Vanderbilt Hotline:

If you haven't already requested tickets for Vanderbilt's Sweet 16 match-up with Georgetown, well...don't bother. According to a press release issued last night, the university has sold out its allotment of tickets. If you have already been contacted by someone from either the ticket office or the alumni office, and provided your credit card number to someone, there's still a chance. If we get any more information about tickets, we will be sure to pass it along to the 8 of you reading. Also, if anyone out there is planning on going to the game or wants to go but can't get tickets, email us.

Bobby's adopted hometown paper, the Washington Post, has a front page, above the fold article in today's sports section. Unfortunately, the same guy who described Vanderbilt as "unathletic" and essentially mid-majoresque wrote it. Marc Carig is decidedly more complementary than he has in articles past, and discusses the rise of Derrick Byars. What struck me is where Byars' head is. Plain and simple, Derrick is trying to get paid, and the best way to do that is keep playing. To hear him talk, Derrick feels like this is his time to shine, which is exactly the mindset you want your number option to have this time of year. For what it's worth, Belmont Coach Rick Byrd (who lost handily to Georgetown in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament) thinks Byars is Vanderbilt's best shot to top Georgetown. His performance thus far, has earned him a spot on the NCAA Tournament 2nd Team on Si.Com. ESPN's Mark Kreidler also gets into the act of showing DB the love as well.

The semantics as to whether or not this was a "rubber match" between Vanderbilt were debated yesterday, regardless, Vanderbilt's Tennessean beat reporter Maurice Patton points out that Vanderbilt is not the same team the Hoyas faced to open to the 2006-2007 campaign. Bret Haitt does a Vanderbilt edition of "One Shinning Moment" in today's Nashville City Paper that also is worth a gander.

The voice of the Vanderbilt Commodores, Joe Fisher, discusses Vanderbilt's trip to the Sweet 16. Besides Uncle O'Shea, Joe might be the best play-by-play man in college (apologies to the Larry Munson fans who I may or not live with, or whose daughter I may or may not date). For those of you bored at work, you might want to check out this pretty unfunny video starring Ted Skuchas. Finally, while getting your Vanderbilt sports multimedia fill for the day, be sure to vote for Vanderbilt as the Pontiac "Game Changing Performance" here.

Our proper Georgetown preview will appear later this week (most likely Thursday), but in the meantime, Si.Com thinks Georgetown is "scalding" and Vanderbilt is "simmering."

The lady Commies play Bowling Green tonight in the second round of the Women's NCAA Tournament. Nashville City Paper's Mark Bishop thinks Bowling Green could present problems to VU Women, while the Tennessean's Mark Organ think the Vandy women are forced to take a look in the mirror. I thought about making a corny joke here, but then thought better of it consider yourselves lucky.

Vanderbilt Catcher Shea Robin is on the initial Johnny Bench Award List presented by by The Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. According to the VuCommodores press release, "Twenty-seven catchers from seventeen conferences were nominated for the award by their coaches. Because the award is given annually to the top Division I collegiate catcher, the list will be updated to include other candidates until May 7." Vanderbilt is currently ranked #1 in by Rivals, Baseball America, and the ESPN/USA Today polls. Collegiate Baseball dropped Vanderbilt to #2.

We are down to 11 on American Idol. Nashville-area phenom Melinda gets some run in today's Tennessean.