RVANews

2011 CAA Tournament preview

Lathan Wells — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:00:15 +0000

Planning on heading down to the Coliseum to cheer on the Rams? Check out the full tournament schedule.

As the 29th annual Colonial Athletic Association tournament begins in Richmond this Thursday, much is at stake for the host team, the Virginia Commonwealth Rams. Despite an ambitious out-of-conference schedule that included some solid wins against "major" programs, the Rams' slide to the fourth seed in the conference means that a conference tournament championship is likely their only route to the NCAA Tournament.

The conference itself has enjoyed a very successful year, establishing itself as one of the top mid-major conferences in the nation. As a whole, the CAA was the only other conference besides the Big East with six teams finishing with 20+ wins. They also enjoyed a 59% winning percentage against non-conference foes. Speaking even more to what should be a competitive tourney, 63 of the 102 conference contests played this season were decided by ten points or less. If competitiveness and intensity only heighten during tournament time, that statistic should speak to a very exciting and unpredictable event here in Richmond.

The hometown VCU Rams stayed near or at the top of the standings for the bulk of the season until former NCAA Tournament darling George Mason began to run away from the field and never looked back. The Patriots finished the season with a sterling 16-2 conference record, a small feature in Sports Illustrated magazine, and more chatter on radio and television of being poised to be another upstart mid-major program that could create chaos for a team from a power conference come tournament time. It appears George Mason would have a solid opportunity to make the tournament with or without a CAA Tournament championship on its resume. Currently, the team is ranked #25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, the first time a CAA team has been nationally ranked since the mythical Patriots team of '06 that reached the Final Four. They are currently riding a 15-game winning streak, the best in the nation.

The Rams, however, ended up 10-6 in the CAA and endured a devastating late- season home loss to #6 seed James Madison at home. While the Rams have had a reputation of dominance at the Stuart C. Siegel Center, tournament time is a lot different from a regular-season matchup. The Rams' reliance on the three-pointer (they shot 712 during the regular season, far more than any other team in the conference) has at times proved costly despite the difficulty their helter-skelter defense often causes for opponents. VCU enters the tournament having lost four straight conference matchups for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. The team will be counting heavily on consistent long-range shooting, the havoc of their usually disruptive defense, and the continued dominance of Jamie Skeen, who finished the regular season in the top ten in the conference in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots. VCU will be seeking its fourth CAA Tournament championship.

As for players to watch in this year's event, it starts with #3 seed Hofstra's Charles Jenkins, the favorite for conference player of the year. Jenkins leads the conference in scoring at 23.2 points per game, is fourth in field-goal shooting at 52.8% from the floor, and leads the conference in assists at 4.8 per contest. James Madison's Denzel Bowles is second in the conference in scoring at 18.2 per contest, third in rebounding at 9.0 boards per game, and second in field-goal shooting at 58.1%. And the Monarchs of Old Dominion boast forward Frank Hassell, coming in 13th in scoring at 14.2 points per game, second in rebounding at 9.8 per game, and third in field-goal shooting at 54.2%. Skeen can be found atop many leading categories as well to lead the local representative, VCU.

For the hometown team to take home the crown and a coveted trip to the NCAA Tournament they will need to rely on the partisan crowd to help amp up their defensive intensity; they'll need to shoot the long-ball with consistent success; and they'll need the continued leadership and production from veterans like Skeen and point guard Joey Rodriguez. They may also need to go through arguably the hottest team in the country right now in rival George Mason. It's no small task, but if the regular season is any indication anything could happen in this year's CAA Tournament.

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Rams down Georgia State, move to 14-5

Lathan Wells — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:07:03 +0000

Forget for a moment the 19-game home winning streak. Forget for a moment the looming matchup this Saturday with conference rival Old Dominion. Sometimes revenge is enough.

On Wednesday night at the Stuart C. Siegel Center, the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams exacted revenge on Georgia State, their only conference loss to date this season, 71-54. In a tough, bruising affair the Rams got production from some of the less-heralded of their personnel to improve to 6-1 in the conference, 14-5 overall as they move into a huge matchup with the Old Dominion Monarchs this weekend. Georgia State, meanwhile, fell to 8-9 on the season and 3-4 in the conference.

The Rams improved their winning streak at home to 20 games largely because of their defense, which forced 24 turnovers and held the Panthers to 36% shooting. In the teams’ previous matchup on Georgia State’s turf, the home team outmuscled VCU in the post to the tune of a plus-18 margin in the rebound column. While the Rams were still out rebounded by six in this contest, their ability to force turnovers and keep the Panthers from initiating a consistent offensive set was more than enough to offset that statistic. “"Our guys were really excited and energized to play this game because of what happened down there. That energy is what carried us through to the win tonight," VCU Head Coach Shaka Smart said. "We didn't particularly shoot the ball well tonight, but I thought we had a tremendous focus on the defensive end, which is what made the difference."

