What to expect: VCU starts season against FGCU

After a little less than 8 months of eagerly waiting, the VCU Rams open the 2012-13 basketball at the Stuart C. Siegel Center on Friday night.

November 9, 2012; 8:22 AM • by Aaron Williams

• What: VCU (0-0, 0-0) vs. FGCU (0-0, 0-0)
• Where: Stuart C. Siegel Center
• When: Friday, November 9th at 7:30pm (EST)
• Listen: 107.3 WBBT
• Watch: Online, CBS 6.3 (Comcast 206 & Verizon 466)

The Rundown

After nearly eight months of eager waiting, the VCU Rams open the 2012-13 basketball season at the Stuart C. Siegel Center on Friday night. In their first of three games against Atlantic South opponents this season, the Rams take on the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles. Don’t be distracted by the length of FGCU’s name, the Eagles can play ball. Trusted statistician Ken Pomeroy ranks them ahead of ODU in his preseason rankings, and the Eagles are picked to finish third in the Atlantic Sun.

The Team

Good guards. High volume of 3-pointers. Plenty of steals. On paper, FGCU is surprisingly similar to VCU. In his first season at FGCU, head coach Andy Enfield led the Eagles to a mediocre 8-10 record. In the Atlantic Sun tournament, the Eagles came within one half of beating Belmont in the finals and punching their first ticket to the NCAA tournament. In 2012, the Eagles were one of the youngest teams in the nation; in 2013 they returned all five starters, 85% of scoring, 84% of rebounding, and 92% of assists from last season. The Eagle’s weakness is in their front-court. Juvonte Reddic, DJ haley, and Jarred Guest should get plenty of scoring opportunities while also rebounding the ball against a team that lacks the height and weight to compete in the paint. FGCU’s program is still in its Division I infancy, but it already is building a bright future.

The Star

#25 Sherwood Brown is one of the all-time greats in FGCU history. At 6’4”, Brown led the team in both points and rebounds last season. Brown is that scary balance between rebounding, 2-point efficiency, and 3-point shooting that makes opposing teams cringe. Brown will be easy to recognize by his long dreadlocks and his ability to stuff the stat sheet.

The Prediction

FGCU may be a deceptively talented team, but the Rams are overtly talented, and they rarely lose at home. Look for VCU to force plenty of turnovers while cruising to a double digit win.

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Florida Gulf Coast University Profile

• Location: Fort Myers, FL
• Enrollment: 12,683
• Conference: Atlantic Sun
• All time series: N/A
• Last meeting: N/A

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November 9, 2012 8:22 AM 2