FIFTH-SEEDED RAMS AIM TO MAINTAIN UNDERDOG SPIRIT

Once a popular NCAA Tournament pick as an underdog, VCU will enter its Round of 64 game as a favorite.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – What happens to the hunted when it becomes the hunter? Does it lose its killer instinct, its razor’s edge, the sharpness of which has been the difference between survival and irrelevance? Does it watch too much reality TV instead of going to the gym?

When VCU takes the court in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 Thursday against Akron at the Palace of Auburn Hills, it will do so in a world that has shifted its perspective of the Rams. VCU, once America’s Sweetheart, the loveable underdog, is a legitimate brand name. This year, the Rams (26-8) earned a No. 5 seed, the school’s highest in 28 years.

Some of the most memorable moments in VCU history have come with the Rams as a double-digit seed. When Eric Maynor and the Rams toppled Duke in Buffalo in 2007, they were seeded 11^th. VCU was also an 11-seed in 2011, when it stormed all the way through the Southwest Regional to the Final Four. Last year, as a 12-seed, VCU upset Wichita State in the Round of 64 in Portland, Ore.

VCU, especially under Shaka Smart, has adopted the underdog philosophy better than anyone. In 2011, half the anchors employed by ESPN, including Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale, dogged the NCAA committee’s selection of VCU. The Rams used it as bulletin board material on the way to five straight upset wins. So prominent was the chip on the Rams’ shoulder, that when VCU beat USC in the First Four in Dayton that year, Smart’s first words at his postgame press conference that night were: “You think Jay Bilas watched that game?”

KEY MATCH-UP: ZEKE MARSHALL

Akron 7-foot center Zeke Marshall ranks fourth nationally in blocked shots per game (3.7).

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Although VCU Coach Shaka Smart and Akron Coach Keith Dambrot share many basketball philosophies and favor similar playing styles, both of their teams play to their strengths.

VCU is loaded with athletic, speedy guards to fit its “Havoc” system of full-court pressing and open-floor playmaking. By contrast, Akron is geared more toward its strong post players Zeke Marshall, Demetrius Treadwell and Nick Harney.

Marshall is a particularly fascinating match-up. The senior from McKeesport, Pa. is arguably unlike any player the Rams have seen this season. Standing 7-feet tall with a 7-5 wingspan, Marshall is a rejection machine. He’s like government red tape in gym shorts.

Although still raw on the offensive end in many ways, Marshall has made continued progress over his career and is decidedly more effective than in the Rams’ previous meetings with the Zips in 2009 and last season. This year, Marshall has used an effective right-handed hook shot and short jumpers with stunning efficiency. In 32 games, he’s shooting 65 percent from the field, and he leads the Zips in scoring (13.1 ppg).

As valuable as Marshall has been on offense this year, it’s his shot-blocking ability that makes him special. Marshall is blocking 3.7 shots per game in about 28 minutes a night, a number which translates to about five per 40 minutes. Just the threat of Marshall in the paint is enough to alter game plans. VCU drivers will have to account for him. He’ll also own a decided height advantage over his most likely post match-up, 6-9 VCU forward Juvonte Reddic.

When these two teams met last season in Akron, Marshall made life difficult for VCU, blocking six shots while altering a number of others.

“It felt like 15 blocks,” Smart said Tuesday.

Marshall is averaging 7.0 rebounds per game, a reasonable, albeit not outstanding number for a player of his size. Although he’s added muscle over the years – he was noticeably thinner when the Rams faced him in 2009 – Marshall weighs in at 235 pounds, and stronger players may be able to move him away from the rim with proper positioning.

In all, Marshall presents the Rams with a unique challenge, one Smart is acutely aware of.

“I don’t know much about the NBA, but I’d be surprised if he doesn’t find a way to stick at the next level,” said Smart.

VCU will likely attempt to negate Marshall’s skills by pushing the pace, rather than let him set up shop in the paint. It won’t be easy, as Marshall runs the floor well for a 7-footer. Akron, meanwhile, will play play from the inside out, and then back in again.

“They’re going to try to speed us up, make us try to make mistakes and we’re going to try to throw the ball to our big guys and it’s as simple as that,” Dambrot said.

FRIENDS SMART, DAMBROT SQUARE OFF THURSDAY

VCU Coach Shaka Smart calls Akron’s Keith Dambrot, “my best friend in coaching.”

RICHMOND, Va. – Shaka Smart probably expected to spend his first day of work at Akron watching film or browsing the school’s recruiting database. Instead, he helped Keith Dambrot work out LeBron James at lunch.

It was the Spring of 2003, and Smart was a precocious 26-year-old basketball junkie who had just landed his first Division I assistant coaching gig. Dambrot was also an assistant under Zips’ Coach Dan Hipsher and had previously coached James at Akron Saint Vincent-Saint Mary’s High School. James was a couple of months away from being the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft and was already one of the best basketball players on the planet. Although they’d never met before, Smart helped Dambrot work our James for the next couple of months.

“I didn’t really say much for the first few times because I was in awe,” Smart said of James. “But that was a great experience. But that’s the type of guy [Dambrot] is.”

