5 VCU men’s basketball games to watch while social distancing
Junior forward Marcus Santos-Silva scored 17 points against LSU this season. Photo by Jon Mirador
Noah Fleischman, Sports Editor
I’ve spent the past days the same way as a lot of sports fans: sitting at home wondering what I could watch to pass the time. Then I stumbled across the Mistachill YouTube account, which has a lot of old VCU men’s basketball games.
I compiled a list of the top five games to rewatch during social distancing for those who miss sports and need a game to watch:
VCU vs. Duke — NCAA tournament First Round — March 15, 2007
Eric Maynor cemented himself in men’s basketball history after knocking down “the dagger” to put the Rams up 2 with less than two seconds to play. The black and gold held on to win 79-77 and hand Duke its first loss in the First Round of the NCAA tournament in 11 years.
Maynor led the Rams with 22 points on 50% shooting from the field to fuel the victory. The black and gold beat Duke, which had former VCU great Gerald Henderson’s son on the roster. The younger Henderson logged 8 points in 28 minutes played.
VCU vs. Wichita State — Feb. 19, 2011
Joey Rodriguez toed the free throw line on the road with less than a second left, and the Rams trailed by one. He hit both free throws in one of the loudest environments in college basketball.
Bradford Burgess led the Rams with 17 points in the win, and Jamie Skeen added a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. The win over the Shockers was the third and final victory in a rocky February for the Rams, but it helped build their resume for the NCAA tournament.
No. 11 VCU vs. No. 8 Butler — NCAA Final Four — April 2, 2011
This is the only game on the list that the black and gold did not win, but it was a monumental game: VCU’s first Final Four appearance.
Skeen was the star of the contest for the Rams, pouring in 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field. Burgess added 15 points and nine rebounds in the loss.
The Rams fell to Butler 70-62 in Houston, but the program has fed off the hype from the appearance. Since the magical Final Four run, the Rams have sold out 151 consecutive games at the Siegel Center. The streak began with the last five games of the 2010-11 season with at-capacity crowds.
No. 20 Butler vs. VCU — March 2, 2012
A year after the Bulldogs beat the Rams in the Final Four, Butler made the trip to Richmond. Students camped out hours before tipoff to get inside for the rematch.
The game lived up to its expectations, as the Rams avenged their loss in Houston, downing Butler 84-52. Troy Daniels poured in 20 points to pace the black and gold, shooting 50% from beyond the arc.
One of the loudest moments in Siegel Center history came during this game as Briante Weber logged a steal and took it the other way for a fast-break dunk.
No. 23 LSU vs. VCU — Nov. 13, 2019
Three years after leaving Richmond for Baton Rouge, Will Wade made his return to Broad Street at the helm of LSU. He was greeted by the student section’s signs, and some fans dressed as FBI agents, mocking the fact that Wade was investigated by the FBI.
The students came prepared for tonight's game against LSU and Will Wade's return: pic.twitter.com/Xmfxx85hyj
— Noah Fleischman (@fleischman_noah) November 13, 2019
It was a back-and-forth affair on the court, but the Rams held on to win 84-82 after logging 50 points in the first 20 minutes.
Junior forward Marcus Santos-Silva logged one of his 10 double-doubles of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Redshirt-senior guard Marcus Evans and senior guard De’Riante Jenkins added 15 points apiece.