The first half was an ugly one for the most part, with turnovers and fouls commanding most of the attention. The usual scoring suspects for VCU (see Joey Rodriguez, Bradford Burgess, Jamie Skeen) were mostly missing in action. However, freshman Rob Brandenberg injected life into the Rams offense with an array of three-pointers, drives to the hoop and the ability to capitalize at the line. Brandenberg finished with a career-high 23 points in 27 minutes, 14 in the first half. "I thought Rob was good tonight, but not great. He certainly gave us great energy off the bench when we needed in the first half," Smart said. "He's really aggressive on the offensive end and he was able to have some success with that tonight. As good as he was, our coaching staff knows that with more work and experience, he's only going to get better." Meanwhile, Georgia State struggled to keep the ball in their possession at all and went into the half trailing 35-18 after a 26-9 VCU run to close the opening session.

At the beginning of half number two, Georgia State showed some life behind the early shooting of James Fields and Dante Curry, but VCU was able to weather the storm (Fields led the Panthers with 13, the only Georgia State player to finish in double figures). Skeen began to assert himself inside, and reserve Troy Daniels provided a spark off the bench with three long-range buckets. Daniels finished with ten points in all.

In the teams’ previous meeting, Eric Buckner dropped 28 points on the Rams to help fuel the Panthers victory at home. In this game, Buckner was held to a mere six points and did not attempt a field goal. Skeen was effective at patrolling the inside, finishing with 15 points and seven rebounds as he continued his steady play. The Rams appeared ready for the punishing style they were subjected to in the first matchup, and refused to back down despite the low scoring outputs from Rodriguez and Burgess (seven points apiece), their veteran leaders. The toughness exhibited by the Rams can only be viewed as a good sign as tough conference play looms.

Meanwhile, the Siegel Center continued to prove to be a formidable opponent in its own right for opposing teams as the home win streak continued. While the season is only roughly halfway over,

the Rams have to feel happy with the way their team has responded in recent games defensively and found a way to win when some of the younger players are called upon to step up.

Rams push home win streak to 19 with a win over the Huskies

Lathan Wells — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 03:16:17 +0000

The Virginia Commonwealth Rams are known to have one of the most dominant homecourt advantages in college hoops. They came into Saturday’s contest against conference foe Northeastern having won 18 consecutive games in the Stuart C. Siegel Center. Their success in the friendly confines didn’t translate against the Huskies in the past two seasons, however, as Northeastern won each time in Richmond and had won the last three matchups with the Rams overall.

A huge first half from Bradford Burgess and an equally impressive second half from Jamie Skeen put a halt to that streak.

Burgess dropped 18 points in the first half and finished with 26 overall, and Skeen outmuscled the Huskies consistently in the second half on his way to 18 points and seven rebounds as the Rams got the win, 73-64. Northeastern fell to 4-13 overall and 0-6 in the conference, while the Rams improved to 12-5 and 5-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

In the first stanza, the Rams received little production from anyone but Burgess, but it didn’t appear to matter. Burgess mixed three-pointers, offensive stick-backs and an overall array of offensive firepower that kept the Huskies on their heels. In an especially impressive 30-second streak, Burgess scored on a putback before stealing the ensuing inbounds pass and being fouled. After knocking down both free throws, he then tied up Northeastern for a jump-ball that gave the ball back to VCU. At the other end, he then hit an impressive fall-away bank shot off the inbounds pass. In all, Burgess scored nine straight points in one stretch and VCU took a 30-22 lead into the half.

The second half was a different story early on, as Northeastern cut down on the turnovers that had ailed them in half number one and began a torrid shooting display. Chaisson Allen, Joel Smith, and Alex Harris traded three-pointers and difficult jump shots to pull the Huskies back into the game. Smith led his team in scoring with 17, while Allen had 16 and Harris 11. In fact, Northeastern ended up shooting 55% for the game to VCU’s 50%. Numerous times down the stretch Northeastern pulled to within one basket, but each time VCU had an answer. "I'm proud of the way this team continues to play with a resolve and toughness about them, and that is all led by our upperclassmen," VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "Northeastern made some tough shots and they are going to be a tough out in the league, but we stuck together and were able to knock down the big shots when we needed them the most."

The answer to Northeastern’s shooting usually resided in the post presence of Skeen, who drew numerous fouls and converted often at the foul line while also doing a fantastic job of distributing from the paint to open Rams on the perimeter. Skeen and the other VCU big men helped the Rams finish with a 28-19 advantage on the boards. With deadly three-point shooter Brandon Rozzell out three-to-four weeks with a broken hand, Ed Nixon, Joey Rodriguez, and Rob Brandenberg picked up the slack with crucial second-half triples.

With 3:03 remaining the Rams led by just three following a jumper from Smith for Northeastern. Nixon answered on the ensuing possession with a three-pointer. Coach Smart said, "Ed's shot was really the play of the game. They had continually made tough shots in the second half and weren't going away, but Ed was able to step up and deliver big time when we needed him the most." he Rams then ratcheted up their defensive intensity, including a steal from Rodriguez and feed to Burgess for the exclamation point dunk that put the game out of reach with 45 seconds left. Northeastern went 2:26 without a bucket before Smith’s three with 37 seconds left, and by that time the Rams had sealed their 19th consecutive victory at home, tied for the sixth-best mark in the nation.

