By Ryan Lazo
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Virginia Commonwealth University’s men’s basketball team took the NCAA by storm two years ago with a magical Final Four run. Since that time, VCU has become known nationally, the spotlight has shown brighter and the Rams have played better.
So it was no surprise that in its first year in the Atlantic 10 Conference that VCU found themselves in conference finals. After all, it was the fifth time in the past seven seasons that it has happened, making it an expectation of the coaching staff and the team.
But waiting for VCU was the No. 16 team in the country, the Saint Louis Billikens. A team that so contrasts the style of the Rams and had already neutralized the famed havoc defense once this season because of it — did so again, capturing the title of A-10 Champions with a 62-56 victory at the Barclays Center.
“Congratulations to Saint Louis. I thought they played great,” VCU coach Shaka Smart said after the game. “They were the best team in the league in the regular season, and they were the best team in the league in the tournament. And I thought our guys fought hard, battled, almost overcame a terrible shooting day but didn’t quite overcome it.”
No, the Rams were not able to overcome a game in which they scored just 21 first half points while shooting a bone-chilling 29 percent from the field. Even more troublesome was the lack of fast-break opportunities the Rams had, not registering a single point in transition in the game’s first 20 minutes.
By contrast, the methodical offensive style of Saint Louis had put up eight fast-break points, forcing the Rams into 10 turnovers while the havoc defense only forced eight themselves.
But these Rams did not quit, continuing to battle throughout the game until havoc finally arrived.
Over a nearly three-minute span, VCU caused chaos and confusion on the court, a sure sign of havoc, going on a 10-1 run by forcing five turnovers.
“We had our style going for parts of the game. We just didn’t have it going for enough of the game,” Smart said. “To be honest with you, we missed some shots that‑‑ had pretty good looks that we normally would knock down. We shot a lower percentage. I think Saint Louis certainly deserves some credit for that. I think all year they’ve been the best half court defensive team in the league, not just against us but against a lot of people.”
Right.
Because Saint Louis is the No. 1 defensive team in the Atlantic 10 for a reason. It’s why the Billikens will be a scary match-up for New Mexico State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament as they hold opponents to just 58.2 points per game.
However, even after staring down a 13-point deficit, this VCU squad never lost faith. They never turned down the pressure, in fact they showed even more energy as they tried to claw their way back into the game.
“We did battle through all season, so already had that bid and stuff for us to be in the tournament,” Rams’ guard Darius Theus said. “But we really wanted this one bad. But still, that’s a positive out of the situation.”
Yes, it was clear the Rams did want this one. Theus entered the media room with teary eyes and after his players left the stage, Smart acknowledged that his team was in the locker room crying and upset about not accomplishing their goal.
And those VCU goals were lofty, indeed. They aimed to not only capture the regular season crown, but the conference championship as well.
For a team that faced a huge culture shock in jumping from what was ranked as the No. 22 conference in the Colonial Athletic Association to the No. 7 ranked conference in the A-10 and to still have success, is an acknowledgement to the dedication of the players.
“We didn’t know we were in this league until last summer, and our guys never turned away from the challenge,” Smart said. “They stepped up, they battled. They’re in that locker room crying right now, but they have nothing to feel sorry about because they battled and fought, and honestly, we’re one or two plays away from not only at least sharing the lead, the title in the regular season, but also winning today.
Stepping up and battling are two trademarks of this VCU team.
The Rams will never overpower anyone with their height or power. They also will never wow you with athleticism. But what they will wow people with is the constant effort they play with.
Troy Daniels was 0-for-5 from the field against Saint Louis. The sharpshooter has connected on 117 3-pointers on the year, but could not get enough room to breath, yet alone fire up a shot. Yet, he didn’t dwell on his problems and even with his foul trouble, he continued to hound Billikens’ guards in the hopes of picking up a steal.
And while he could not make a big enough impact in the game, Daniels and his teammates were reminded by their coach that they still have another chance to accomplish their goals.
“The reality is the season is not done. There’s teams that lost in this tournament, and it was their last game,” Smart said. “We’re not one of them. So I told our guys, hey, we’re going to use this to motivate us and we’re going to use this to provide fuel for what we want to do going into the NCAA Tournament.”
With a team that already prides itself on playing with passion and max effort, having more motivation to deliver havoc on opponents is the last thing Akron wants to hear.
Like the fans of VCU chanted throughout the Barclays, “You don’t want to go to war….with the Rams.”
It’s never been more true than now.
Ryan Lazo can be reached on Twitter @RMLazo13
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