Tag Archives: VCU

Mar 16 2013

Pregame notes: UMass vs. VCU (Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinals)

UMass point guard Chaz Williams takes the ball up the court against VCU in the two teams' meeting back on Feb. 14. Photo courtesy MCT

UMass point guard Chaz Williams takes the ball up the court against VCU in the two teams’ meeting back on Feb. 14. Photo courtesy MCT

NEW YORK — Greetings once again from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where the sixth-seeded UMass men’s basketball team is set to take on second-seeded Virginia Commonwealth this afternoon in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

GAME NOTES

  • To put it bluntly, the first time these two teams met back on Valentine’s Day wasn’t exactly ideal for UMass. After the Minutemen took a five-point lead into halftime, VCU turned up its “Havoc” defense to a ridiculous level and opened the half on a 21-1 run en route to an 86-68 blowout victory in Richmond, Va., and it wasn’t even really as close as the score indicated.
  • For the Minutemen, it’ll be helpful to know exactly what to expect from the Rams, but how that translates on the court is a different story. They have much less time to prepare and are coming off zero rest after back-to-back wins over GW and Temple on Thursday and Friday, the latter of which an exhausting affair that will leave them fatigued as they tip just 17 hours after.
  • VCU is coming off an 82-79 victory over 10th-seeded Saint Joseph’s on Friday night.
  • The winner of this one will take on the winner of the other semifinal game between top-seeded Saint Louis and fifth-seeded Butler in tomorrow’s championship game.

PROJECTED STARTERS

  • UMass: Chaz Williams | Freddie Riley | Terrell Vinson | Sampson Carter | Cady Lalanne
  • VCU: Darius Theus | Rob Brandenburg | Troy Daniels | Treveon Graham | Juvonte Reddic

Be sure to follow along on Twitter with Stephen Hewitt @steve_hewitt and Stephen Sellner @Stephen_Sellner for live updates from the Barclays Center.

Feb 25 2013

Atlantic 10 roundup, Volume 10

Saint Louis is on a 9-game winning streak and on top of the Atlantic 10. Photo courtesy MCT

Saint Louis is on a 9-game winning streak and on top of the Atlantic 10. Photo courtesy MCT

And just like that, we’re about two weeks away from Brooklyn and the Atlantic 10 tournament. In the great words of Bart Scott, “CAN’T WAIT!”

Countdown to the A-10 tournament at Barclays Center in Brooklyn: 17 days

Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5 | Volume 6 | Volume 7 | Volume 8 | Volume 9

POWER RANKINGS

In 140 characters or less, like on Twitter, I’ll explain my picks.

1. Saint Louis h (21-5, 10-2 A-10): Last week, I guaranteed the Billikens would move to No. 1 here with wins over VCU and Butler. I’m true to my word.

2. Virginia Commonwealth (22-6, 10-3 A-10): Want to use this space to let you know that overcoming a 17-point deficit at Xavier is one of the hardest things to do in the country.

3. Butler (22-6, 9-4 A-10): Still wondering if Butler peaked too early. Also of note, they’re winless this season against teams in the top four of the A-10.

4. La Salle (19-7, 9-4 A-10): The Explorers are good — very good — but are they good enough to leap into the top three of the A-10? I can’t wait to find out.

5. Temple (19-8, 8-5 A-10): After losing to lowly Duquesne, the Owls have reeled off wins at UMass, vs. La Salle & at Charlotte to leap back into the NCAA tourney hunt.

6. Xavier (15-11, 8-5 A-10): I hate the loss against VCU, but XU played well enough to beat them for most of the game, which should count for something, IMO.

7. UMass (17-9, 7-6 A-10): The loss to the Bonnies could easily derail UMass’ NCAA tournament hopes. They’ll need a REALLY strong finish to get there.

8. Charlotte (18-8, 6-6 A-10): Consider this: The 49ers are 3-6 in their last 9 games. That’s not going to impress the selection committee.