The Rams next play Georgia State on Wednesday in an attempt to push their homecourt streak to 20. If the production from their post players continues to be as impressive as it was on Saturday, the Siegel Center will again prove to be a very difficult place to play for any opponent.

Rams slay the Dragons (with a little help from Drexel’s coach)

Lathan Wells — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:00:24 +0000

The Virginia Commonwealth Rams men’s basketball team likes to force an uptempo game with stifling, pressing defense that it can convert into easy points. It also came into Wednesday night’s game against the Drexel Dragons shooting a torrid 37% from three for the season. Neither attribute was consistently present in the matchup, but they emerged at the right time as the Rams staged a comeback 52-48 win over their conference rival to secure their 18th consecutive win at home.

The story coming in would be how the Dragons, led by a freshman at point guard in Frantz Massenat, would handle the ferocity of the Rams defensive schemes. For VCU, it would be how they could contend with the size advantage of their conference foe, one of the top rebounding teams in the nation. Each team entered 1-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association, with Drexel 9-3 overall and VCU coming in at 9-5.

Early on, it appeared Drexel’s ability to clog the paint and force tough, contested shots would push them out well in front. The three-pointers weren’t falling early for the Rams, and leading scorer and rebounder Jamie Skeen left before the first four-minute media timeout with two early fouls fighting for position inside. Luckily for VCU, Drexel’s preferred halfcourt tempo kept them from building a larger lead. The game was in Drexel’s favor at only 13-9 with almost half of the first stanza complete. VCU continually found itself driving into a wall of big-bodied Drexel post players, and often threw up ill- advised forays into the lane or settled for heavily contested three’s. It also didn’t help that the Dragons lived up to their billing early, controlling the boards and earning multiple shots with work on the offensive glass. VCU head coach Shaka Smart acknowledged this by saying, "We knew coming in that they were animals on the boards.”

For the first ten minutes of half number two, it was more of the same for the Rams: quick, ill-advised jumpers and the inability to compete inside. However, right around the midway point something changed in the Rams’ favor: turnovers. It started with a Joey Rodriguez steal that was eventually converted into a Bradford Burgess lay-in at the 10:22 mark that brought VCU within four at 38-34. That was followed by a Drexel shot clock violation. After a fruitless offensive possession, VCU’s Rob Brandenberg then converted another steal into a putback to bring the Rams within two. Then, after yet another Drexel turnover, Brandon Rozzell (who along with Burgess led the Rams with 11 points) gave his team the lead for the first time since the 1:27 mark of the first half with a three-pointer from the top of the key. The game stayed close from that point on, with VCU still firing up some errant deep three’s and the Dragons continuing to struggle attacking the Rams’ trapping defense. With 3:30 left, Samme Givens’ two free throws gave Drexel a four-point lead that seemed significant when Rozzell’s subsequent three-point attempt was blocked. However, trailing by three with a little over a minute left, Rozzell atoned for the errant try and stole the ball, racing in for a layup while drawing a foul. He converted the free throw to tie the game at 44.

After Drexel’s Chris Fouch hit two free throws to again give the Dragons the lead with less than a minute remaining, Rodriguez hit a huge three-pointer off a long dish from Rozzell to give the Rams a one-point advantage at 47-46 with 46 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession for Drexel, Fauch had his three-point attempt blocked. Drexel coach Bruiser Flint was livid at the lack of what he perceived as excessive defensive contact on the shot, and his tirade drew him an immediate ejection from the officials.

The ejection handed the Rams four free throws, which Rodriguez calmly sank one after another. Jamie Skeen hit 1-2 on the foul he drew on the ensuing scrum from Fauch’s miss to put the lead at 52-46 and effectively end the Dragons’ hopes with a mere 13 seconds left.

In the end, the defensive intensity of the Rams kicked in just in time. "That's the best defensive effort we have shown since I've been here," Smart stated. "On a night where we didn't shoot the ball well and got outrebounded by 17, our guys locked in and focused on the things we could control. It was a tremendous effort by this group of young men." Despite finishing 5-23 from the three-point line and only shooting 29.5% overall, the Rams’ suffocating defense caused 23 Drexel turnovers that ultimately proved to be the difference-maker.

A terribly ill-fated ejection of the opposing coach didn’t hurt, either.

VCU beats William & Mary (but not by much)

Lathan Wells — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 04:13:14 +0000

For many fans, getting to the Siegel Center for Saturday’s matchup between the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams (5-2 on the season coming in) and the William & Mary Tribe (3-5) was a battle due to a Christmas Parade commanding much of Broad Street. The Rams dealt with similar adversity in the form of a plodding, half-court tempo dictated by the Tribe for most of Saturday’s matchup.

