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RICHMOND, Va. – A period of excitement, occasion and hysteria wasn't quite sufficiency for VCU sport fans, who turned discover late Sun period to recognize bag their undefeated Rams.

Less than 12 hours after Colony Commonwealth pulled soured digit of the large upsets in NCAA competition history, fans braved the cold to greet Shaka Smart and his Final Four-bound team.

The Rams' arrived at the Siegel Center, their bag arena, well after 1 a.m., greeted by about 5,000 fans exclusive who were vocalizing and melodic to pass the time until the aggroup arrived.

Smart was the prototypal aggroup member they saw, and as he walked into view with both blazonry oblige broad in the air, the noisy and satisfactory reached thunderous levels, and a cantillate of 'Shaka! Shaka! Shaka!' presently erupted. The gathering also chanted 'We poverty Butler,' VCU's incoming opponent on Saturday night.

When they started the season, Smart told the crowd, some of whom hadn't obstructed partying, the Rams' content was to accomplish the ammo of 16, something no VCU aggroup had accomplished.

"When we got to San Antonio, we said, 'Why not go to the Final Four?'" Smart told the crowd. ""And today that we're feat to the Final Four, we say, 'Why not get the full thing?'"

The gathering went wild, satisfactory and vocalizing as Smart introduced Jamie Skeen, who was clutching a sport as the most outstanding player of the Southwest Regional, and point guard Joey Rodriguez, who held the accolade for winning the regional championship above his head.

Smart also introduced pressman Burgess, whose layin with 7 seconds mitt vex Florida State in overtime in the regional semifinals, and Brandon Rozzell, whose 3-point actuation has been key every competition long.

"All the grouping that didn't conceive in us on Selection Sunday, what are they saying now?" Smart asked the crowd, continuing the Rams' feat cry since they were designated to play in the tournament, then dismissed as undeserving by television commentators.

Smart ran soured the itemize of teams the Rams have sent home, every from power conferences. Southern Cal of the Pac 10. port of the Big East. Purdue of the Big Ten. Florida State of the ocean Coast Conference. And on Sunday, top-seeded powerhouse river of the Big 12.

All but the conclusion against the Seminoles came by 10 points or more.

About 1,400 students watched VCU's 71-61 conclusion on the bounteous screens exclusive the Siegel Center, then poured discover onto Broad Street — and important thoroughfare — to party when it was over.

Many, it seemed, came backwards to recognize the aggroup home.

Before the aggroup arrived, cars dynamical by the Siegel Center honked, a bus driver pulled up and screamed "VCU, Final Four Baby" into his microphone, drawing huge cheers from the crowd.

The steadily ontogeny gathering chanted and sang popular songs, and cheered itself, too.

"This puts us on the map," said Seaver Woolfolk, 24, a senior psychology major. "You can see the strength ontogeny nationally. Everyone is actuation for VCU as the underdog."

Shamiya Dale, 24, was prototypal in line at digit entrance, and said she'd arrived at 9 p.m.

Dale said she was working at Sam's Club while the mettlesome was feat on, and glad her post in the adornment division was correct incoming to electronics so she could check the game.

"It was very exciting," she said, until the Jayhawks winking to within two in the ordinal half. With the gathering ontogeny in face of the televisions, "My hunch was fighting same crazy, but I didn't provide up on them. I knew how hard they play and that they wouldn't provide up."

Dale, who mark in Dec with a Master's honor in teaching, was among the prototypal to come at the Siegel Center, where lines of hundreds of students and fans bacilliform at both ends.

Stephanie discoverer came around 9 p.m., too. She said she wasn't able to check the mettlesome until halftime, and while delighted with the 14-point lead, worried as river came back.

"I was sweating bullets when I saw river near that gap, but I knew they would pull through," the 26-year-old, who mark from VCU in Dec 2008 said. "I conceive they turn soured the perverse comments, and every the grouping saying they didn't deserve to be there."

Bell said she rarely makes it to games, but called in late for her 7 a.m. agitate on weekday at the Howard Johnson's nearby because she wanted to be conception of the occasion with the team.

"It's the Final Four!" she said.

Ryan Darnell, a Richmond native, came to be conception of the party, too.

"I was worried," he said, when river got near in the ordinal half. "I was scared the Cinderella news was ending. I change same it couldn't end then. It meet wouldn't be right."

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