Smart and Dambrot became fast friends. When Dambrot was tapped to replace Hipsher in 2004, Smart stayed on as one of his assistants. Although Smart left in 2006 for Clemson and then eventually worked at Florida before becoming VCU’s head coach in 2009, he and Dambrot remained close.

HAVOC WON’T SNEAK UP ON DAMBROT, ZIPS

Keith Dambrot, 210-93 at Akron, is a close friend of Shaka Smart and says he regularly watches the Rams on TV.

AKRON, Ohio – If anybody knows what he’s in for, it’s Keith Dambrot.

VCU Coach Shaka Smart worked as an assistant under Dambrot from 2004-06, and the two remain close friends. Smart and Dambrot play styles that are similar, and as long as they’re not facing each other, they’ve been known to closely watch each other’s games and openly root for one another.

“The bad thing is, he could coach our team, and I could probably coach his team. That’s how much we know about each other,” Dambrot said Monday, ahead of 12^th-seeded Akron’s Round of 64 NCAA Tournament game with the fifth-seeded Rams, which will be played Thursday in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Dambrot knows all about VCU’s full-court pressure, “Havoc”, and its prolific reputation for taking the ball away from the opposition. The Rams set a school record for steals this year and lead the country in that category. VCU (26-8) also leads the nation in turnover percentage for the second straight season.

“Look, I’ve watched them play more than any team in the country other than us,” Dambrot said. “They’re going to try to speed us up, make us try to make mistakes, and we’re going to try to throw the ball to our big guys and it’s as simple as that. It’s a simplistic game.”

MONDAY MORNING NCAA TOURNEY NOTES

Setting the scene: Surely you’ve heard by now, but just in case, VCU has received a five seed for the NCAA Tournament and will take on 12th-seeded Akron Thursday in Auburn Hills, Mich. at approximately 9:50 p.m. VCU and Akron will follow No. 4 Michigan and No. 13 South Dakota State. The winners of those two games will meet on Saturday in the round of 32.

The series: It seems like VCU and Akron can’t avoid each other, that the universe is conspiring to make them play every year. The Rams and Zips drew each other for ESPN’s BracketBusters event in 2007-08 (in Akron) and 2009-10 (in Richmond). They also played the contractually obligated return games. That means this will be the fifth meeting between the two schools since 2008, none of which were actually scheduled by the schools. Ain’t life grand?

VCU won all four of the recent meetings between the schools and leads the all-time series 6-0. The Rams topped the Zips 76-75 in overtime on Dec. 29, 2011 in the last meeting. A baseline drive and layup by Darius Theus in the final seconds provided the final margin.

Here is the final 1:10 of that contest:

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The friendship: Shaka Smart was an assistant coach for Zips Coach Keith Dambrot from 2003-06. The two remain extremely close and openly root for each other when they’re not playing. It was clear after last season’s meeting that both men agonized over the prospect of meeting as opponents.

Here’s what Shaka Smart said following the Rams’ win last last season at Akron’s James A. Rhoades Arena:

I’d rather not coach against him because he’s someone that I have such a history with and have such respect for…but I can promise you this, we won’t be scheduling Akron anymore because I’d rather on a night like tonight, both of us win, and tonight that was impossible.

Dambrot even revealed that he cried when VCU upset Kansas to reach the Final Four in 2011.

VCU and the NCAA Tournament: This will be the Rams’ 12th NCAA appearance. VCU is 11-11 all-time in the tournament, including 6-2 under Shaka Smart.

This marks the fourth time VCU has reached the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team (1983, 1984, 2011, 2013).

The Rams’ five-seed is its highest since VCU earned the No. 2 seed in the West in 1985, and is tied for the second-highest ever by the school. VCU was also a five-seed in 1981 and 1983.

VCU has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in eight of its previous 11 appearances.

The Rams are 2-0 as a five-seed against a 12-seed.

Finally, here is a photo of Dambrot in a VCU t-shirt. Good times:

RAMS STAND TALL ON A-10 SUCCESS, NCAA FUTURE

Shaka Smart said Sunday he’s proud of VCU’s performance in the A-10 this season.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – As Shaka Smart spoke, his voice betrayed him. After three emotional Atlantic 10 Tournament games, it cracked and wheezed. Much like his team, Smart left everything, including his voice, on the Barclays Center floor.

The Rams stellar inaugural A-10 season came to a close Sunday in an emotional 62-56 loss to Saint Louis in the league’s championship game. VCU, which had been overrun by a poised Billikens team in St. Louis a couple of weeks ago, battled until the final horn. The Rams refused to let Saint Louis walk to a title with a repeat performance.

But an A-10 title was not in the cards for the Rams this year. That honor goes to a tough Saint Louis team that overcame the death of its coach, Rick Majerus, earlier this year and banded together. The Billikens came into the game ranked 16th nationally, and they’re at least that good, if not better. The Rams can keep the chins high.

“We came at them, they took a punch from us. They responded, and that’s why they’re the champions,” said Smart afterwards.