VCU, coming in averaging just shy of 80 points a game on the season, could only muster 59 in this one. That proved to be enough, however, thanks to a defense that consistently turned William & Mary turnovers into points and refused to let one player beat them. Quinn McDowell scored 22 points for William & Mary, but the Tribe had few other consistent offensive threats and fell 59-55 to VCU despite leading by as many as 11 in the first half.

In that first session, the Rams could not penetrate the sagging zone defense of William & Mary and thus relied on the bulk of their points from the perimeter. It didn’t help that McDowell hit his first four shots and had his season average for points (14) by halftime. The Tribe also consistently milked the majority of the 35-second shot clock before drawing fouls, allowing them to earn points consistently from the line while also keeping the tempo slow.

VCU, which went into the half trailing by three, saw the Tribe extend their lead early in half number two. But McDowell’s foul trouble placed him on the bench for crucial stretches of the second half and allowed VCU’s trapping defense to chip away at the deficit before finally tying the game with 13:25 remaining, part of a 14-4 VCU run over 5:20 with William & Mary’s lone scoring threat on the bench. Back-to-back steals leading to four points by freshman Rob Brandenberg energized the home crowd and the Rams’ pressure defense. However, the Rams never got comfortable in their half-court offense and often settled for long three-point attempts late in the shot clock. Joey Rodriguez ended up being the Rams’ leading scorer with just 13 points, and Jamie Skeen contributed 12. "We're going to win a lot of games if we get that type of defensive effort on a nightly basis," Rams head coach Shaka Smart said. "Now the offensive end was a different story. We had a tough shooting night and didn't execute the way we have shown this year, but that will come, I'm sure of it."

McDowell eventually re-entered the contest and hit a three with 9:07 to go that knotted the score at 45. However, on the ensuing possession he picked up his fourth foul and again had to resign himself to being a spectator. Rodriguez’s two free throws put VCU ahead 49-47 with 7:04 to go, but VCU couldn’t pull away despite locking up on the Tribe defensively. A three from Kyle Gaillard at the 4:30 mark brought the Tribe within one at 51-50, setting up a dramatic finish.

After two more forced turnovers by the Rams, it appeared that VCU’s defense would prove to be too much for the Tribe to overcome late. But McDowell, playing with four fouls, answered the bell again with a lay-in off a drive with 1:58 left to tie the game at 53.

Enter junior Bradford Burgess.

Burgess, who was briefly taken to the locker room following a scary fall a little under a minute into the second session, hit a huge three-pointer at the 1:18 mark to break the tie and put VCU ahead 56-53. The Rams’ leading scorer on the season coming in, Burgess had mustered only six points prior to that basket (he finished with nine). After McDowell again answered with a fadeaway jumper in the lane to bring the Tribe within one with a little over a minute remaining, Jamie Skeen was fouled and hit one of two free throws to put the Rams ahead by two with 20 seconds left.

On the Tribe’s next possession, McDowell found himself with the ball in his hands and drew a critical foul with eight seconds left. McDowell, coming into the game shooting roughly 84% from the free throw line, missed the front end of the one and one and the Rams secured the rebound to effectively close out the contest. Two free throws from Skeen and a missed desperation three-pointer from William & Mary allowed the home team to escape with a key early conference win in front of their home fans. "It's a great thing to start 1-0 in the conference and be able to sit on the win for a month (VCU won’t have another conference matchup until early January). We were on the other end of that last year and it wasn't fun sitting at 0-1 for a month," Smart stated. "I'm pleased that we get to start this way, but we also know there is a lot to work on."

Rams zap Zips

Lathan Wells — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:04:16 +0000

At the 19:09 mark, the scoreboard at the Stuart C. Siegel Center inexplicably read Virginia Commonwealth University 131, Akron University 27. The raucous VCU student section, decked out in mostly black, chanted, “Scoreboard! Scoreboard!” The basketball gods weren’t quite that fortuitous for the Rams, but the home team vanquished their ESPN BracketBuster foe nonetheless.

VCU came through with a 70-53 win on Saturday afternoon over their opponent from the Mid-American Conference in a nationally televised game via ESPNU. The Rams, now an annual participant in the BracketBuster event, hope to have swung some momentum with their victory over the MAC conference’s number one team.

Perhaps most importantly, the Rams again proved they can win when superstar forward Larry Sanders spends the bulk of his time on the bench. Despite Sanders’ game-high 15 points and nine rebounds, he spent much of the second half in foul trouble and eventually fouled out with 2:28 to go. By that time, however, the group effort by the Rams’ supporting cast had overwhelmed their visitors from Ohio, and once again it was the effort on the defensive end that made the difference.

For the game VCU held the Zips from Akron to 32.8% shooting, including 29.4% in half number one, and never let their opponent get comfortable in their half-court offense. While Akron did a good job early on clogging the paint and making entry passes difficult for the Rams, it soon became obvious that the Rams’ prowess in the open floor would provide for easier, uncontested baskets.

