March Madness by the Numbers: How Many Games Has VCU Won?

Let's jump in the pool, so we can watch some games ourselves; here are nine numerical facts about the NCAA Tournament, also known as March Madness, or (SPOILER ALERT) in the case of the Ohio State Buckeyes who just lost to the Dayton Flyers 60-59, March Sadness. For more numerical facts, go to our sister blog http://nocturnalguy38.blogspot.com/

1) 21: Number of points scored by T.J. Warren of North Carolina State in ACC semi-final loss to Duke in the ACC semi-finals in Greensboro, NC.

2) 224: Miles between Charlottesville, Va., and Raleigh, NC, where the top-seed UVA Cavaliers face 16- seed Coastal Carolina, the Big South Tournament champs. Akil Mitchell of UVA is pictured top.

3) 20: Number of games the Wofford Terriers (Spartanburg, SC) have won; the 15-seed faces 2-seed Michigan in the big dance.

4) 4: Numbers of years Ed Cooley has coached the Providence Friars; the teams face the UNC Tar Heels in San Antonio, Tex., tomorrow.

5) 35- Number worn by Anthony Cole of Memphis, the eight-seed face George Washington Univ. (Washington, DC) in the tournament.

6) 74: Number of points scored by Iowa State in their Big 12 title game versus Baylor.

7) 27: Number of years, it has been since UCLA coach Steve Alford, who played for the Indiana Hoosiers, lead his team to an NCAA title in 1987.

8) 26: Number of games won by VCU, the team's coach Shaka Smart is pictured on the bottom.

9) 6: Number of games lost by the Cincinnati Bearcats who are playing Harvard right now.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/

http://vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/index

Sports Desk_ College Basketball Teams by Area Code in Virginia (2 of 2)

Juvante Reddic, the reigning Atlantic Ten Player of the Week, who is from Winston-Salem, NC, and plays for Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond is one of many stars playing for the schools listed below, by area code.

Other star players from these area codes include Joe Harris (UVA), Kendall Anthony (Richmond) and Aaron Bacote (ODU).

434

UVA (15-5, Charlottesville, ACC): Next game @ Notre Dame tonight on ESPN-U.

Liberty University Flames (9-12, Lynchburg, Big South): Next game @ Coastal Carolina on Wed. @ 7:00 p.m.

Longwood Lancers (7-14, Farmville, Big South): Next game vs. Gardner-Webb on Wed. @ 7:00 p.m.

703

George Mason Patriots (7-13, Fairfax, Atl. 10)" Next game @ St. Louis on Sat. @ 2:30 p.m.

757

Old Dominion Monarchs (10-10, Norfolk, Conf. USA) Next game @ UAB on Thurs. @ 8:00 p.m.

Norfolk State Spartans (12-9, MEAC): Next game @ Miami (Fl) on Sat. @ 4:00 p.m. ESPN3

Hampton University Pirates (10-10, MEAC): Next game @ Coppin State on Sat. @ 4:00 p..m

William and Mary Tribe (12-7, Williamsburg, Colonial Ath.): Next game vs. Delaware on Wed. @ 7:00 p.m.

804

VCU (16-4, Atlantic 10): Next game vs. Fordham on Wed. @ 7:00 p.m.

University of Richmond (14-6, Atlantic 10): Next game @ St. Louis on Wed. @ 8:00 p.m.

http://www.longwoodlancers.com

http://www.virginiasports.com

http://www.richmondspiders.com

http://www.odusports.com

http://www.nsuspartans.com

Sports Desk- Turkey is Sending Record Number of Female Athletes to Olympics

Turkey, my late father's home country, is sending 105 athletes to the 2012 London Olympics, which start on July 27th. For the first time, the delegation includes more female than male athletes. In total, 59 female athletes will be representing Turkey as will 46 men.

Among the impressive stories is that of women's gymnast Gokce Uctas, 21, (pictured above). The young woman from Gaziantep province in southern central Turkey is the first woman to qualify as a gymnast for Turkey. Uctas won a silver medal on vault at the 2009 Mediterranean Games in Pescara, Italy.

But, perhaps the most surprising athlete competing for Turkey is American women's basketball player Quaintra Hollingsworth, an African-American who played for Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. Hollingsworth, who plays professional basketball in Turkey, acquired Turkish citizenship to play for the national team.

Other women's basketball players for Turkey, include Esmeral Tucluer (we believe she is the one pictured in blue), Birsel Vardarli and Nilay Kataltepe.

Turkey will face the United States in women's basketball during the Olympics. Interestingly enough, four American players for the Team USA squad have played or are playing for Turkish professional teams. These players include Diane Taurasi, one of the best women's basketball players in the world, as well as Tamika Catchings and Angel McCoughtry.

The two countries will also face each other in indoor women's volleyball on August 5th. The Turkish volleyball team is ranked ninth in the world; the squad consists of several strong players, including Gizem Guresen, Eda Erdem, Naz Aydemir and Esra Gumus.

The American team features one player in Logan Tom, a Stanford alumni, who plays professionally for Fenerbahce (Istanbul) in Turkey. Other American volleyball players of note include Kim Glass, Alisha Glass and Stacy Sykora.

http://www.olimpiyakometisi.org.tr

http://www.usavolleyball.org

Quote of the Day/Week-Mary Lou Retton

Today, we continue quoting American athletes who won either gold or silver medals at the Summer Olympics with a quip from Mary Lou Retton, 44, whose image with a red, white and blue leotard is making its way back to Wheaties cereal boxes.

We will be quoting international athletes, including perhaps Nadia Comaneci of Romania, who was a major influence on Retton, who won both team and individual gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Retton is from Fairmont, West Virginia, and she is a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness, which is slightly ironic as Retton is a Republican as she attended the 2004 Republican convention.

Gymnasts of today have also been influenced by Retton as she developed 'the Retton flip' move on bars.

Here is her quote:

"If I had a bad performance in a particular leotard, I threw it in the trash."

SIDEBAR: People in Retton's home state of West Virginia are likely not to happy today as West Virginia University lost to Gonzaga in the NCAA tournament yesterday.

I was also disappointed to see Harvard lose to Vanderbilt 79-70 though President Barack Obama, a graduate of Harvard, said he had to reluctantly pick Vandy since that school has just won the SEC Tournament.

But, there is happy basketball news for my home state of Virginia because Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) 'upset' Wichita State 62-59 in Portland, Oregon, in the NCAA tournament last night.

UPDATE: When we posted this entry earlier in the day, we did not know the first name of Mary Lou Retton's sister who was a great gymnast in her own right at West Virginia University. Her name is Shari Retton.

As for the current Mountaineers gymnastics team, they head to Baton Rouge, La., tonight for a meet with SEC power LSU. For WVU, current gymnast Kaylyn Milick was named EAGL Conference Gymnast of the week. The Mountaineers also have an exceptional, nationally-ranked gymnast in Hope Sloanhaffer.