Sports: Thursday, March 9, 2023
Sports: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Sports: Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Basketball Flu
Greetings from The Booth!
Whew! Saved by the running gods and Old Man Winter. This past Saturday was to have been the running of the Edward Jones 5k Race For Education, and in last week’s VFB, I wrote about my commitment to running/walking the race. On Friday I received an email that the event was going to happen rain or shine. The weather forecast for race time Saturday wasn’t promising. Blizzard conditions were predicted for the Northern Shenandoah Valley, and Kemp Miller was right on the money, as I woke to blowing snow, and icy roads, not ideal conditions for running a 5k race. Reluctantly, race director Bret Hrbek had to pivot and make the race virtual instead of in-person. I felt like the kid who didn’t do his homework the night before and prayed for a snowstorm to cancel school. That being said, I will be running a 5k on my own and sending the time to Bret sometime in the next few weeks…
Well, there’s a pandemic sweeping through the nation this week, and I’m not talking about COVID or some mutated variant. It’s Basketball Flu. You know, the ailment that sends millions away from the office and into local watering holes all over the USA. March Madness is here as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament begins in earnest this Thursday and Friday with first round games (let’s not have the tired old debate as to whether the First Four is part of the tournament). From noon until midnight it’s wall-to-wall basketball, and a steady menu of buzzer-beaters and upsets (watch those 12 versus 5 games!) as the pupils in your eyes turn to roundballs. You’ll find the games on multiple channels these days, but back in the day, CBS was the sole network showing games, as they took you in rapid-fire succession around the tournament.
This year, I don’t have a horse in the race, as the only playing my WVU Mountaineers will be doing is foozeball in the student union. The Mounties started 13-2 and finished 16-17. Bob Huggins lobbied strongly for an NIT bid, but he was living in a fantasy world. West Virginia won’t even be playing in the iconic CBI, where they were waxed several years ago by Coastal Carolina. I begrudgingly have adopted rival Virginia Tech in this years dance, because of their improbable run in the ACC Tournament which took them from a bubble team to an 11-seed. This Hokie team could be this year’s Jimmy V NC State squad from ’83-’84, My feelings for Tech have mellowed over the years, I guess.
That being said, I really really really don’t care much for Duke, but they are the team I have going all the way. Yes, they have flaws, but I think the NCAA wants a going-away title for Coach K, and until a potential matchup against Gonzaga in the regional finals, they don’t have the toughest road to the Final Four. If you’re a conspiracy theorist, you might think the NCAA is setting up the Blue Devils for the National Championship.
Unlike chicken wings and cheap gas, the truth is out there! (Cue the theme from the X-Files)
Enjoy the hoop, good luck with your bracket, and until the next visit from The Booth…GO HORNETS!
RW
Sports Dogs Podcast: Bracket Bustin’ With Coach C
Sports: Wednesday, March 9, 2022
Sports: Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Sports: Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Sports: Friday, March 12, 2021

Caps Down Flyers, Hokies Eliminated While UVA Survives In ACC, SU Schedule
The Washington Capitals continued their winning ways with a 5-3 win over Philadelphia last night. Nic Dowd scored twice for the Caps, while John Carlson reached the 500-point plateau with a goal, as Washington improved to 16-6-4. The Capitals host the Flyers again tomorrow night at 7. Air time is 6:45 on The River 95-3.
In the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, Reece Beekman’s 3-point buzzer beater propelled UVA into the semifinals with a 72-69 win over Syracuse. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech was eliminated by North Carolina 81-73. The Cavaliers will take on Georgia Tech tonight at 6:30, while the Hokies will await their fate on Selection Sunday.
The big news at the ACC Tournament yesterday was Duke dropping out of the tournament because of coronavirus issues. The Blue Devils had won their first two games of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In the Big 12 Tournament, WVU fell to Oklahoma State 72-69. The 18-9 Mounties will now see where they are seeded in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
And on the Shenandoah University scoreboard, undefeated Bridgewater blanked Women’s Soccer 2-0. Today, Men’s Tennis plays at Shepherd, Field Hockey hosts Ferrum, and Baseball entertains Guilford. A full slate of events are scheduled tomorrow.
Sports: Thursday, March 11, 2021

Cavs & Hokies In ACC Action Today, SU Scoreboard, Caps-Flyers Tonight
In the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament yesterday in Greensboro, Syracuse routed NC State 89-68, Miami upset 5th-seed Clemson 67-64, Duke advanced by beating Clemson 70-56, and North Carolina rolled over Notre Dame 101-59. Among the games today, top-seed UVA takes on Syracuse at noon, while Virginia Tech plays North Carolina tonight at 9.
WVU opens Big-12 Tournament play against Oklahoma state this morning at 11:30.
On the Shenandoah University scoreboard, nationally ranked Hornet Baseball swept a twinbill from Mary Washington yesterday. In the opener, Michael Prosperi tossed a complete game shutout in a 7-0 SU win, followed by a 16-2 rout in the nightcap.
SU Men’s Tennis won it’s opener over St. Marys of Maryland 5-4. It was the first career Men’s victory for Head Coach Jason Cole.
Today, Women’s Soccer plays at Bridgewater.
And, the Washington Capitals entertain the Philadelphia Flyers tonight in NHL action. The Caps are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, and currently in second place in the Eastern Division. Air time is 6:45 on The River 95-3.