At the beginning of half number two, after some long-range shots fell for Akron guard Steve McNees, the score was only 34-32 in favor of the home team. Head coach Shaka Smart called a timeout and rallied the troops, who promptly went on a 7-0 run fueled by a Brandon Rozzell layup off of a steal and a three-point basket. From there, the Rams never looked back as they again tightened up their defense even when Sanders was unable to stay on the floor with his foul issues. “I really thought today was one of our better defensive performances,” Coach Smart said. “We did a great job interrupting their rhythm, which ultimately forced them into an off-shooting night.”

The Rams also received an invaluable effort from guard Darius Theus, who oftentimes ran the point as Coach Smart elected to play usual point man Joey Rodriguez off the ball. Theus chipped in with ten points and helped to keep the Rams settled each time Akron attempted to rattle them with a half-court press or mini-run of their own.

The balanced effort from the Rams, outside of Sanders’ 15 points, included Jamie Skeen’s 11, Ed Nixon’s 10, Theus’ ten and Rozzell’s 13 off the bench. Once again the Rams showed they are more than a team predicated on living off their best player in the post. The versatility and defensive prowess for VCU paid off with another victory, this time in front of a national television audience. “It’s always good to have a bunch of guys contributing. Larry has some foul trouble tonight and Joey (Rodriguez) was hampered by an injury, so it was great to have a bunch of other guys step up and lead the way,” Coach Smart stated.

VCU improved to 19-7 overall, remaining 10-6 in the conference, while Akron fell to 20-8 overall. The Rams will host conference foe James Madison on Wednesday prior to their final game on the road against rival Old Dominion as they continue to posture for positioning going into the conference tournament.

Rams slay the Dragons

Lathan Wells — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:00:40 +0000

The Drexel Dragons came into Virginia Commonwealth’s Stuart C. Siegel Center on Tuesday night employing a three-guard starting lineup aimed at utilizing quickness to overcome their lack of size. Larry Sanders put an end to that game plan early and often en route to 29 points and 13 rebounds as the Rams defeated their conference foe 73-54.

Early on the frenetic pace did seem to faze the Ram ball-handlers, and turnovers kept the Dragons in the mix. However, once the Rams’ guards realized the advantage that Sanders held in the paint they were able to continually lob the ball inside. Sanders manhandled his opponents in the post, tacking on five blocks on the defensive end to go along with his offensive prowess.

“Larry was phenomenal tonight,” Head Coach Shaka Smart said. “I told him after the game, when he comes with that type of approach and intensity, we’re going to be tough to beat. We’re a different team when he plays like he did tonight.”

Sanders was aided by the usual steady play of Bradford Burgess, who notched a double-double of his own with 11 points and ten rebounds.

Joey Rodriguez’s three-pointer sent the Rams into the half with a 33-21 lead that they continued to add onto in the second session, starting right out of the gates with an 8-2 run. Coach Shaka Smart elected to play much of the game with both Rodriguez and backup point man Darius Theus in the game simultaneously. This allowed for better security with the basketball and also allowed the Rams to spread the ball around the perimeter until they found a favorable spot to deliver to Sanders. The Rams showed a winner’s mentality in the second half, continuing to push the throttle despite the lead they carried into the half. Brandon Rozzell hit a pair of three-pointers to help ignite the crowd, and also had some nifty dishes to Sanders for dunks that kept the Rams’ faithful on their feet.

The Rams’ defensive effort was equally as impressive. They held the Dragons to just 36.2% shooting and 11 turnovers, and Drexel looked very uncomfortable on the offensive end in the second half.

“I’m really proud of the way our guys responded defensively,” Smart said. “We had a long meeting after we got back from James Madison, about an hour and a half, and we talked about really committing ourselves to the defensive end of the court. I certainly thought we did that tonight.”

Jamie Harris oftentimes appeared to be the only reliable offensive player for Drexel, and he finished with 20 points on 7-17 shooting. Shannon Givens added 12 points for the Dragons. The post players for the Dragons were never able to get into a rhythm in part due to Sanders’ length and shot-blocking presence and in part due to near-constant lineup alterations forced by foul trouble.

The victory tied VCU for fifth in the conference with Drexel, though the Dragons hold the tie-breaker edge by virtue of their perfect mark against conference leader Northeastern. Next up for the Rams is a nationally televised “Bracketbuster” matchup with Akron on Saturday at home.

(Image courtesy of VCU Ram Nation)

Rams down the Monarchs in the snow

Lathan Wells — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:53:31 +0000

Virginia Commonwealth University entered Saturday afternoon’s game versus rival Old Dominion in the midst of yet another winter storm in Richmond. They were coming in facing the third-ranked defensive team in the country, and the leading team in the Colonial Athletic Association in rebound margin. ODU was riding a streak of nine wins in its last ten games. On top of that, superstar forward/center Larry Sanders was on the bench to start the contest due to disciplinary reasons imposed by head coach Shaka Smart.

Despite these adverse factors, the Rams came through with an important victory over their in-state rivals 70-58. VCU earned this hard-fought victory by eschewing their normal fast-break, three-point-shooting style and battling hard in the paint. It didn’t hurt that they received strong performances from their supporting cast and a dominating second half from Sanders. Sanders finished with 14 points, 11 in the second half, and 12 rebounds. The Rams were led in scoring by Bradford Burgess with 16 points, a constant offensive threat in a game of up-and-down’s for VCU.

