For the first time since 2006, the Maryland men's lacrosse team is heading to the Final Four. The unseeded Terps (12-4) dramatically upset top-ranked Syracuse (15-2) in a NCAA quarterfinal at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. more ›

After a thoroughly dominating March, the Florida Gators cut down the nets for the second straight year. Meanwhile, in the DCist Reader-Staff Bracketfest, reader Seth Rappaport had the honor of cutting down the virtual nets. Seth built a commanding lead with perfect first round brackets in three of the four regions, then dealt his finishing blow by picking a perfect Final Four. Coming in second was our own Hayden Alfano, bracket manager extrordinaire. Thanks Hayden,... more ›

Georgetown's Late Dominance Earns Trip to Atlanta With six minutes remaining in regulation, the Georgetown Hoyas stared at a nine-point deficit. They were going to have to step up their play if they were to reach the Final Four, and do so against the highest caliber of opponent. The Hoyas did just that. They rallied to force overtime and took control in the extra period to come away with a 96-84 victory. The Hoyas' staunch... more ›

Good morning, Washington. We've been hearing some excellent reports from the frontlines of the celebrations in Georgetown last night, after the Hoyas came back from a 10 point deficit to beat the Tar Heels 96-84. Thousands of students filled M Street in their exuberance, chanting "Hoya Saxa" at the top of their lungs. A smaller group apparently ran all the way to the White House, where the Secret Service asked them to keep it down.... more ›

After all the hype and hope, the seeds are planted and the brackets are being filled out: it's March Madness. Seven (!) area teams made the Big Dance: Georgetown, GW, Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech, VCU and ODU. We'll preview the field in the coming days and also announce our first-ever DCist Reader-Staff Pool. In the meantime, we're salivating (and we assume local bar owners are too). There's a potential second round Maryland-Old Dominion matchup,... more ›

Colossal Meltdown for GW Any time you blow a 20 point second half lead, it makes for a particularly ugly loss. GW's 74-65 loss to USC in the John Wooden Classic on Saturday qualifies as such. This one was just plain nasty. Two minutes into the second half, GW held a commanding 36-16 lead against their counterparts from USC. Up until that point, the Colonials had played sparkling defense, protecting the basket while forcing the... more ›

Midnight madness has come and gone, and area NCAA men's cagers are back at it. Georgetown looks to be the area's top team this year, starting the season ranked in the top 10, while Mason hopes to keep up the momentum from their Final Four run, GW tries to make their third straight NCAA tourney after losing 4 key players, Maryland hopes not to make a third straight NIT, and the rest hope to compete... more ›

The D.C. area was well-represented last year in the men's NCAA basketball tourney, with all three Georges winning at least one game, and of course, George Mason making an improbable run to the Final Four. However, the area women were no slouches either, as Maryland grew into a powerhouse, winning the national title, and perennial tourney team George Washington, who've made the tourney in 13 of the last 16 years, reached the second round. This... more ›

The George Mason University Patriots used to have a colonial looking fellow that led the cheers at sporting events, but it was felt that such a diverse school should not have a white male forefather type as a mascot. Instead, Mason decided to recognize its large and growing green muppet population, choosing as its representative the hirsute fellow seen at right. He's called Gunston, after George Mason's old home, and he became nationally recognized after... more ›

It seems like ages ago, but it was just last weekend that George Mason did NoVa proud with a trip to the Final Four. Maryland's women's team made it to the semifinals also, and the finals, and walked away with the championship. There were eventful beginnings for area professional teams. United kicked off their season by clawing their way to a draw with the New York Red Bulls, while the Nationals fell to the... more ›

Maryland entered this weekend the clear underdog against three opponents with Final Four pedigrees. They left with the trophy, proving that "experience isn't everything." Freshman point guard Kristi Toliver scored the team's final five points in regulation -- including a rainbow three-pointer from the right corner over 6-7 Alison Bales that tied the game with six seconds to play -- then made the go-ahead free throws in overtime in the Terps' 78-75 win in last... more ›

This week we saw Verizon's first foray into graffiti advertising fail miserably, as the District levied fines totaling over $20,000 on the telecommunications giant for the illegal use of public space. It was also quite the week for George Mason University, whose students, faculty and administrators rallied around the team and went easy on class attendance, only to see it lose to Florida in its Final Four matchup. We reported on some Hill heavies... more ›

Please visit http://hoops.gmu.edu and tell us your experience, or send us your picture, about George Mason University's unbelievable run in basketball. Be a part of online history! more ›

There will be a fair number of celebrations for the basketball team next week, regardless of remaining outcomes. The official University celebration will be Friday, April 7, 12:00pm-1:00pm in the Johnson Center. Faculty so inclined might release students a bit early or start class a bit late in order to accommodate, and the event has been timed in order to have relatively modest impact on classes in any case.

