The recipe for clutch: Theus and Burgess find formula for late-game heroics

Quinn Casteel

Assistant Sports Editor

Portland, Ore— Add Wichita State to the list of campuses where Darius Theus won’t be welcome anytime soon.

Old Dominion, William & Mary and Akron all fell at the hands of an ultra-clutch shot by Theus this season, and Thursday’s NCAA Tournament match-up with the Shockers was no different.

On the game’s penultimate possession with VCU leading by one, the junior point guard split two defenders and lofted a tear-drop shot just over the extended arms of seven-footer Garrett Stutz; the ball went off the glass, then bounced around the rim for what seemed like an eternity before finally going in.

“I saw the middle was open,” Theus said. “I saw Stutz step up, so I knew I had to float it high over him. It was a blessing, I got a lucky bounce and the ball just rolled in.”

On the game’s final possession down by three, Wichita State was forced into a desperation heave thanks to Theus’ shot, and VCU captured its 11th NCAA Tournament win in school history. Meanwhile, the junior point guard from Portsmouth, who was once a lightly-touted one star recruit, is a hero in Richmond. But ironically, the man who is resultantly upstaged by Theus, is “Big Shot Brad” Burgess, whose fearless shooting has given way all season long to his point guard’s heroics.

Burgess made, for what most players would be the shot of a lifetime with 1:29 left in the game and VCU trailing by two. He canned a three pointer from the corner to give his team back the lead, and ultimately set up Theus for the game-sealing shot. The Rams’ lone senior led all scorers with 16 points, but the shot was good for his only points of the second half.

“There’s no pressure,” Burgess said on his go-ahead three-pointer. “It was just a wide open shot, the ball got swung to me in the corner and I was able to knock it in.”

With such a remarkable finish, fans watching around the country probably thought it was a one-of-a-kind game. But that’s not entirely the case. For every game-winning layup by Theus this season, without fail he’s been proceeded by a Burgess big shot.

“I get open shots, no matter what the situation is,” Burgess said. “It’s another open shot that I was capable of knocking down.”

Burgess has the mentality of an assassin late in games, and has proven through the years that no stage is too big for him. Theus is quickly proving that as well, and he has all the confidence in the world from his teammates to continue to thrive.

“I wouldn’t want anybody else with the ball in their hand,” Wingman Troy Daniels said on Theus. “That’s our point guard. We love him. Coach Smart trusts him, so I trust him. I know he’ll find me open and he’ll find open guys and he’ll make the right play.”

Theus had one of his most efficient scoring games of the season against Wichita State, going for 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He played 35 minutes, which was second on the team behind Burgess’ 38, which is a testament to the absurd amount of confidence Shaka Smart has in his clutch upperclassmen.

Smart said after the game that he went up to Theus during the game’s last media timeout, hugged him, and said, “Let’s finish this thing, I’m behind you.”

Theus had been frustrated with Smart earlier in the game, but when crunch time came, he was ready to come through for his coach once again.

“He’s made big plays all year long,” said Smart on his first-ever recruit, Theus. “He has a lot of guts, I guess is a nice way to say it. He’s a gutsy kid. He’s a tough kid.”

Given the amount of trust Smart has expressed in Theus and Burgess, it’s a given that he is going to continue to ride them and stick to the clutch formula the two have created as the Rams push for another magical run this March.