ONE MAGICAL MARCH
Not just the basketball program, but all of VCU will never be the same after what occurred during March of 2011.
The letters “V-C-U” were uttered all over the world, typed into internet search engines over and over, millions logged onto the university and athletics’ websites and even more people donned the Black & Gold and became part of Ram Nation.
A team that was doubted by many became part of NCAA Tournament history when it reeled off five straight victories en route to the school’s first-ever Final Four appearance.
The Rams were granted one of the final four at-large berths into the 2011 NCAA Tournament and found them- selves as part of the inaugural First Four in Dayton, Ohio. It served as a “mini-homecoming” for Head Coach Shaka Smart, who spent two seasons as the Director of Basket- ball Operations at the University of Dayton from 2001-03.
Smart guided the Black & Gold through a grind-it-out vic- tory over a tough USC squad, 59-46. Then it was on to Chicago to take on perennial power Georgetown. Chi- town was where the magic of March really started to unfold. The hot-shooting Rams knocked down 12 three- pointers, led by six from senior Brandon Rozzell, en route to a 74-56 dismantling of the Hoyas.
Next up was one of the toughest defensive teams in the country, the third-seeded Boilermakers of Purdue. Senior Joey Rodriguez took over that contest, slashing through the Purdue defense and dishing out 11 assists to lead a 94-point outburst and clinch a date in the Sweet Sixteen for VCU.
On to the Alamodome in San Antonio and yet another tough defensive squad, this time it was Florida State, who led the country in field-goal defense entering the contest. Seventeen lead changes later and a dramatic lay-up from junior Bradford Burgess with less than eight seconds left in overtime sent up an Elite Eight date with top-seeded Kansas.
The Southwest Regional Most Outstanding Player, Jamie Skeen, earned that award in the Elite Eight when he poured in 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Rams to a shocking 71-61 upset of the Jayhawks, who had lost just two games all year.
So the story went on to Houston where the unforgettable run came to close. Thanks to the run, the letters, “VCU” mean a lot more than just Virginia Commonwealth Univer- sity.
98 VCU MEN’S BASKETBALL VCU
Skeen, Jamie 6-12 Haley, DJ
0-0
Rodriguez, J. 3-11 Burgess, B. Nixon, Ed Reddic, J.
3-13 1-7 2-3
0-0 2-4 0-0
Theus, Darius 0-2 Brandenberg,R. 3-7 Daniels, Troy 0-0 Veal, Toby Rozzell, B. Hinton, D. TOTALS
USC
Stephenson, A 1-5 Vucevic, N. Fontan, Jio
Smith, Donte 0-6 Simmons, M. 3-5 Dunleavy, J.
Jones, Maurice 2-5 Jackson, G. TOTALS
0-0 0-0
SCORE BY PERIODS VCU USC
Attendance: 10,192 VCU
#11 VCU 74, #6 GEORGETOWN 56 FG-A 3FG-A FT-A REB PF TP A TO BK ST Min
Skeen, Jamie 3-7 Haley, DJ
Rodriguez, J Burgess, B. Nixon, Ed
0-1 3-9 3-7 1-3
Theus, Darius 0-0 Brandenberg, R. 0-3 Daniels, Troy 0-1 Veal. Toby Rozzell, B.
0-0
Hinton, David 0-0 Reddic, J TOTALS
0-0 1-3 4-8
1-1 0-0 2-6 2-4 1-1 0-0 0-2 0-1 0-0
8-13 6-10 0-0 0-0
Lubick, Nate 0-0 Freeman, A. 3-14 Clark, Jason
Wright, Chris 3-13 Thompson, H. 8-10 Sanford, Vee 0-1 Dougherty, P. 0-0 Sims, Henry Benimon, J. Starks, M. TOTALS
0-0 0-0 1-3
SCORE BY PERIODS VCU
Georgetown Attendance: 17,369
0-0 0-0 0-7 0-3 0-6 4-6 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-3
5-9 0-0 9-9 4-7 2-2 1-6 0-0 0-0 1-2 4-4 0-0 0-0
0-0 0-0 4-4 1-1 0-1 6-7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
5 1 2 8 1 3 3 1 0 2 0 0
8 5 6 2 2 7 1 0 0 1 1
1 12 2 1 0 0 38 1 0 0 0 0 1
6
2 17 7 2 0 2 32 3 12 3 0 4 1 36 1 5 1 2 0 1 23 2 1 0 0 0 0 12 1 0 0 0 0 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
1 2
2 26 1 0 0 2 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+ 0 0 3 0 1 0
8 18-44 12-25 26-39 30 16 74 14 6 4 7 200
Georgetown FG-A 3FG-A FT-A REB PF TP A TO BK ST Min Vaughn, J.
3 2 1 4 0 0 14 4 0 0 4 0 0 27 4 10 2 0 0 0 32 4 9 2 3 0 1 36 4 6 3 4 0 0 33 4 26 1 2 0 2 30 1 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0+ 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
5 5
6 1 3 2 0 0 0 12
20-52 5-26 11-13 36 26 56 12 17 1 3 200 1
2 F
35 24
39 74 32 56
FG-A 3FG-A FT-A REB PF TP A TO BK ST Min 2-4 0-0 2-5 0-4 1-3 0-0 0-1 2-4 0-0 0-0 2-3 0-0
#11 VCU 59, #11 USC 46 2-3
0-0 0-0
9 0 1
3-4 10 4-4 1-4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
3 4 1 3 0 0 3 0
6-12
0-0 0-1 0-1 0-6 0-0 0-0 1-1 0-0
2-6 10 5-6 14 2-3 1-2 1-2 0-0 4-6 0-0
1 1 1 0 2 0
2 F
22 22
37 59 24 46
4 16 1 2 1 0 29 5 0 0 1 0 0 11 2 8 5 1 0 1 38 3 9 1 0 2 1 39 4 7 1 1 0 1 27 4 5 0 1 0 0 15 1 0 1 0 0 0
7
0 8 0 0 0 1 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+ 1 0 1 1 0 0
3
0 6 1 1 0 1 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+
20-59 9-24 10-15 40 24 59 11 9 3 5 200 FG-A 3FG-A FT-A REB PF TP A TO BK ST Min 3-5
4 4 0 3 4 0 35 5 11 0 2 2 0 39 5 14 2 1 0 1 35 1 1 2 4 0 0 32 5 7 0 1 0 1 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+ 0 9 0 3 0 0 33 0 0 0 1 0 0
7
15-38 1-9 15-25 31 20 46 4 15 6 2 200 1
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