Dear Colleagues, more ›

The sports pages this week have obviously been dominated by paeans to the little Patriots that could, in all their green and gold glory. Theirs is a worthy story, but it doesn't constitute the only roundball history being forged by local teams. On Monday, the number 2 seeded Maryland women's team defeated Utah in overtime to join two other ACC teams (Duke and North Carolina) in the Final Four. This marks the second time in... more ›

So, in case you hadn't heard, George Mason is in the Final Four. As an 11-seed and member of the Colonial Athletic Assocation, the Patriots are the natural underdogs heading into Indianapolis. But in a tournament full of upsets, with four unlikely combatants -- Mason, UCLA, LSU, and Florida -- left standing, it's absurd to heavily favor one team or heavily discount the chances of another. This Final Four is the toughest to handicap in... more ›

Although the advent of the real-time Gawker Stalker map has freaked out certain celebrities who would prefer that their Us Weekly-devouring public not know that they're dining at New York's Tao or taking their fruit-monikered babies out for walks on Fifth Avenue, DCist has no qualms about letting its readers know where local celebs hang out. And there's no area celeb more freshly minted than George Mason University basketball coach Jim Larranaga, who just yesterday... more ›

The George Mason Patriots are Final Four bound. After trailing by as many as 12 points in the first half of this afternoon's game, George Mason took the lead in the second period and took the top seeded Connecticut Huskies to overtime. Mason never trailed in the extra period and hung on to win when a last second Husky three missed the mark. The Patriots are the first 11 seed to make the Final Four since the 1986 LSU squad. Next weekend they'll play the winner of the Florida/Villanova matchup for the right to play in the finals. Our hearty congratulations to go out to GMU. more ›

Three days ago George Mason was hoping to get their first ever NCAA Tournament victory. Now, after beating the UNC Tarheels 65-60 on Sunday, they are preparing for the Sweet 16 and a matchup with Wichita State. Down by 14 in the first half, Mason used an aggressive defense that forced a young UNC team into repeated turnovers and bad shots while taking advantage on the offensive end. The Patriots rode big men Will... more ›

So, here's the story so far: yesterday we posted about a campaign to name Lincoln Ross' "Come to Washington" the official anthem of the District. Many commenters chimed in with other options, and it was suggested that we take a vote. So we did (current results are above). And then other people kept chiming in. Here, then, is what we're going to do. Below are additional suggestions that have been made. We're going to... more ›

For George Mason, Selection Sunday was a relief. For George Washington, it was the worst-case scenario. The Patriots -- a bubble team thanks to two recent losses to Hofstra -- didn't have to sweat too long on Selection Sunday, as they were named the 11 seed in the second bracket announced. This was much to the dismay of CBS basketball announcer Billy Packer. The Patriots' regional will be played in Washington, but GMU has plenty... more ›

>> Despite their propensity to fight through injuries this year, the absence of All Star Antawn Jamison was evident last night as the Washington Wizards fell in Denver to the red hot Nuggets 127-98. Gilbert Arenas led the Wiz with 25, but the team shot just 39% from the field. Coach Eddie Jordan might want to look at the team's defense too. The Nuggets shot over 55% and it's never a good thing when... more ›

George Washington University will make their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1999 tonight when they take on the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets at 9:40 PM in Nashville TN. Credit head coach Karl Hobbs and his tireless recruiting for getting the Colonials back on the national basketball map. GW was 12-16 in Hobbs first year but has steadily improved since then, including a trip to the NIT last year. Understandably, Hobbs was less than... more ›

Alrighty then, so much for momentum. After seemingly turning their lost season around with big victories over Duke and Georgia Tech (two Final Four participants from last year), Maryland laid an egg last night by losing on the road to ACC doormat Clemson. The 88-73 win marked the Tigers first victory over Maryland since the last millenium. "We're still trying to find our identity in terms of being able to play hard every night," Maryland... more ›