The Rams actually stole pages from the Monarchs’ playbook, turning ODU over consistently in the second half to stretch the lead. The Rams trailed by two at the half and were arguably only in the game due to the performance of senior Kirill Pishchalnikov, the spot starter in light of Sanders’ absence. Pishchalnikov led the Rams with eight first-half points and continued to create havoc in the paint in the second half, not only with his scoring but also with the overall energy he provided in keeping balls alive on the glass and creating second-chance opportunities. Pishchalnikov finished with a season-high 14 points. Point man Joey Rodriguez again showed why his playmaking ability is invaluable to this team, continually drawing defenders as he distributed to the open man on valuable possessions late in the game and finished with eight assists.

Early on, it looked as if the size of the Monarchs could match the interior presence of Pishchalnikov and fellow post starter Jamie Skeen. Monarchs forward Frank Hassell score eight early points, the majority of them on second-chance opportunities as the 6’10” Sanders sat idly on the bench. However, when Sanders entered it immediately affected the Monarchs ability to score down low, and the much-anticipated matchup between Sanders and ODU big man Gerald Lee (season average prior to the contest: 14 points per game) never really materialized. Hassell drew his second foul with 12:18 left in the first half on Sanders put him on the bench for the remainder of the half, and VCU overcame an early 18-9 deficit to climb right back into the game, going into the half down by two.

The Rams showed a remarkable ability to adapt to the slow-it-down style, taking fastbreak opportunities when they presented themselves but being patient in the half court as well. The Rams didn’t receive any three-point contributions from guard Brandon Rozzell, who entered the game shooting 45.6% from beyond the arc, but adapted by using Pishchalnikov and Sanders’ dominance in the post in the second half to work on controlling the paint.

The Rams’ defense, other than the contribution from Pishchalnikov, was perhaps the difference in this game. They turned the Monarchs over 16 times, reversing the fortunes on a team lauded for its defensive prowess thus far this season. In doing so, they picked up a game on ODU in the conference standings with a chance to make more moves as they match up against George Mason on the road on Tuesday. The Rams exhibited the ability to adapt to a different style and the early absence of their star on Saturday, traits that can only benefit them as a team as they prepare for the final stretch in conference play.

Rams trounce Towson

Lathan Wells — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:50:46 +0000

The Virginia Commonwealth University Rams put on one of the most impressive shooting displays in recent memory, obliterating the Towson Tigers 112-53 in a home conference game on Wednesday and setting or equaling numerous records in the process.

Facing the last-place team in the Colonial Athletic Association, the Rams hit 20 three-pointers, getting long-distance production from a wealth of players in addition to dominating the boards as they quickly rebounded from a loss in their last game to Northeastern.

“We’re sick of losing,” Larry Sanders said. “This is a team that is used to fighting for a conference title and that’s what we want to do again this year. We still have eight conference games left and we’re going to do all we can to be at the top after that.”

Bradford Burgess hit three-pointers on the Rams’ first two offensive possessions, and the Rams’ 8-0 start served as a preview of their dominance for the game’s duration. Burgess started the second half with a pair of three’s as well and led the Rams with 20 points. Sanders supplied his usual crowd-pleasing dunks en route to 17 points and 15 rebounds, out-rebounding the Tigers by himself in the first half 11-10. Joey Rodriguez, eschewing his shot until the final minutes to be a distributor from the point, had ten assists in the first half alone.

The Rams’ defense helped to key the offensive explosion, as VCU held the Tigers to 8-27 shooting in the second half and only 21 points as they set a Siegel Center record for a half with 57 points in the second session. It was the Rams’ ability to control the boards and ignite fast breaks that helped open up such space for their perimeter shooters, who obviously took advantage.

It was evident from the start that the Tigers were at a size and strength disadvantage to the Rams, and they never mounted any sort of runs to stilt the Rams’ high-octane offense. The Rams emptied the bench early and tried several different combinations of lineups, getting some of their lesser-used players some court time. It didn’t matter who stepped on the floor, however, as the Rams continued to push the tempo until the final stretch as the game got out of hand. Even then, as Coach Smart instructed his team to slow down, the Rams continued to hit three-point shots late in the shot clock to continue to demoralize the Tigers.

Jay Gavin came off the bench to go a perfect 4-4 from three-point range, and Brandon Rozzell hit 4-5 from beyond the arc to total 16 points in the game. T.J. Gwynn chipped in with 11 points from off the bench as well.

The Rams’ 112 points were the most ever scored in the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center, and the most points the school had scored since 1978-79. The 20 three-pointers made was the most in VCU history and tied a CAA record. The 30 overall assists were the fourth-most in CAA history. Even Coach Shaka Smart had a rare candid view of his team’s conference contest. ““That was a fun game, wasn’t it? After our loss to Northeastern last week, we really wanted to refocus on the defensive end, and when our guys do that it feeds into our offensive rhythm. Obviously, we were able to do that tonight.”