9. Saint Joseph’s (15-10, 6-6 A-10): For as bad as this season has been for the Hawks, a win vs. SLU this week could give them some much-needed momentum for the home stretch.

10. Richmond (16-11, 6-6 A-10): The Spiders can easily win three of their last four here. A 9-7 record in this conference isn’t too shabby.

11. George Washington (12-13, 6-6 A-10): Colonials once looked like a sleeper, but now has fallen off. The game against Richmond this week is crucial.

12. St. Bonaventure (13-13, 6-7 A-10): Back-to-back wins this week, which is far more than I can say about the rest of this bottom tier.

13. Dayton (14-12, 4-8 A-10)
14. Rhode Island (8-18, 3-10 A-10)
15. Fordham (6-22, 2-11 A-10)
16. Duquesne (8-19, 1-12 A-10)

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Feb 18 2013

Atlantic 10 roundup, Volume 9

After wins over UMass and George Washington last week, Virginia Commonwealth is in sole possession of first place in the Atlantic 10. Photo courtesy MCT

After wins over UMass and George Washington last week, Virginia Commonwealth is in sole possession of first place in the Atlantic 10. Photo courtesy MCT

Crunch time. We’ve finally reached the part of the season when the top teams are beginning to separate themselves and we can make pretty accurate guesses as to who we will be seeing next month in Brooklyn for what should be one of the most exciting conference tournaments in the country. Buckle up your seat belts, folks, this is going to be an exciting few weeks of basketball.

Countdown to the A-10 tournament at Barclays Center in Brooklyn: 24 days

Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5 | Volume 6 | Volume 7 | Volume 8

POWER RANKINGS

In 140 characters or less, like on Twitter, I’ll explain my picks.

1. Virginia Commonwealth (20-5, 9-2 A-10): That’s right, for the first time all year, Butler is out of first here. The Rams were just way too good last week. At their peak.

2. Saint Louis (19-5, 8-2 A-10): SLU has won 7 in a row and playing as well as anyone. Wins against VCU + Butler this week will vault them to No. 1 next week, guaranteed.

3. Butler (21-5, 8-3 A-10): Did the Bulldogs hit their peak too early in the season?

4. La Salle (18-6, 8-3 A-10): The Explorers are quickly becoming a darkhorse to win the A-10 when the conference convenes on Brooklyn next month.

5. Charlotte (18-7, 6-5 A-10): I’m STILL not sold on Charlotte. After a huge win at Butler, the 49ers laid an egg at SLU. But they’ve played a brutal sched in February.

6. Temple (17-8, 6-5 A-10): The Owls saved face after giving Duquesne its first league victory with a clutch win at UMass. But the bubble is close to bursting for them.

7. UMass (16-8, 6-5 A-10): It’s danger zone for the Minutemen to make the Dance after losing to VCU and Temple. They can’t really have any more slip-ups.

8. Xavier (14-10, 7-4 A-10): The Muskies are technically 5th in the A-10 right now, which all things considered, is pretty amazing.

9. George Washington (11-12, 5-5 A-10): It’s honestly a crapshoot from 9-13. I’m not going to punish the Colonials for losing to VCU.

10. Saint Joseph’s (14-10, 5-6 A-10): No idea what happened to this team. They’re a real head-scratcher.

11. Richmond (15-11, 5-6 A-10): Despite this ranking, the Spiders have an RPI of 85. They’re capable, but they haven’t found much consistency this season.

12. Dayton (14-11, 4-7 A-10): The Flyers move up by virtue of beating Xavier and because St. Bonaventure lost twice.

13. St. Bonaventure (11-13, 4-7 A-10)
14. Rhode Island (8-16, 3-8 A-10)
15. Fordham (6-20, 2-9 A-10)
16. Duquesne (8-17, 1-10 A-10)

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Jan 22 2013

Atlantic 10 roundup, Volume 6

Virginia Commonwealth and its "Havoc" defense extended its winning streak to 13 games with two more victories this week. Photo courtesy MCT

Virginia Commonwealth and its “Havoc” defense extended its winning streak to 13 games with two more victories last week. Photo courtesy MCT

The Atlantic 10 followed up its first week of conference play with a memorable second week that included upsets, buzzer-beaters and absolute craziness. Catch up with the latest power rankings, highlights and more.

Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5

POWER RANKINGS

In 140 characters or less, like on Twitter, I’ll explain my picks.

1. Butler (16-2, 3-0 A-10): Whenever VCU makes a case for me to change this, the Bulldogs do something like they did Saturday – win at the buzzer against Gonzaga.

2. Virginia Commonwealth (16-3, 4-0 A-10): The Rams somehow beat Saint Joseph’s in OT, but believe this: It’s Butler and VCU and then everybody else right now.

3. Temple (12-5, 2-2 A-10): I still like the Owls this high even after losing to St. Bonaventure and barely beating GW. Their potential is through the roof. Stuff like this happens.

4. Saint Louis (12-5, 1-2 A-10): The Billikens stay here because I wasn’t impressed enough with the below teams to move them. But losing to URI at home? Yeesh.

5. UMass (12-5, 2-2 A-10): Their roof undoubtedly lowers with Jesse Morgan’s injury. Minutemen need Chaz to be Chaz and Raphiael Putney to wake up to have a shot.

6. Charlotte (15-3, 3-1 A-10): Yes, they are 15-3, but their only A-10 wins are against La Salle, URI and Fordham, and they were blown out by Richmond. Still not sold.

7. Xavier (11-6, 4-0 A-10): Whoa! The three unbeaten teams in the A-10 are Butler, VCU and … Xavier? Remember when I writing them off? Good times.

8. Saint Joseph’s (10-6, 1-2 A-10): I’m actually giving the Hawks credit for almost beating Butler and VCU. That’s very hard to start conference play with. Could have won both.

9. La Salle (12-5, 2-2 A-10): This isn’t so much an indictment on LSU as it is just a lack of quality wins, but they can change that with games vs. Butler/VCU this week.

10. Dayton (10-7, 0-3 A-10): They’re not getting blown out, but not winning either. I still think the Flyers can make noise this season though.

11. Richmond (12-7, 2-2 A-10): Nice win for the Spiders against Charlotte. Can they keep the good vibes going against VCU and UMass?

12. George Washington (8-9, 2-2 A-10): The Colonials nearly pulled off an upset against Temple, but then won a tough road game at UMass. May be better than some think.

13. St. Bonaventure (8-9, 1-3 A-10): Anyone still think the A-10 isn’t deep after the Bonnies went to Temple and upset the Owls?

14. Rhode Island (6-10, 1-2 A-10): Last week I said the Rams were better than 16th, then they went out and beat SLU on the road. It’s fun when things work out like that.

15. Fordham (5-13, 1-2 A-10): With the veterans they have, I want to like Fordham, but they need to start proving something to me.

16. Duquesne (7-11, 0-4 A-10): I’ll keep this short: It’s going to be a long year for the Dukes.

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Jan 14 2013

Atlantic 10 roundup, Volume 5

Butler's Rotnei Clarke (left) and Saint Joseph's' Langston Galloway battle for a ball during the Atlantic 10 opener last week. Photo courtesy MCT

Butler’s Rotnei Clarke (left) and Saint Joseph’s’ Langston Galloway battle for a ball during the Atlantic 10 opener last week. Photo courtesy MCT

The first week of conference play is officially in the books, which means it’s time for the latest Atlantic 10 roundup. Apologies if you’ve been waiting. I had a long day yesterday, but you’ll get over it.

POWER RANKINGS

In 140 characters or less, like on Twitter, I’ll explain my picks.

1. Butler (14-2, 2-0 A-10): The Bulldogs had two tough road tests to open their inaugural A-10 schedule, but took care of business. They’ll stay at the top spot.

