Beautiful upset fever
I couldn’t believe my ears.
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I couldn’t believe my ears.
If you’re a fourth year like me, you’ve been with Virginia basketball for the entire careers of seniors Joe Harris and Akil Mitchell. I’ve witnessed their evolution since 2010 — their freshman season — when Harris was a three-point specialist and Mitchell was a springy ninth man who was good for a couple rebounds a game. You might have missed the tremendous strides they’ve both made in their game if you just started tuning in last year, when Harris was fourth in the ACC in scoring and Mitchell finished third in the conference in rebounding.
After Virginia guard Justin Anderson finished last season on an incredible tear, scoring 19 points per game in the NIT as a freshman and cementing his reputation as an impact defender, I spent the entire offseason telling anyone who would listen two things about Virginia basketball.
Finals season is upon us and there are just four weeks of the NFL regular season to go. That means it’s about time for an age-old tradition that football-fanatic college students like me participate in every year: trying hard to concentrate on my studies, banging my head on my desk a couple of times, cursing my non-existent willpower and then heading back to ESPN.com to try to predict how the playoffs will turn out.
There’s no doubt that the Virginia women’s soccer team has been on fire in 2013. The Cavaliers steamrolled their first 20 opponents by a combined margin of 65-10, the largest goal differential in the country. They lead the nation in every meaningful offensive statistic and are at or near the top of several defensive categories, as well. Six players were named to All-ACC squads, including first teamers junior midfielder Morgan Brian, sophomore forward Makenzy Doniak and sophomore defender Emily Sonnett.
Fourth year at the University of Virginia is a time of great reflection for many students, myself included. We think back on all of the amazing memories we’ve made here — the friends, the stories, the late nights talking about nothing and everything all at once — and we look ahead to walking down the Lawn at graduation, imagining what the future holds for us.
One of the hallmarks of my time here at Virginia has been a general sense of jadedness when it comes to our football program. A classmate told me yesterday that he actually enjoys the fact that Virginia is not known as a powerhouse program because it forces us to find bonds and an identity outside of football. It’s an interesting point, but the fact of the matter is that we’re not particularly good at football, and for hardcore sports fans, that can be tough to swallow.
Football fans have been treated to an interesting start to the NFL season. Every team has had at least two contests now, and the third round is underway as I write this column from a booth at Buffalo Wild Wings. So what’s been going on, you ask? Well, since you’ve apparently been living under a rock, I’ll tell you.
Anyone who’s ever met me knows how much of a sports nut I am. As I have previously written in this column, I think it’s partially genetic. I was born on Final Four weekend, so it would stand to reason that I’m somehow predisposed to love sports. Every year, come March Madness time, I’m found watching one game on TV and split-screening at least two others on my computer. I morphed into an NBA fan practically overnight. I love European soccer, and I even watch baseball and golf from time to time.
Hi, my name is Sean, and I have an addiction.
As yet another semester draws to a close, teachers naturally ramp up the workload in an attempt to make sure they cover all their material by the time finals roll around. Students grapple with the need to dutifully complete their schoolwork despite the long-awaited coming of warm weather. And when these two forces collide, something always has to give.
ESPN is my home page, and lately, I’ve been refreshing the NFL Rumor Central page every hour in hopes of catching a tidbit about what my Saints are doing. But like I did with the Super Bowl, I’m tuning it out this week, because there’s something bigger afoot. We’re nearing the culmination of my all-time favorite sporting event — the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
It’s hard to believe the seismic shift in the fortunes of Virginia basketball from just more than two weeks ago. After the Cavaliers’ domination of Duke Feb. 28, the Virginia faithful were on top of the world. Former Virginia Tech coach and current ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg could remind us until he was blue in the face how similar our situation was to that of his team just two years ago, who topped the Blue Devils yet failed to make the Big Dance, but we didn’t care. There wasn’t any chance in our minds that Virginia would fail to get a bid.
It seems strange to me that February, a month with only one — admittedly “Super” — game, manages to be one of the most important months for football.
I love upsets.
It has begun.
This year’s Virginia men’s basketball team shares some undeniable similarities with last year’s NCAA tournament squad, as the midpoint in college basketball season approaches.
The University of Virginia is a school with a rich tradition of traditions. Some, like Easters, have passed by, whereas others, such as the nomenclature — “Academical Village,” “first years,” “Grounds” — have persisted through the years. Recently, the University’s emphasis on tradition carried over to the athletic department.
In the wake of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher’s shocking murder-suicide Saturday, a score of reactions have emerged from different perspectives.
“J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets!”