TROY DANIELS FORTIFIES LEGACY, SENDS RAMS TO A-10 TITLE GAME

Senior Troy Daniels knocked down 6-of-9 threes Saturday and finished with 20 points.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Shaka Smart tried to warn us. Troy Daniels is a stone-cold gunner from beyond the 3-point arc.

Those aren’t Smart’s actual words. He said something more like, “Troy Daniels is the best shooter I’ve ever coached,” many, many times during the senior’s career. But I like my version better. Because on Saturday, Daniels answered the call for the Rams in one of, if not the biggest spots in his career, so I used more interesting adjectives.

Behind the Roanoke senior’s 20 points – most importantly his 6-of-9 three-point shooting – VCU withstood UMass and secured a 71-62 win in the Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinals Saturday night at Barclays Center.

The victory sends VCU, playing in its inaugural season in the A-10, to a Championship Game match-up with 16th-ranked Saint Louis on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Daniels’ lights-out shooting was the kind of performance that showed everybody why Smart was comfortable placing such a strong label on his senior during his career.

“He’s just a great shooter,” Smart said of Daniels, who has hit 240 career 3-pointers. “He’s the best shooter I’ve ever coached. He’s always been terrific in practice, but his first couple of years he had a hard time playing with the confidence to go out and shoot the ball in. Today he did, and all year he has and that’s why he’s one of the top single-season 3-point shooter in Atlantic 10 history.

“We need him to make threes because that’s a big part of what we do. I think it fits in well with our style of play and our guys do a nice job of finding him.”

TRACKING THE SPIKE LEE BEAT

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – If Kentucky can have Ashley Judd and Duke can have Dick Vitale, we here at VCU are certainly entitled to our own superfan. It doesn’t get much better than Spike Lee. After meeting Shaka Smart and the Rams at practice a few weeks ago, Spike has morphed into a VCU backer faster than you can say, “Do the right thing.”

Friday, he sat center court wearing a lime green sweatshirt. He was occasionally vocal. But Saturday, he returned wearing a gold “VCU Rams” longsleeve tee. He was at his Reggie Miller-heckling best, too. At a couple of points, after VCU steals, Lee could be heard shouting “Havoc! Havoc!” It was terrific.

Let’s catch up on the Spike Lee beat, shall we?

“@cmc41: @spikelee why do you love VCU??”HAVOC. Exciting Style Of Basketball. Full Throttle For Forty Minutes.Wear The Opponents Down.

— Spike Lee (@SpikeLee) March 16, 2013

Snow Flurries Can’t And Won’t Stop Coach Shaka Smart And VCU Rams Vs. UMass Playing Without Dr. J And Marcus Cambry. HA HA. OH YEAH-HaVoc YO

— Spike Lee (@SpikeLee) March 16, 2013

@spikelee showing love for @vcuathleticband just made my morning. #RAMNATION #THEPEPPAEFFECT

— VCU Pav (@VCUPav) March 16, 2013

“@vcuathleticband: @spikelee hey how does the band sound? #LetsGoVCU“Great.

— Spike Lee (@SpikeLee) March 15, 2013

@spikelee Three-way tie for biggest Rams fans? #letsgovcu twitter.com/MayaSmart/stat…

— MayaSmart (@MayaSmart) March 15, 2013

@spikelee Yankees, Knicks, and now a VCU fan?Just one more reason to loathe you. Go #UMass! Where’s Reggie Miller when you need him!?

— Lance Stowell (@WSwildcats22) March 16, 2013

 

THIS IS JUST THE BEST THING EVER

Snow Flurries Can’t And Won’t Stop Coach Shaka Smart And VCU Rams Vs. UMass Playing Without Dr. J And Marcus Cambry. HA HA. OH YEAH-HaVoc YO

— Spike Lee (@SpikeLee) March 16, 2013

RAMS’ YOUTH, BENCH HELP DELIVER A-10 QUARTERFINAL WIN

Freshman Melvin Johnson (12 points) was one of several of VCU’s young reserves who were key Thursday.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – There was freshman Justin Tuoyo, all alone on the right wing. He’d barely played the last month and had missed 12 of his previous 14 three-pointers this season. From behind my position, a Saint Joseph’s fan, who had apparently done some advance scouting, shouted, “He can’t shoot a three, let him shoot it.”

Tuoyo promptly sized up the three and canned it.

Instead of hesitating or letting nerves overcome him on a big stage, the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals, Tuoyo stuck to the aggressive, attacking principles that Rams’ Coach Shaka Smart preaches.

At the time the bucket didn’t seem terribly significant. It gave the Rams a 64-47 lead with 8:11 remaining. But Saint Joseph’s, namely Carl Jones (29 points) and Langston Galloway (25 points), wouldn’t quit and managed to whittle the final margin to 82-79.

After the game, Smart was quick to remind Tuoyo of that bucket.

“I told him in the locker room after the game, I know it’s just one shot, but I don’t know if you noticed, but we won by three, and you hit a three,” Smart said. “So we needed every basket, and I think overall, just the contribution that he made in 14 minutes says a lot about his future.”