2. Virginia Commonwealth (14-3, 2-0 A-10): Like Butler, also started off its inaugural A-10 sched with two good wins. Rams haven’t lost since Nov. 24.

3. Temple (11-4, 1-1 A-10): Owls get ahead of Saint Louis by virtue of beating the them at home on Saturday. Otherwise, a loss to Xavier would have pushed them down.

4. Saint Louis (12-4, 1-1 A-10): SLU is much better than it showed Saturday vs. Temple. Playing on less than two days rest after beating UMass didn’t help matters.

5. UMass (11-4, 1-1 A-10): Minutemen almost stole one at SLU without Jesse Morgan and I believe they’re starting to finally hit their potential.

6. Charlotte (14-2, 2-0 A-10): OK, I’ll give the 49ers credit for starting 2-0 in conference play, and a 14-2 record is pretty impressive regardless of their weak schedule.

7. La Salle (11-4, 1-1 A-10): Losing to Charlotte surprised me a bit, but the Explorers have enough firepower to bounce back, which they did against Richmond.

8. Saint Joseph’s (9-5, 1-1 A-10): Really tough, close loss to Butler to start A-10 play, but it showed me they could definitely end up living up to their preseason hype.

9. Xavier (9-6, 2-0 A-10): XU is starting to make my head hurt. They’ve beaten Butler/Temple this year, yet have lost to Pacific/Wofford. Wild stuff.

10. Dayton (10-6, 0-2 A-10): Playing VCU, then Butler to start A-10 play isn’t really fair, but I couldn’t justify keeping the Flyers higher.

11. Richmond (11-6, 1-1 A-10): I expected more out of the Spiders at home vs. URI. UR is still a tough cookie to crack right now.

12. George Washington (7-8, 1-1 A-10): Last week I said GW scored 38 points against Sacred Heart. Turns out I read the score wrong, so I’m moving them up two spots. Sorry.

13. St. Bonaventure (7-8, 0-2 A-10): Judging who’s the best of the worst is some chore, I’ll tell you, but the Bonnies played VCU close, something that is hard to do.

14. Fordham (5-12, 1-1 A-10): I don’t think the Rams are rising, but I’ll give them credit for starting A-10 play strong. Almost came back and beat UMass.

15. Duquesne (7-9, 0-2 A-10): The Dukes really have no impressive wins this season, and they lost to Fordham. Not really much going for them.

16. Rhode Island (5-10, 0-2 A-10): I do think the Rams are better than this ranking.

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Jan 7 2013

Atlantic 10 roundup, Volume 4

And here. We. Go.

Non-conference games are officially in the rear view mirror, and the gauntlet of Atlantic 10 play and the road to Brooklyn begins this Wednesday night. Finally, my power rankings can start to make a little more sense as these teams start playing each other. For now, here’s my last pre-conference play roundup, complete with the rankings and the rest.

POWER RANKINGS

In 140 characters or less, like on Twitter, I’ll explain my picks.

1. Butler (12-2): It’s still a two-horse race between VCU. As A-10 play looms, we’ll quickly figure out who’s the better of the bunch.

2. Virginia Commonwealth (12-3): Now 9 wins in a row for the Rams since two close losses to Duke and Mizzou. Don’t be surprised if they’re No. 1 here next week.

3. Temple (10-3): Despite losing to Kansas, it was close until the last 3 minutes, so I’m giving the Owls credit. They have all the tools for a deep March run.

4. Saint Louis (11-3): Big, big win for the Billikens against New Mexico. Kwamain Mitchell is making a world of difference. SLU is for real.

5. La Salle (10-3): I went back-and-forth here between La Salle and UMass, but decided a 17-point road loss to Miami isn’t really that bad for the Explorers.

6. UMass (10-3): Minutemen on a 7-game winning streak, which is nice, but we’ll finally see what they’re really made of this Thursday at SLU.

