gpikeWhat is the deal with VCU?
March 23rd 2011 23:17
Butler is doing what they did last year, win tournament games. Richmond nearly won a tournament game last season, before losing to St. Marys. VCU, not George Mason is the new Colonial division darkhorse after knocking off Purdue with ease, last Sunday. So, lets take a closer look at this group of players.
VCU defeated USC in the final play-in game, then in the second round went up against Georgetown. The Hoyas had no chance as VCU was on fire from behind the three-point line, and raced to a 74-56 win. Purdue went into the Sunday's game as a possible final four favorite. They left just another victim of Virginia Commonwealth and their hot-shooting, losing 94-76. The Rams improved to 26-11 and will now face off against Florida State, another surprise team on Friday. Bradford Burgess led all scorers with 23 points, and Joey Rodriguez contributed with 12 points and 11 assists. VCU was questioned before the tournament of whether or not they belonged. They are definitely a tournament team.
During the regular season, VCU had issues with fellow Colonial division rivals. The Rams went 12-6 in the conference play, good for fourth place, behind George Mason, Old Dominion, and Hofstra. A stretch in February saw the Rams lose four out of five conference games to Old Dominion, George Mason, Drexel, and James Madison. All these teams won over 20 games, including two of them making it to the tournament. This is a very telling statistic over how well this Rams team is playing right now. Two weeks after losing to George Mason, the Rams repaid the favor and disposed of the Patriots in the conference tournament. Their conference play equipped them for a run. George Mason and Old Dominion ran into immovable teams in Butler and Ohio State, but VCU has yet to encounter such a team.
One great forward in Jamie Skeen and improved guard play has ignited the Rams recent surge. Skeen, leads the Rams with 15 points and eight rebounds. Burgess averages 14 points and six rebounds as the third guard. Rodriguez has stepped up in the tournament. He averages 11 points, five assists, and four boards. Backup guard Brandon Rozzell came off the bench in the game with Georgetown, drained six three-pointers en route to 26 points. The third guard on the starting lineup with Rodriguez and Burgess is senior Ed Nixon, who is not known for his scoring but leadership. The team plays games at times with four guards and Skeen manning the middle, causing matchup problems.
I will look at the VCU and Florida State game a little more in the next post. Both teams appear to be mirror-images of one another, causing what should be a great game. I wouldn't want to bet against the Rams who are shooting lights out during this streak.
VCU defeated USC in the final play-in game, then in the second round went up against Georgetown. The Hoyas had no chance as VCU was on fire from behind the three-point line, and raced to a 74-56 win. Purdue went into the Sunday's game as a possible final four favorite. They left just another victim of Virginia Commonwealth and their hot-shooting, losing 94-76. The Rams improved to 26-11 and will now face off against Florida State, another surprise team on Friday. Bradford Burgess led all scorers with 23 points, and Joey Rodriguez contributed with 12 points and 11 assists. VCU was questioned before the tournament of whether or not they belonged. They are definitely a tournament team.
During the regular season, VCU had issues with fellow Colonial division rivals. The Rams went 12-6 in the conference play, good for fourth place, behind George Mason, Old Dominion, and Hofstra. A stretch in February saw the Rams lose four out of five conference games to Old Dominion, George Mason, Drexel, and James Madison. All these teams won over 20 games, including two of them making it to the tournament. This is a very telling statistic over how well this Rams team is playing right now. Two weeks after losing to George Mason, the Rams repaid the favor and disposed of the Patriots in the conference tournament. Their conference play equipped them for a run. George Mason and Old Dominion ran into immovable teams in Butler and Ohio State, but VCU has yet to encounter such a team.
One great forward in Jamie Skeen and improved guard play has ignited the Rams recent surge. Skeen, leads the Rams with 15 points and eight rebounds. Burgess averages 14 points and six rebounds as the third guard. Rodriguez has stepped up in the tournament. He averages 11 points, five assists, and four boards. Backup guard Brandon Rozzell came off the bench in the game with Georgetown, drained six three-pointers en route to 26 points. The third guard on the starting lineup with Rodriguez and Burgess is senior Ed Nixon, who is not known for his scoring but leadership. The team plays games at times with four guards and Skeen manning the middle, causing matchup problems.
I will look at the VCU and Florida State game a little more in the next post. Both teams appear to be mirror-images of one another, causing what should be a great game. I wouldn't want to bet against the Rams who are shooting lights out during this streak.
Joey Rodriguez and VCU is set to play Florida State
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