NCAA Tournament 2011: Does VCU Belong Yet, Mr. Bilas?

Cinderella has made yet another appearance in the NCAA tournament, and it’s not George Mason.

The Virginia Commonwealth Rams have battled their way to the University’s first Final Four appearance in school history. VCU, part of the Colonial Athletic Association, ended the regular season in fourth place with a 23-11 record (14-7 CAA) behind George Mason, Old Dominion, and Hofstra.

The Rams, led by 33 year-old coach Shaka Smart, didn’t earn a win over a Top-25 opponent until they defeated George Mason in the conference tournament. VCU lost to Old Dominion in the CAA championship, which many thought would end the Rams’ season.

ESPN’s Jay Bilas was one of them.

“When I look at UAB and VCU at the expense of these other teams—now, look, we’re not talking about great teams here, I understand that—but I wonder if some people on the committee know whether the ball’s round. That sounds harsh. But I’m wondering. These were bad decisions. They’re indefensible,” said Bilas on Selection Sunday.

Well put, Jay. Now, let’s look at what’s happened since his first initial comments:

Virginia Commonwealth was picked as an 11-seed in the tournament. With the new 68 team bracket, this set up a play-in game with the Southern California Trojans. Needless to say, the Rams took care of business on the defensive side of the ball, winning 59-46 and earning a spot against the 6-seeded Georgetown Hoyas, a member of the “all-mighty” Big East Conference.

Georgetown limped into the tournament, losing its last six of seven games. The Hoyas were still favored over VCU, with star player Chris Wright back from injury. However, the Rams got an early halftime lead and never looked back, surprising few with a 74-56 victory, holding Georgetown to five of 26 behind the arc.

Next up was No. 3 seed Purdue, who had finished second in the Big Ten Conference. JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore had been on a tear as of late, and the Boilermakers were expected to move on to the Sweet Sixteen.

VCU had other things in mind.

The Rams scored 94 points, 52 in the second half, to dominate the scoreboard.  They shot 57 percent from the field and only turned the ball over four times, shocking Purdue in a 94-76 shellacking.

Now in the Sweet Sixteen, VCU was up against another unexpected visitor in Florida State. The Seminoles were also coming off of a bracket-buster game, defeating Notre Dame 71-57. This matchup came down to the wire, but in the end, defense prevailed. The Rams held FSU to 36.6 percent shooting from the field, beating the Atlantic Coastal Conference team 72-71 in overtime.

Virginia Commonwealth made their way into the Elite Eight, and even though no one expected the Rams to make it this far, no one could have imagined what happened next. An unlikely game versus the No. 1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks was in store. Personally, I figured Kansas would blow VCU out of the water. I mean seriously, they are bolstered with talent, NBA prospects, and great coaching.

But then again, what do I know? I threw away my bracket midway through the round of 32.

Kansas came into the game shooting 51.4 percent from the field, good for FIRST IN THE NATION. Along comes little Virginia Commonwealth from the Colonial Athletic Association (Jayhawks players probably hadn't even heard of that conference before) and WHAM. Everything changes. Kansas made 22 of 62 field goals, making only two of 21 (Can you say Kentucky Wildcats of 2010?)  three-pointers, as Goliath fell to David 71-61.

Jaws were dropped all over the nation.

The Virginia Commonwealth Rams have taken out the Pac-10, Big East, Big Ten, ACC, and Big-12; all big-time conferences. It’s hard to tell what teams deserve to be in the NCAA tournament, especially after a “mid-major” team like VCU, an 11-seed, does what it’s doing right now. The fact is, when March rolls around, anything can happen. Shaka Smart has done an outstanding job coaching his team, and the players have earned every bit of their unprecedented run to the Final Four.

So, the question is, did they deserve to make it into this year’s tournament?

“UAB and VCU can win. But a bunch of teams can win. This isn’t about ‘can win.’ This is about proving you belong in this tournament—who’s best, who’s proven that they’re best who’s accomplished. These teams haven’t accomplished anything…These were bad decisions. And we talk about the eye test—this one fails the laugh test. This one doesn’t make it through the laugh test,” said Bilas.

Who’s laughing now, Jay?