7. Dayton (10-4): Bounced back from losing to USC by beating UAB, but they’ll get a nice test to open A-10 play at VCU. Let’s see what they got.

8. Saint Joseph’s (8-4): Don’t look now, but the Hawks are now winners of three straight. They get Butler at home Wednesday.

9. Charlotte (12-2): 49ers had to go to OT to beat UNC-Asheville at home. That’s all I have to say.

10. Richmond (10-5): Spiders got their first win since Dec. 15 on Wednesday and should keep the good vibes going when they host URI to start A-10 play.

11. Xavier (7-6): That rebuilding season we all thought Xavier would have might actually happen. Losers of five out of last six heading into conference action.

12. St. Bonaventure (7-6): Couple of tough losses for the Bonnies this week after once looking promising. The good news is they play GW to start A-10 play.

13. Duquesne (7-7): The Dukes were off this week, so no change here. They’re at Fordham to begin conference play.

14. George Washington (6-7): The Colonials have mustered 38 and 41 points respectively in their last two games. To Sacred Heart and Georgia. Yeesh.

15. Rhode Island (5-8): The Rams got a nice win over a Brown team that was fresh off beating Providence this week. At least they enter A-10 play on a positive.

16. Fordham (4-11): There are one too many teams nicknamed “Rams” in this conference. That’s all I have to say about Fordham. Sorry.

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Dec 31 2012

Atlantic 10 roundup, Volume 3

Because of the holidays, it was a rather slow week in the college basketball world, not excluding the Atlantic 10, which only had 14 games since we last convened. Not surprisingly, there was little shake-up in this week’s power rankings. Countdown is now 10 days until the conference schedule tips off on Jan. 9.

POWER RANKINGS

In 140 characters or less, like on Twitter, I’ll explain my picks.

1. Butler (10-2): A blowout win at Vandy won’t blow you away, but the Bulldogs are still the class of the conference, IMO, by a slim margin.

2. Virginia Commonwealth (10-3): Seven wins in a row and counting right now for a red-hot Rams team. This team is no joke.

3. Temple (8-2): The Owls didn’t play this week (their game vs. Detroit was postponed). A matchup at Kansas looms. Are they as good as we think?

4. Saint Louis (9-3): Kwamain Mitchell is officially back, which has made a dangerous team even more dangerous as the A-10 schedule looms.

5. La Salle (9-2): Time to start giving the Explorers credit. They’re not doing it against the best teams, but they’re winning. Galloway/Duren is a stud combo.

6. UMass (8-3): A five-point win against two-win N. Illinois won’t win you over, of course. The Minutemen are winners of 5 straight, albeit unconvincingly.

7. Dayton (9-4): An OT loss to USC isn’t awful, but in a week this slow in action, it hurts the Flyers in the power rankings.

8. Charlotte (11-2): The 49ers didn’t play this week, which means I’m still waiting for them to impress me.

9. Saint Joseph’s (6-4): The Hawks are back in the win column, but the preseason favorites to win the A-10 still have plenty to work on.

10. Xavier (7-5): Losses are suddenly starting to pile on for the Musketeers, who have now lost four of five since starting the season 6-1.

11. Richmond (9-5): The Spiders at once looked promising, but have suddenly lost three straight and have fallen back to earth.

12. St. Bonaventure (7-4): The Bonnies were off this week. Three of four losses have been by 5 points or less. They certainly could be better.

13. Duquesne (7-7): Chalk up another loss to the Dukes, the latest at Penn State. They’re off until A-10 play kicks off at Fordham on 1/9.

14. George Washington (6-6): Sure it was Sacred Heart, but the Colonials only gave up 38 points to them. Thirty-eight. Hmm…

15. Rhode Island (4-8): The Rams started the season 0-5 but are 4-3 since. Optimism!

16. Fordham (3-10): The Rams are the first in the conference to 10 losses and on the fast track to be the first to 20. What, too harsh?

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