NCAA Tournament Blog: VCU in Portland, Ore.

Louisville point guard Peyton Siva talks about VCU after Cardinals’ win over New Mexico (Saturday, 10:11 PT)

Key quotes from Indiana’s Friday press conference (Friday, 5:59 PT):

Head coach Tom Crean on why VCU’s HAVOC system is successful:

“It’s their length… Because it’s the intensity of it. There’s a toughenss to it. But it’s really, really hard to play against that kind of length. And they have tremendous length.”

Sophomore guard Victor Oladipo on what they are doing to prepare for VCU’s pressure:

“They’re different from a lot of the Big Ten teams we’ve played. We’re going to have to come ready to play.” “Just practice at a high level, work on our press breaks and things like that. And work on taking care of the ball.”

First team Big Ten center Cody Zeller on how VCU shut down Wichita State center Garrett Stutz:

“We watched some of that film. They like to play the up-tempo game, pressure the guards a lot. It makes it tough on the guards to get inside. There’s not going to be as many sets run as just playing basketball, and finding the open guy.”

Video taken by CT photographer Chris Conway
Players, coaches and media watch closing minutes of Missouri-Norfolk State in Rams’ locker room (Friday, 4:02 PT)
A horde of players, coaches and reporters gathered inside the cramped VCU locker room Friday afternoon to watch the closing minutes of a tight match between 2nd-seeded Missouri and 15th-seeded Norfolk State.

The general consensus, according to players’ reactions, was that the Rams were hoping for their Virginia counterparts to pull off the upset.

Their wish came true when the Spartans beat the Tigers 86-84, marking just the fifth time in NCAA Tournament history a 15th seed has defeated a 2nd seed.

Guards Troy Daniels and Briante Weber, both natives of southern Virginia, immediately started ragging on athletic trainer Eddie Benion, who received his bachelor’s degree from Missouri.

The upset came as Norfolk State’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.

Postgame notes from VCU’s 62-59 win over Wichita State (Thursday, 7:42 PT)
– VCU’s win over Wichita State was the first upset of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
– The Rams stepped a notch above .500 in NCAA Tournament game, as they are now 11-10 all-time in the tournament.
– VCU has participated in a few down to the wire matches recently, but the Rams are 27-3 when leading with 5:00 minutes left in the game.
– VCU third-year head coach Shaka Smart is now 6-1 on his career in NCAA Tournament games.
– Troy Daniels’ two 3-pointers gave him 92 on the season, which tied VCU’single-season record.
– With a 62-59 win, VCU became the first team to hold Wichita State under 60 points in a game this season. The Rams have now held 11 of its last 19 opponents under 60 points.
– VCU held Wichita State to 25 points in the first half, the least the Shockers have put up in an opening half this season.

Rams trying to hold on as Shockers make a run (6:19, second half)
-Joe Ragland is starting to turn it on, finally. After burying a three to pull Wichita State within three, he’s up to a team-high 12 points.-Bradford Burgess still hasn’t recorded a point in the second half. Brandenberg, Daniels and Theus have carried the offense this half.-VCU will look to close the game the same way they did against Drexel and George Mason, who both made massive runs against the Rams after trailing big at half in the CAA Tournament. Chances are this game will be decided at the free throw line.

Shockers use full court press to climb back into striking distance (11:55, second half)
-Some untimely turnovers by VCU have allowed Wichita State to creep back into the game. David Kyles, another one of Wichita State’s senior guards is making his presence felt. He scores five straight points to cut the lead from 11 to six. He has a team-high nine for the Shockers.

-Meanwhile, Burgess has gone without a point for the first eight minutes after dropping 13 in the first half.

-The Shockers are going with a full court pressure defense as well, and it’s working. They’re baiting the Rams into non-advisable shots early in the shot clock and it’s working. VCU should figure this trick out quickly because they use it all the time.

Rams maintain comfortable lead with Shockers still ice cold shooting the ball (15:50, second half)
-VCU is scoring efficiently despite poor three point shooting. They’re 3-of-13 behind the arc but have made a point to get inside the paint. Darius Theus and Treveon Graham are opening things up for the outside shooters by driving and scoring. Theus has eight and Graham has four. Graham has yet to make an appearence this half but his time is soon.

-Juvonte Reddic gets his first bucket a minute and a half into the second half, but picks up his third foul two minutes later. Look for him to continue to establish himself in the post against Stutz, who is in some foul trouble of his own with two personals.

-Wichita State’s shooting is still absolutely ice cold. Ragland and Murry are not playing like they have all season, leading the Shockers’ 14th ranked scoring offense. WSU is 13-of-42 on field goals.

VCU stays disciplined and stretches lead to nine (34-25)(HALFTIME)
Bradford Burgess has taken over the game with 13 points, three rebounds and three assists in the first half. The Rams’ lone senior is also doing a phenomenal job on opposing senior Toure Murry, who has been held in check with five points.