(Image courtesy of VCU Ram Nation)

Rams beat Blue Hens (sans Sanders)

Lathan Wells — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 02:13:50 +0000

With superstar big man Larry Sanders suspended for the Virginia Commonwealth University men’s basketball team against the University of Delaware on Saturday, it was inevitable that the Rams would have a different identity, both offensively and defensively.

They also had a different identity than their last game played with Sanders: that of winners.

VCU defeated the Blue Hens from Delaware 77-64 behind a career-high 19 points from guard Brandon Rozzell, who also contributed three steals and three assists. The Rams overcame a halftime deficit in rebound margin to perform much better on the boards in the second half, helping to stymie the second-chance points that had helped Delaware draw to within three at the half.

The started out with Delaware up 8-2 quickly before the Rams went on a torrid 27-9 run, led by their three-point shooting. VCU started out 5-5 from behind the arc (with Rozzell and point guard Joey Rodriguez hitting two apiece) as it appeared the Rams would overwhelm their Colonial Athletic Association opponent. But point guard Jawan Carter and the Blue Hens slowly worked their way back into the equation, keeping the game close the rest of the way until the final moments. Carter finished with 22 points to lead the Blue Hens.

Sanders was suspended by the conference for this contest due to an altercation that occurred in the Rams’ last game versus Northeastern. After the game the league reviewed Sanders’ tussle with an opposing player and ruled he’d committed a flagrant foul that would cost him participation in this match-up.

Sanders’s absence allowed Jamie Skeen to get his first start of the season, and the forward contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds to the Rams’ cause. VCU also got solid production off the bench from big men Kirill Pishchalnikov and Terrance Saintil, who combined for 12 points and ten rebounds. Forward Bradford Burgess also chipped in with ten boards to go along with 12 points as the Rams shored up the rebounding deficiencies that plagued them in the first half. Speaking of Skeen and Burgess, VCU coach Shaka Smart said, “I really thought both of them had great energy and really were big for us in the second half. Bradford was once again absolutely outstanding, his energy and the way he rebounded was great.”

Rozzell’s shooting was the constant for the Rams, as he started hot and continued to hit pull-up midrange jumpers in half number two.

“Brandon’s been one of our better scorers all year, and today was no exception,” Coach Smart said. “His ability to knock down shots helped us set up our press, which enabled us to really frustrate them offensively.”

Indeed, the Rams held Delaware to eight field goals in the second half after allowing 52% field-goal shooting to their opponents in the first half.

The Rams improved to 10-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference, and dropped their conference foes from Delaware to 5-11, 1-4 in the conference. Perhaps most importantly, VCU proved to themselves that they can without their best player and one of the foremost post presences in the nation.

(Photo courtesy of VCU Ram Nation)

Rams defeat Pirates, 82-74

Lathan Wells — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:45:29 +0000

Sometimes in sports, the numbers do lie.

How else to explain the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams’ victory over visiting East Carolina University on Tuesday night, a game in which the statistics largely favored the visitors after the contest was over? The Rams withstood torrid shooting from the Pirates (now 5-8), especially from swingman Jamar Abrams, to emerge victorious and improve to 8-2 overall on the season. ECU shot 55.8% for the game and 47% from three-point land to the Rams’ 44.3% from the field and 37.9% from three. The difference, however, was the timeliness of VCU’s plays.

Early on, the up-tempo pace forced by the Rams seemed to rattle the Pirates into a hurried offense they weren’t suited for. That was until the shots started to fall.

The Pirates’ jump shooters, especially their wing players, helped to lead the visitors from Conference USA to a first half of 60.7% shooting from the field. Abrams poured in 15 points in the first half on 6-9 shooting, and the Pirates withstood early domination by Larry Sanders and the early intention of Virginia Commonwealth to force the action in ECU’s backcourt to keep the game tight.

“Abrams is a terrific player. He really gave us trouble all night with his athleticism and his ability to shoot from nearly anywhere on the court,” VCU coach Shaka Smart said.

A high-scoring affair early, the Rams hit six first-half three-pointers and used the play in the paint from Sanders and Jamie Skeen to keep a solid inside-outside approach that had their lead stretched to as much as nine at one point.

However, poor ball-handling and 4-8 free-throw shooting in half number one allowed the Pirates to set their offense and use their quickness on the perimeter to keep the Rams from pulling away. Sanders’ second foul also allowed ECU to use their press-break offense to its fullest extent without fear of an intimidating presence in the paint awaiting their forays to the hoop. A helter-skelter first half ended with Brandon Rozzell’s floater in the lane with .8 seconds left to allow the Rams to head to the locker room with a two-point lead. The lead changed hands 14 times in the first half alone, each team becoming more comfortable with the frenetic tempo.

