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Like most 21-year-old men, Joey Rodriguez has an array of media at his disposal, ESPN, a plethora of websites, Twitter, you name it. Ignoring VCU’s 8-1 non-conference record, and what it could mean for the Rams in March, is a near impossibility. “I look at that stuff. I’m not going to lie to you,” Rodriguez admits. “I look at that stuff all the time. The past two years I’ve been here, we haven’t had the opportunity. Usually our non-conference schedule has messed us up. It’s good to know that this year we have a good resume right now. We could come in and do some things in conference play and boost that up even more.” With Tuesday night’s 82-74 victory over East Carolina, the Rams improved to 8-2 overall and added to a potential NCAA resume that includes quality wins over Richmond, Rhode Island, Nevada and Oklahoma. Wait a second. Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s get something out of the way. It’s Dec. 29, light years away from March on the basketball calendar. The CAA is a potential minefield with preseason favorite Old Dominion, George Mason, Northeastern and others waiting to knock off the Rams, the defending champions. A mediocre CAA finish would kill any NCAA talk faster than you can say, “Is this the dagger?!” Pretty much the last thing coaches want to talk about in December is the NCAA Tournament. All of that aside, the Rams, their disappointing loss at Western Michigan notwithstanding, have separated themselves with some non-conference resume bulk. Few CAA teams this year or in many others have done as much as this VCU team in non-league play. In fact, few VCU teams this generation have given the selection committee this much to consider. With the ESPNU BracketBusters contest still ahead in February, this Black and Gold squad has an opportunity to finish with a single non-conference loss. The last time the program finished with just one non-conference loss during the regular season was 1984-85.
“I feel the same way that I’ve felt for several weeks, which is, we’ve got a chance to be very, very good,” said VCU Head Coach Shaka Smart. “We’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got some maturing to do. If we can have our whole team on what we call the team page, for 40 minutes and really sticking to everything we’re trying to do, then we’re going to have a really good conference season. But, we’ll see.” In 2007-08, the Rams finished 15-3 in the CAA and ran away with the league’s regular season crown by three games. However, following their semifinal ouster at the hands of William & Mary in the CAA Tournament, VCU was left out of the NCAA’s field of 65. The Rams’ final RPI that season was in the high 50s. VCU owned a nice win over a decent Maryland team, but had little other non-conference heft. All 24-7 got the Rams was a pat on the back and an NIT berth. Even VCU’s 2006-07 team, which upset Duke and pushed Pittsburgh to the limit in the NCAA Tournament, was considered a borderline at-large team because of its unconvincing 8-4 non-conference ledger. VCU’s RPI was in the low 40s that season. Realistically, if the Rams want NCAA insurance in March, they’ll have to get their RPI in the 30s. Then again, just winning the CAA Tournament would render this whole conversation moot. “We’ve played against some very good teams who should do well in their leagues,” Smart said. “I think that [our] schedule will bode well for the future, but it still comes down to taking care of business in the CAA.” Questions or comments? E-mail us at aroundthehorns@yahoo.com or look us up on Facebook. |
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EARLY VICTORIES COULD PAY LATE DIVIDENDS FOR VCU
Nevada was picked second in the WAC, and many predict they’ll win the league. Richmond upset then No. 13 Florida and topped Old Dominion. The Spiders are a legitimate contender in the A-10. Rhode Island is 9-1. Oklahoma has proven that it’s not a top 25 team, but the Sooners have a great chance to finish in the RPI top 100 because of their meaty Big 12 schedule. All rights reserved.
