Now that Selection Sunday has come and gone, DCist breaks down what the local (-ish) teams will be up to now that it’s March Madness time:
Georgetown: After losing a double-overtime heartbreaker against Cincinnati in the Big East semifinals, the Hoyas (23-8, 12-6 Big East) were rewarded with a No. 3 seed in the Midwest bracket and will face No. 14 Belmont (27-7, 16-2 Atlantic Sun) in what will be a highly intriguing matchup. The Bruins have won 14 straight and nearly upset Duke in their season opener, falling only one point short of the Blue Devils. Meanwhile, Georgetown center Henry Sims has been on a hot streak, collecting double-doubles in both Big East tournament games, but Jason Clark will need to be more effective in order for the Hoyas to advance through the early rounds in Columbus, Ohio. Friday at 3:10 p.m on truTV.
Loyola: OK, the school is in Baltimore, but that’s close enough for our purposes. The Greyhounds earn some much-deserved recognition on making the tournament for the first time since 1994. Coached by former University of Maryland assistant Jimmy Patsos, who also used to moonlight as a bartender at Georgetown’s Third Edition, Loyola (24-8, 13-5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) earned a berth in the NCAA tournament after defeating Fairfield in the MAAC Tournament final last week. The No. 15 seed Greyhounds will face No. 2 Ohio State in Pittsburgh. Thursday at 9:50 p.m. on TNT.
Virginia: The Cavaliers (22-9, 9-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) received an at-large bid and a No. 10 seed thanks to a strong early season in which they beat Oregon, Michigan, George Mason and tournament snub Drexel, though they went just 4-6 over their final ten games. A fourth-place finish in the ACC certainly helped, however. They’ll face No. 10 seed Florida in New Orleans. It could be a tough one for President Jefferson’s basketball team, as Florida nearly beat top-ranked Kentucky a few days ago and Yahoo’s Pat Forde saying that Virginia is “reeling.”
Virginia Commonwealth University: The Cinderella team of last year, with their amazing run to the Final Four under energetic young coach Shaka Smart, the Rams (27-6, 15-3 Colonial Athletic Association) are back again. They’re a No. 12 seed this time, the underdog slot that always seems to notch at least one big upset every year, so they have that going for them. They also have some swagger, taking out an ad in the Post threatening to bust some brackets. However, they face a tough, tall Wichita State team who won last season’s National Invitation Tournament, and the Rams aren’t as strong shooters as they were last season. They play Thursday in Portland, Oregon at 7:15 p.m.
Catholic University of America and the University of the District of Columbia: Unfortunately, our local non-Division I teams’ seasons didn’t end as nicely as they began. Catholic lost their conference tournament championship in overtime, while UDC was knocked out of the Division II tournament by tiny Stonehill College from Easton, Mass. Maybe next year.
Looks like an interesting year in college hoops. Do you have any of these teams picked in your brackets?
Brett Gellman contributed to this post
