How much will the increased emphasis on reducing hand checks affect the VCU Rams?
Nada.
It’s a small sample size – one game, and it was against Illinois State (who lost their top five scorers from a year ago and only recently reinstated Daishon Knight), but Shaka Smart’s Rams played to their character creating 14 steals and 22 turnovers while committing 21 fouls in a 96-58 win Friday night.
And this happened in the first game of a season where referees are supposed to call more contact fouls against the defense.
A year ago when the zebras weren’t making a point to call hand checks and arm bars on the defense, VCU averaged 11.7 steals and 19.7 fouls.
Smart can probably live with getting a little more than two steals above average while one getting whistled for one more foul, especially when Briante Weber gathers five steals, hands out eight assists while committing just two turnovers in 25 minutes of play.
Smart’s gang and their HAVOC defense relies on pressure which can be misinterpreted for excessive physical contact. Don’t be fooled. VCU’s defense looks like….well …HAVOC. Don’t mistake that for being undisciplined.
Just don’t expect Smart to swallow the numbers whole. He has a Mark Twain quote for that.
VCU figures to have a tougher test Tuesday when they travel to Charlottesville for an intra-state tilt with the Virginia Cavaliers.
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