Virginia Commonwealth Rams
Atlantic 10 (24-9, 11-5)
Expectations for VCU and Coach Shaka Smart have been through the roof since their 2011 Final Four run. And falling short of the Sweet Sixteen the last two years has been disappointing. But it is another year and this is another strong Rams squad that has the potential to make a deep NCAA Tournament run.
Big Wins: 11/12 at Virginia (59-56), 2/12 George Washington (92-75), 3/1 Saint Louis (67-56)
Bad Losses: 11/21 vs Florida State (67-85), 11/24 vs Georgetown (80-84), 12/14 at Northern Iowa (68-77)
Coach: Shaka Smart (5 seasons at Virginia Commonwealth)
Why They Can Surprise:
The pesky Rams defense has been well documented. This is a team that consistently leads the nation in steals and they never make it easy for the opposition to get a clean look at the basket. Briante Weber spearheads the steal department and the junior point guard leads the nation in steals. If the opposition can manage to get to the basket they have to deal with Juvonte Reddic and Mo Alie-Cox. Reddic is much more than just a shot blocker though and averages 11.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest. Weber and Reddic form a nice inside-outside duo, but it is junior Treveon Graham that leads the team in scoring. The 6-6 guard causes a mismatch on the perimeter for most teams and can shoot over smaller defenders and run right past larger opponents.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Despite all of the easy buckets VCU will get off of steals, they shoot just 42.0 percent from the floor. Coach Smart does want to run athletes out on the floor to play his style, yet making some more shots will be needed if VCU has any hopes of another amazing postseason run. Hitting free-throws and gaining even more possessions on the glass would not hurt either.
Probable Starters:
Briante Weber, Junior, Guard, 9.5 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.4 spg
Rob Brandenberg, Senior, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 1.6 apg
Jordan Burgess, Freshman, Guard, 4.6 ppg, 1.1 apg
Treveon Graham, Junior, Guard, 15.7 ppg, 2.0 apg, 7.0 rpg
Juvonte Reddic, Senior, Forward, 11.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Mo Alie-Cox, Freshman, Forward, 3.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Jarred Guest, Junior, Forward, 1.6 ppg
Melvin Johnson, Sophomore, Guard, 10.4 ppg, 1.2 apg
JeQuan Lewis, Freshman, Guard, 5.7 ppg, 2.0 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.6 (61st in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.5 (63, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.0 (288, 11)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.1 (148, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.4 (67, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.7 (150, 6)
Free-Throw Percentage: 67.7 (244, 7)
Rebound Margin: 0.3 (182, 9)
Assists Per Game: 13.1 (138, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (197, 7)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Akron
2013 NCAA Third Round loss to Michigan
2012 NCAA Second Round win over Wichita State
2012 NCAA Third Round loss to Indiana
2011 NCAA Opening Round win over USC
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Georgetown
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Purdue
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Florida State
2011 NCAA Regional Final win over Kansas
2011 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Butler
2010 CBI First Round win over George Washington
2010 CBI Second Round win over Charleston
2010 CBI Semifinal win over Boston University
2010 CBI Finals win over St. Louis
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to UCLA
2008 NIT First Round loss to UAB
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Duke
2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Pittsburgh
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
