Bracket-busting Virginia Commonwealth is back in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year after earning an at-large berth out of the Atlantic 10. You may know that VCU advanced to the 2011 Final Four as an 11-seed, but here are five things you probably didn’t know about the Rams:
1. VCU is a Spike Lee joint. The precocious director visited one of the team’s practices earlier this season while he was on campus to speak at an assembly. He also showed up to the A-10 championship at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn wearing a VCU Rams t-shirt. Apparently, he’s a huge fan. He attempts to explain why below:
2. They play an intense, frenetic, trapping style. VCU is one of the highest-tempo teams in the nation. They press nearly the entire game, and as Spike Lee said, look to create havoc. In fact, they’re in your shorts from the moment you step in the gym. VCU led the nation this season in turnovers forced (19.9 per game). You’re going to have to have steady point guard play in order to get past the Rams.
3. They can stroke it from deep. Excellent three-point shooting is what propelled the Rams to the Final Four in 2011, and VCU looks to have found the touch again heading into the NCAA Tournament. They shot 43 percent from deep in their five games leading up to the A-10 final against Saint Louis, and have several guys who can knock down the 3.
4. You’ll hear a lot about Juvonte Reddic, but sophomore guard Treveon Graham leads them in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game. He also puts up nearly 6 boards per contest. He could be the X-factor in determining just how far VCU goes.
5. This is one of the deepest teams in the nation. Four players average in double figures in scoring, including Graham, Reddic and 6-4 senior guard Troy Daniels. If one of them gets into foul trouble, the Rams will still have plenty of firepower to hang with teams. VCU ranked 11th in the nation in scoring, averaging 78 points per game.
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Kels Dayton is a freelance writer whose work has also appeared in SLAM Magazine. You can check out more of his work at RoundballDaily.com. Follow him on Twitter @RoundballDaily.