The second half featured more lead changes, with neither team having difficulty scoring but having plenty of difficulty stretching a lead. Tied at 71 with 4:44 to go after Brock Young’s free throws for the Pirates, Joey Rodriguez made a miracle shot after stumbling through three defenders just shy of the four-minute mark to put the Rams up by two. After the Pirates took another one-point lead, Rozzell answered with a three to give the Rams a 76-74 lead with 2:25 left. After a fruitless ECU possession, perpetual “glue man” T.J. Gwynn converted a putback to give VCU a crucial four-point lead with 2:10 left. The Pirates’ outside shooting deserted them in the waning moments, and Sanders was able to corral the rebounds that helped send VCU to the line repeatedly and seal the victory. In the end, the Rams 19-5 run over the final six minutes put an end to the Pirates’ hopes of victory.

Abrams finished the game with 26 points for the Pirates, and he continually stretched the Rams’ defense with his deep three-point shooting. He finished 5-8 from the arc in the game, and was aided by 17 points and eight rebounds from big man Chad Wynn, who benefited greatly during Sanders’ brief stretches on the bench.

Along with another solid performance from Sanders (a career-high 23 points and nine rebounds), the Rams were greatly aided by the sterling performance of Rodriguez, who emerged from a bit of a slump to score 19 points and dish out five assists. Rodriguez, in addition to hitting three three-pointers, was able to convert numerous opportunities in the paint where it appeared he was at a distinct mismatch against the size of ECU’s post players.

“Joey’s a heady player,” Smart stated. “He’s a guy who seems to know when the big plays are needed and he was able to come through tonight. He’s a good shooter and I knew that at some point his shots would start to fall and it was certainly nice to see it tonight.”

The Rams will hope to use the momentum of this tight, hard-fought win as they enter Colonial Athletic Association play against the University of North Carolina-Wilmington on Saturday.

Rams dispatch Wolf Pack 85-76

Lathan Wells — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:05:48 +0000

The Virginia Commonwealth University Rams’ 85-76 victory was one of the more bruising affairs Rams fans can expect to see this season. Joey Rodriguez had his nose blooded by an errant elbow; Larry Sanders went down with an undisclosed injury to his left leg while banging in the post with 14 minutes left in the second half; T.J. Gwynn was momentarily hobbled by a physical tie-up moments later. The Rams demonstrated one thing in this contest that should set the stage for the season to come: they are a tenacious, ball-hawking, tough basketball team that can adapt to many styles of play.

The first half was called loosely by the officiating unit, and the Rams seemed to thrive on the hectic style of play. They kept Nevada’s transition game in check, always having a man back deep any time the Wolf Pack tried to run and create numbers on the break. VCU hit 40% of its first-half shots and used balancing scoring to hold a 35-28 lead at the break (Sanders was the high man with nine). They then countered the more tightly whistled second half by making just enough free throws to keep the game out of reach, while continuing to play smothering man-to-man defense that caused the Wolf Pack to rely exclusively on its best player, Luke Babbitt.

“I’m proud of the way our guys buckled down on the defensive side and limited their explosive offense,” Rams coach Shaka Smart said.

VCU was coming into this game facing a Nevada Wolf Pack team that had just scored 112 points in a victory over Houston. The Rams held the ‘Pack to 26.8% shooting in the first half, and continued to play stifling full-court defense in half number two. The reason this game wasn’t a blowout in the Rams’ favor is the play of preseason Western Athletic Conference player of the year Babbitt, who recovered from a 2-11 shooting first half to score 21 second-half points and single-handedly keep Nevada close. The Rams, however, had an answer for each impressive Babbitt foray to the hoop, with Larry Sanders and Bradford Burgess delivering back-to-back dunks with 16 minutes left to keep the momentum in VCU’s favor.

The other key was keeping Sanders out of foul trouble. Sanders’s problems with fouls was well-documented coming into the contest, as he had had at least four fouls in each contest this year. In this game, Sanders didn’t collect his first foul until 17:13 remained in the second half and finished with three. VCU kept him off the line on the majority of its offensive free throws, a move that seemed to be geared towards keeping Sanders on the floor as much as possible. His disruptive presence in the paint helped to keep Nevada reliant on Babbitt and others’ midrange jump shots throughout the game. Even when Sanders was out for the three-minute stretch early in the second half the Rams continued to keep Nevada from dominating the paint, with their wing players helping to clog the lane.

With the game a tight seven points with one minute left, reserve Ed Nixon hit a dagger of a three-pointer that cemented the game. “Ed has been outstanding for us,” Smart said. “He’s done a great job on both sides of the court.”

Sanders led the way for VCU statistically with 17 points and 14 rebounds (his 15th career double double) to go along with five blocked shots. Nixon matched Sanders with 17 points, a career-high, including 2-3 from three-point range. Burgess also was in double figures with 12.

Despite VCU’s solid effort and victory over a talented team, Smart, like any good coach, found something the team can improve on for the next game. “We have to sure up our offensive rebounding, but this game couldn’t have come at a better time for us with Rhode Island coming in here next. They hurt us on the boards last year, so that’s definitely something we’re going to focus on heading into next week.”

For now, though, the Rams and their coach can be pleased with the fact that their adaptability allowed for a solid early-season victory.