VCU 80, UNC Greensboro 68: Analysis/Reaction

Jim Swing
Sports Editor
Commonwealth Times’ Sports Twitter

Another game another double-digit win for VCU (9-3), which ripped off its sixth straight Thursday night in a 80-68 win over UNC Greensboro (2-11). There was good and bad to take away from tonight’s game so here’s a recap:

Havoc put on hold: Thursday night’s win was by no means the prettiest to date for head coach Shaka Smart and the Rams, who have relied on their self-branded Havoc system to get them where they are at this point in the season. Who would’ve thought that at halftime VCU would have turned the ball over six times to the Spartans four? Probably not the majority. UNCG did a great job of breaking the press and finding good looks in the early going, which helped the Spartans cut the lead to four going into the half. Havoc picked up in the second half however, as the Rams forced 10 turnovers in the second half and finished with 19 points off turnovers.

Haley holds it down: D.J. Haley had one of his strongest outings of the season Thursday night and was about aggressive as we’ve seen him. The sophomore center finished with seven rebounds, two blocks and even fed an elbow or two to a couple UNCG players here and there. Watching Haley grow game-by-game must be putting a gleam in Smart’s eye.

Teddy OK: Freshman guard Teddy Okereafor has received some quality minutes on the floor recently, logging 27 minutes over the past three games. In Thursday night’s win over UNCG Okereafor had two assists, two steals and two points. But the numbers don’t justify the impact he had on the game. With VCU’s defense struggling to find a push, Okereafor recorded two quick steals to get Havoc back on track. When the Rams needed it the most, Okereafor put a running hook off the glass to help generate what would be VCU’s largest run of the game in the second half.

Strong shooting: After experiencing shooting woes through the first four games of the season, VCU has only gotten stronger from the floor as the games go by. The Rams put together their strongest shooting performance of the season against UNCG, going 27-for-48 (56.2 percent) from the field. Thursday night’s shooting clinic is VCU’s best since Nov. 23, when the Rams walked away with a win at Western Kentucky.

Big night for Burgess: With his 122nd straight start (every game of his career) Bradford Burgess broke VCU’s school record for consecutive starts. He made the most of it by posting 19 points and five rebounds. Burgess has now scored double-digit points in 10 of the season’s 12 games.

History: Thursday night’s 80-68 win over UNCG marked the first time since 1973-1974 that VCU has won six straight games by double-digits.