Colonial Fans

Virginia Commonwealth 93, College of Charleston 86

In a game played at a speed Usain Bolt would have found comfortable, the Virginia Commonwealth Rams broke open a 25-22 game with a 20-9 run to close the first half, and staved off several second half charges by the College of Charleston to survive and advance with a 93-86 win.  Rams’ junior point guard Joey Rodriguez was a blur all game, breaking down the Cougars’ defense almost at will, as VCU (24-9) repeatedly got open looks in the lane.  Rodriguez finished with 19 points and 9 dimes, several of which came on dishes to VCU bigs Jamie Skeen (18 points) and Larry Sanders (14 points).  Tony White Jr. paced Charleston (22-12) with 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

The Big Picture: VCU coach Shaka Smart adjusted his lineup to begin this game, benching usual starters Sanders, Rodriguez, and Ed Nixon and starting Brandon Rozzell, Kirill Pishchalnikov, and Darius Theus instead.  Supposedly the change wasn’t a matter of discipline, but was to “shake things up.”  The 33rd game of the season may seem like an unusual time to “shake things up,” particularly when said game is a win-or-go-home postseason scrap, but give Mr. Smart his due – the strategy worked.  Rozzell responded with one of his best games of the season, scoring 20 points, while Sanders and Rodriguez made the most of the lost time once they got on the court.  Along with scoring 14 points, Sanders also snared 14 boards and swatted 4 shots, leading a VCU attack that outscored Charleston 58-26 in the paint.

The Good: Let’s begin by giving some props to Charleston’s 6-8 junior forward Jeremy Simmons.  Even though his team didn’t win, had himself a dunkfest, throwing down six slams.  He and teammate Tony White Jr. were more in synch than Lance Bass and Joey Fatone, converting three alley-oops.  For the game, 12 of Simmons’ 18 points came on throwdowns.

As much fun as Simmons’ moments were, the response by VCU when challenged in the second half was the stuff of postseason tournament championships.  With the score 50-49 in the second half, Charleston had several chances to take the lead.  Tony White Jr. and Andrew Goudelock both misfired  on threes, and VCU responded by going on a 16-4 run, taking a 66-53 lead.  The Rams’ lead was 85-74 with 1:07 remaining when the Cougars went on one final three-point frenzy, making four triples in the final minute of the game.  VCU’s Troy Daniels made a three of his own during that time span to help the Rams fend off the Cougars in the crazy final minute.

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The Bad: Neither team earned its stripes on the defensive end of the court this season, but the amount of open looks both teams gave up tonight would make even a participant in the NBA All-Star Game blush.  One could have counted the amount of contested jumpers on one hand and still had plenty of fingers left to guzzle a beer or house a hot dog.  VCU torched the nets, shooting nearly 51 % from the field for the game, while the College of Charleston shot 43.4 % from the field and sank 54 % of its shots in the second half.  VCU also shot 54 % in the second half, which helps to explain why VCU is moving on.

The Ugly: Our least favorite fad of this postseason – endless bombing away beyond the arc – was in full effect tonight, as the Cougars took 33 triples, making only 13 of them.  Consider that four of those makes came in the final 1:07 and it becomes clear that Charleston might have been better served getting more shots going at the rim (and feeding Simmons for more slams).  Trailing 50-49, Charleston took four threes in a row, missing all of them.  Bobby Cremins’ squad never got within one point of the Rams the rest of the game.

What’s Next?

It will be a very quick turnaround for Shaka Smart’s squad, as it will host Boston University in CBI semifinal number one Wednesday night.  The Rams are clear favorites to win that game, and they have to be considered the favorites to win the College Basketball Invitational championship series at this point as well.

By: Time Coyne
DFN Sports Guest Writer