a calendar following a dreadful February for the Rams after long toying "with the idea of setting something on fire."
The remarkable run is at least getting VCU fans to Texas to see the Rams play. Two busloads of students drove from the Richmond, Va., campus to watch the Rams in their first round-of-16 appearance, including a bus that broke down in Nashville, Tenn.
The school also sold out its Alamodome allotment of 1,000 tickets to its own fans. Last weekend in Chicago, VCU had leftovers that were mostly scooped up by Purdue supporters. Then again, a week ago, the Rams still weren't quite yet a George Mason.
