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By Joel Welser
Virginia Commonwealth Rams
Colonial Athletic Association (27-6, 16-2)
Seed: #11
West Region
RPI: 42
Big Wins:
12/6 at Albany (75-57), 1/20 Old Dominion (80-75), 1/27 at Drexel (75-68)
Bad Losses:
11/20 vs Toledo (59-60), 12/30 Appalachian State (70-73), 1/31 at
Hofstra (68-79)
Last NCAA
Appearance: 2004, First Round loss to Wake Forest
Coach:
Anthony Grant (First NCAA appearance)
Probable
Starters:
Eric Maynor,
Sophomore, Guard, 13.6 ppg, 6.3 apg, 4.4 rpg
B.A. Walker,
Senior, Guard, 14.8 ppg, 2.0 apg
Jesse Pellot-Rosa,
Senior, Guard, 13.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Michael
Anderson, Junior, Forward, 6.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Wil Fameni,
Junior, Forward, 9.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Key
Roleplayers:
Jamal Shuler,
Junior, Guard, 8.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg
T.J. Gwynn,
Freshman, Forward, 5.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Calvin Roland,
Senior, Center, 3.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg
Why They Can
Surprise:
The backcourt
is the strength of VCU and Eric Maynor makes it tick. Mostly coming off the
bench last year, the sophomore has exploded into a clutch point guard and a
great team leader. Maynor averages 13.6 points per game, 4.4 rebounds and
1.3 steals. Yet it is his 6.3 assists and 2.1 turnovers per contest that
make him so dangerous. He does a great job of finding his teammates and
making smart passes. Maynor is always a threat to drive to the basket and
earns a team high 5.1 trips to the charity stripe per game. His outside
shooting is decent, but inconsistent, but he leaves that to B.A. Walker and
Jesse Pellot-Rosa.
Walker is a
prolific outside shooter and knocks down nearly three three-pointers a
contest. Walker will take the big shots, but Pellot-Rosa can hit his fair
share. The 6-4 senior is a great slasher and a consistent shooter from
behind the arc. Jamal Shuler is practically another starter, despite not
receiving a start the entire season, and will spend a lot of time on the
floor spelling the starters.
Why They Can
Disappoint:
The Rams will
look to push the tempo and do so with a trapping defense. While it obviously
works in regard to forcing turnovers, it also can create easy shots for the
opposition. The Rams allow the opposition to shoot a decent 44.9% from the
floor and if their pressure defense is being easily broken, the resulting
easy buckets will have the Rams reeling.
Who To
Watch:
Wil Fameni was
a roleplayer at Arizona State as an underclassman and now is developing into
a solid big man at VCU. The 6-7 junior has become a consistent scoring
threat under the basket. However, it seems like Fameni picks up a couple
fouls during the National Anthem and when Fameni is in foul trouble, the
Rams are in just plain trouble. Michael Anderson starts by the side of
Fameni and will do the dirty work under the basket. Listed at 6-7 and only
190 pounds, Anderson does not have the body to battle inside, but will
hustle on the glass and is not a horrible shooter when he takes the
opportunity. The bench plays a big part in the frontcourt and the undersized
freshman T.J. Gwynn and the big 6-10 senior Calvin Roland are extremely
different players, but both are solid contributors.
Joel’s
Bracket Says: Second Round loss to Pitt
▪
2007 NCAA Tournament Bracket
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