Juvonte Reddic hasn’t played since the 12 minute mark when he picked up his second foul, which could be a blessing in disguise for VCU. Reddic will be fresh in the second half, ready to help out DJ Haley and David Hinton with Stutz and Hall down low. Hall has nine first half rebounds, six on the offensive side, but the Shockers simply haven’t been able to capitalize.

Wichita State is shooting 29 percent from the floor, on just 11-of-37 shooting the ball. WSU’s three leading scorers (Stutz, Murry and Ragland) are a combined 4-of-14. Meanwhile, the Rams are struggling to shoot as well at just 38 percent. Perhaps even more troubling is their 3-of-13 mark from three point range.

VCU will look to continue to control the pace as they did in the last few minutes of the first half. Wichita State turned the ball over just twice in the game’s first 10 minutes, but finished the half with seven giveaways. Shockers coach Gregg Marshall has leaned heavily on his senior-filled starting lineup, which may be leading to some fatigue and thus more turnovers. If he doesn’t go to his bench in the second half, the Rams will likely smell blood and continue to up the pressure.

Rams and Shockers exchanging blows as both teams look for separation before halftime (4:00, first half)
-Balanced scoring so far for VCU: Burgess has seven, while Theus and Brandenberg have four points. Weber already at his game average with five.

-Reddic has been out of the game for a full nine minutes now. Meanwhile, VCU is getting worked inside by Carl Hall on the defensive side. Haley and Graham need to tighten up their post defense. Haley has been solid but needs to be even better against this aggressive front court of Wichita State. David Hinton has made two appearances in Reddic’s absence.

Even with Reddic in foul trouble, Rams beginning to build a lead (9:00, first half)
-Juvonte Reddic has been forced out of the game for the time being with two fouls in the first eight minutes. This hurts the Rams defensively, but with Haley at zero fouls, and Hinton and Guest ready on the bench, they should be OK on Stutz down low. Things might open up more for Carl Hall however, who already has four rebounds for Wichita State. The biggest problem with Reddic being in foul trouble is they will miss his scoring.

-Midway through the first half, Wichita State has still committed just two turnovers. Ragland has been extremely sharp distributing and taking care of the ball.

-Daniels and Brandenberg connect on threes, and VCU is starting to build a lead. The pace is now strongly favoring the Rams.

Early trends (13:42, first half):
-Joe Ragland is trying to insert himself early for Wichita Sate. He’s matched up with Darius Theus, who is making a clear effort to get Bradford Burgess involved early. Other marquee match-up is Burgess and Toure Murry– so far, Murry is winning the battle with five early points.

-Rams and Shockers playing a half-court game to this point, with Wichita State managing to play under control despite VCU’s pressure. Over six minutes into the game, still no turnovers for Wichita State. VCU is playing tough but they will want the tempo of this game to speed up in order to get Wichita State out of its comfort zone.

Last minute look at important storylines for VCU (Thursday, 4:03 PT)
15 minutes before game time in Portland, we look at a few of the important storylines for VCU:

–Rob Brandenberg’s performance tonight could be the difference for the Rams, considering the up and down season he has had. The sophomore guard endured the most brutal shooting slump of his life earlier this season, but has turned it on as the stage has gotten bigger. Brandenberg has had double figures in four of his past six games, including a 19 point outburst against Northeastern and a 14 point performance against George Mason, both in the CAA Tournament.

–Juvonte Reddic told the CT yesterday that he believes he has a speed advantage on Wichita State center Garrett Stutz. Look for Reddic to get involved in the offense early.

–DJ Haley, along with Reddic will be responsible for guarding Stutz (13.5 ppg). If Haley can stay out of foul trouble and clog the lane, Reddic will be able to focus more on scoring.

-Junior Troy Daniels will get his first NCAA Tournament start this evening. If the Shockers happened to overlook Daniels in their gameplan, he has potential to take over the game with his three point shooting, especially considering the extra motivation he has. In non-CAA games this season, the conference’s top three point assasin has flown under the radar several times and made opponents pay.

VCU still using criticism as motivation in the NCAA Tournament (Thursday, 2:05 PT)

It wasn’t even five minutes after VCU’s named popped up on the screen during CBS’ Selection Sunday special before the Rams were overlooked.

A date with 12th-seeded Wichita State in Portland, Ore. Thursday evening didn’t sound like a good matchup for VCU to CBS college basketball analyst Seth Davis, who almost immediately predicted the Shockers to dance their way to the Sweet Sixteen.

“It’s something our players talked about as soon as it was said,” VCU head coach Shaka Smart said following the conclusion of the selection show.

The Rams, of course, are known for having used commentator’s derogatory opinions a year ago as motivation on their trail to the Final Four.

So, maybe the criticism being thrown at VCU this year couldn’t wave a stick at that of last year, but it’s still there regardless.

And Smart has, once again, used it to his advantage. The third-year head coach showed his team a compilation video of commentators and analysts around the country picking Wichita State to overtake the Rams.

