There's no doubting the Rams now

SAN ANTONIO - Move over, Butler. Virginia Commonwealth is crashing the Final Four.

The 11th-seeded Rams, who didn't even bother to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show, are heading to Houston, and No. 1 seed Kansas is heading home after a spectacular collapse.

Jamie Skeen scored 26 points as the Rams delivered the biggest upset of the NCAA Tournament, shocking the Jayhawks, 71-61, yesterday to become just the third 11th seed to reach the Final Four. So doubtful were the Rams of even making the tournament that they watched the Cartoon Network and went out for fast food instead of watching the announcement of the tournament field 2 weeks ago.

On Selection Monday, VCU was 750-1 to win the regional and 2,500-1 to win the tournament.

"[The doubters] don't matter," VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "The only people that matter is the 14 guys on our team, and they never stopped believing."

One of those doubters was one of Kansas' vaunted Morris twins, Marcus or Markieff. During a captains meeting with officials before tipoff, VCU guard Joey Rodriguez said one of the brothers offered him some parting words: "The run ends here."

"We'll see," Rodriguez shot back.

VCU players poured into the temporary bleachers where VCU's outnumbered fans sat in an Alamodome that was otherwise colored in Kansas blue-and-white. As the final seconds ticked down, Skeen heaved the ball from the free throw line and into the stands behind the opposite backboard. His teammates on the bench, who had spent the final minutes with locked arms, spilled onto the court while Kansas players slowly walked off. Several, including Markieff Morris, cried.

"We got beat by a team that was definitely better today," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "They were faster. They were good."

It's George Mason all over again, and VCU had an even tougher Final Four path than their Colonial Conference brethren in 2006. The Rams needed five wins to go from First Four to Final Four. They toppled the Pac-10's Southern California, the Big East's Georgetown, the Big 10's Purdue, the Atlantic Coast Conference's Florida State and now the Big 12's Kansas.

They'll pick on someone their own size next: Butler.

All Kansas did was bully smaller teams to get this far. Kansas never apologized for coasting through a favorable bracket that served up schools seeded 16th (Boston University), ninth (Illinois) and 12th (Richmond). None of those games tested the Jayhawks, who had been ranked No. 1 this season and had won 11 in row. Then VCU showed it wasn't just another pushover.

Kansas (36-3) hadn't trailed by more than two points the entire tournament. With 5 minutes left in the first half, it was down by 17.

Marcus Morris had 20 points and 16 rebounds, and his brother had 13 and 12. They played in disbelief as VCU, which ousted Florida State on three-pointers Friday, used the long ball to bury the Jayhawks early this time.

The Rams hit nine of their 12 three in the first half. Kansas trailed 41-27 at halftime, closed the lead to 46-44 with 13 minutes, 11 seconds left, but a 10-2 VCU run put the Jayhawks right back where they started.

Smart was so animated shuffling in front of his bench that officials shooed him back. Another official later served Smart his first technical of the season.