What to expect: VCU at Georgia State (Rematch!)

Hot off of winning four games in seven days, the VCU Rams have an opportunity to get revenge against the surprise Georgia State Panthers on Saturday afternoon.

January 28, 2012; 1:06 AM • by Aaron Williams

• What: VCU Rams (17-5, 8-2) visit the Georgia State Panthers (14-7, 6-4)
• Where: GSU Sports Arena
• When: Saturday January 28th at 4pm
• Watch: CSS, Online ($9.95)
• Listen: 107.3 or Online

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The Rundown

Hot off winning four games in seven days, the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams have an opportunity to get revenge against the surprise Georgia State Panthers on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers beat the Rams 55-53 on January 4th and they are the only team to beat the Rams in the Siegel Center all season.

Picked to finish 11th in CAA, first year coach Ron Hunter taught his team how to win. The Panthers quickly moved to 5-1 in the CAA before dropping three out their last four games. Despite the stumble, Coach Hunter is an excellent motivator and the Rams are definitely in for a serious challenge.

One game behind first place George Mason, the Rams need to continue to win if they hope to position themselves for the first place seed in the CAA tournament.

The Team

With six seniors and four players averaging double digit scoring, GSU is a scary combination of experience and balance. While the Panthers are the 30th most experienced team in the nation, they lack a deep bench. Less than 25% of their minutes come from the bench which could potentially be a weakness against VCU’s exhausting defense.

Georgia State is one of the elite defensive teams in the CAA. The Panthers have five players in the top-500 nationally in stealing percentage, and they have the 19th best defensive effective FG% nationally. This could spell trouble for the Rams as they have shot the ball terribly in 2012, and they turned the ball over 16 times at Towson on Wednesday.

The Star

Senior guard Jihad Ali scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds when the Panthers beat the Rams on January 4th. He is the Panthers most consistant 3-point threat, and he is a versatile player that has the potential to make the Rams pay in multiple ways.

The Prediction

After favoring Georgia State for months, Ken Pomeroy’s website finally favors VCU 61-60 with a 50% chance of victory. That’s so close it’s negligible. This game is a toss up, but one thing is for sure, VCU is watching tape and getting extremely motivated after losing to Georgia State in the Siegel Center for the first time ever on January 4th.

Georgia State profile

• Location: Atlanta, Georgia
• Conference: CAA
• All time series: VCU leads 19-6
• Last meeting: Georgia State beat VCU 55-53 in the Siegel Center.

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January 28, 2012 1:06 AM 2