Men's basketball team could play in Cancun

Two games at home. Two games in Cancun, Mexico. That may be part of an attractive tournament setup in November awaiting the Virginia Commonwealth University men's basketball team.

The Rams are working on finalizing a spot in the Cancun Challenge, which will involve eight teams playing four games each, according to triplecrownsports.com.

Four teams will serve as hosts for two games. Four other teams will be on the road. The home teams then will play each other in a pair of games in Cancun after Thanksgiving, probably Nov. 28, 29 and 30, according to the Web site. The four road teams will square off in Cancun as well.

While all participants and pairings haven't been set, VCU, Vanderbilt, Drake and New Mexico are expected to serve as the host schools.

Matchup with Sooners in Oklahoma City

VCU will collect on the first part of a contractual debt and play Oklahoma on Dec. 20 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. The game will be part of a doubleheader with Oklahoma State.

The Sooners, featuring first-team All-Big 12 pick Blake Griffin, are No.7 in rivals.com's preseason rankings.

The matchup was mandated by a clause in the contract of former VCU coach Jeff Capel that said if he left for another school, that school would have to play a home-and-away series with the Rams. Capel took over Oklahoma for the 2006-07 season. VCU then hired Anthony Grant.

The Sooners are scheduled to come to the Siegel Center in 2009-10.

"They're going to be a very good team," Grant said. "It'll be a very challenging game for us.

"With Jeff having been here, there will be a lot of interest among VCU supporters who remember the good job he did here and the job he's doing there."

Baseball team adds infielder, pitcher

Baseball coach Paul Keyes has signed two more recruits: junior-college shortstop Doug Otto and pitcher Kyle Pelchy from Grafton High School in Yorktown.

Otto was an All-American at Johnson County Community College in Kansas. He hit .416, had five home runs and 46 RBI, and stole 27 bases. Pelchy was 5-3.

The Rams previously had signed pitcher Seth Cutler-Voltz from Henrico High School, corner infielder/outfielder Taylor Perkins from Dinwiddie, pitcher/infielder Josh Alford from Trinity Episcopal School, third baseman Brent Mikionis from Powhatan and pitcher Ryan Crosby from Notre Dame Academy in Middleburg.

"I think this class has a lot of potential," Keyes said.

- Tim Pearrell