“They’re doubting us once again,” sophomore forward Juvonte Reddic said. “So it gives us more and more motivation in the locker room to prove them wrong.”

Weber and Theus face season’s biggest challenge in Shockers’

senior-laden backcourt (Thursday, 11:36 PT)

Briante Weber and Darius Theus have established themselves as one of  the toughest pairs of defensive guards in the entire nation this season, but this afternoon they take on perhaps their biggest challenge yet. The senior backcourt combo of seniors Joe Ragland (13.4 ppg) and Toure Murry (12.2 ppg) have led Wichita State to one of  its most successful regular seasons in school history, and it will be mainly up to Theus and Weber to slow them down.

“From what I ‘ve seen they’re two really good point guards, seniors, and they’ve been around the game a long time,” Weber told the CT. “It’s definitely going to be a challenge keeping them out of the paint.”

“If they don’t turn the ball over then it means they’re playing great basketball,” added Weber. “But we’re going to pressure them and wreak HAVOC.”

Theus said he had a lot of respect for Ragland and Murry, but that today’s game wouldn’t  be much different in terms of preparation.

“We’re just going  to do our best to prepare and be locked in and focused on those two guys, do whatever we can to get the job done,” Theus said.

Wichita State’s high-powered offense ranks 14th in the nation in terms of scoring, but Weber believes VCU’s defense has the right formula to stop the Shockers’ balanced attack.

“I just think back to what I learned growing up,” Weber told the CT. “Offense wins games but defense wins championships.”

Joe Ragland and Toure Murry say they are ready for VCU’s pressure  (Wednesday, 6:20 PT)

Wichita State guard Joe Ragland on facing VCU’s HAVOC system:

“We’ve seen pressure from Alabama this year and last year in the NIT championship game, and UNLV. So this isn’t our first time seeing pressure. They’re great. I’m not taking anything away from them. They’re probably the best defensive team that we’re going to play against, but it’s five on five, and if they’re trapping, that means somebody is open. We’ve just got to be smart and stay composed.”

WSU guard Toure Murry on VCU’s pressure:

“We’ve seen pressure this year against Alabama and I think that game helped us– prepared us to this day. We’ve got to be ready and just handle the ball.”

Reddic and Haley discuss WSU center Stutz (Wednesday, 6:04 PT)

Wichita State center Garrett Stutz is not only the Shockers’ leading scorer at 13.5 ppg, but also the team’s top rebounder at eight per game. Needless to say, the seven-footer from Kansas City, Missouri is a focal point of WSU’s offense. Juvonte Reddic and DJ Haley have been studying Stutz’s game, and both said they are excited to play against him.

“I’m looking forward to going against him,” said Reddic. “He’s a good player but we’re going to prepare for him and I think it’s going to be a great match-up.”

“One of his strengths is he gets good post position,” added Reddic. “He gets himself good angles, but an advantage I think I have over him is my quickness: I think I can use that against him.”

DJ Haley is VCU’s only seven-footer, and will be in the starting lineup matched up on Stutz. If he can stay out of foul trouble, Haley will be key in keeping Stutz’s offensive game in check. Haley was loose in the locker room as he discussed his counterpart.

“He’s a very good player and I’m looking forward to the challenge,” Haley said. “He’s very talented, he uses his hands well so we’re going to have to square him up and dance with him in the post.”

At 10.6 ppg, Reddic is VCU’s most important weapon offensively in the front court. His confidence going up against a perhaps less athletic Stutz is a good sign for the Rams. Wichita State is the 14th highest-scoring team in the country in terms of points per game, but Reddic made it clear VCU is not intimated by the Shockers’ potent attack.

“They may be one of the highest scoring teams in the country but we’re also one of the best defensive teams in the country,” Reddic said.

Wichita State coach discussed job opportunities with VCU asst. coach Mike Rhoades (Wednesday, 4:44 PT)

Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall said during Wednesday’s press conference that he had spoken last year with VCU assistant coach Mike Rhoades about job opportunities, but Rhoades declined to pursue any type of move because he did not want to leave VCU.

 FOLLOW ALONG FOR COVERAGE OF VCU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT IN PORTLAND, ORE. 

Commonwealth Times sports editors Jim Swing and Quinn Casteel, along with photo editor Chris Conway make the short journey across the country to Portland, Ore. to cover the VCU men’s basketball team in the NCAA Tournament.

We will be keeping a running blog of links, photos, quotes, interviews and all things VCU related happening in Oregon, right here.

LINKS

• Shaka Smart gives credit to ever-growing VCU fan base
• Shaka Smart not sure CAA automatically deserves two bids
• Keys to the game: Rams and Shockers bring high-energy styles to Portland
• [NEW] BracketBusters loss a year ago fresh in the mind of Wichita State

Photo gallery

• VCU send-off rally for 2012 NCAA men’s basketball tourament
• [New] NCAA Tournament second round open practices in Portland