VCU coach Anthony Grant came back from the Cancun Challenge feeling a little better about his team. In particular, he felt better that the Rams were making more of a commitment to his top priorities – pressure defense and rebounding.

    “As a team, we made some progress,” Grant said. “It was good to see some guys step up in terms of understanding what our team needed out of them. Hopefully, we’ll be able to continue to progress.”

    Still, as he cautioned going into tonight’s game against Western Michigan, “This is not a final exam where we can go, ‘OK, it’s over.’ This is a work in progress. We’re 3-3. I don’t think we have anything figured out.”

    A graphic about VCU’s second-half surges was supposed to appear in today’s print editions but did not because of a mixup. Here it is:

After intermission

VCU hasn’t always scored more points in the second half, but it usually shoots significantly better. The Rams (3-3) have hit at least 50 percent of their shots after the break in four of six games:
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Game, score             1st half   (Shooting)  2nd half   (Shooting)
                                    Pts.  (Percentage)    Pts.  (Percentage)
The Citadel, 82-59 W       42       (48.5)        40       (60.0)
S. Dakota St., 72-56 W     38       (50.0)        34       (39.4)
Rhode Island, 92-86 L     43       (48.6)        43       (61.5)
*ECU, 93-90 L (OT)          37       (42.4)        53       (40.9)
New Mexico, 67-55 W     31       (38.5)        36       (50.0)
Vanderbilt, 71-66 L           23       (29.2)        43       (52.9)

* 2nd half stats include overtime

    Some odds, ends and thoughts:

    1) Joey Rodriguez has been a disruptive force on defense,creating havoc and steals. The pesky 5-10 sophomore is tied for 24th nationally in steals (2.8 per game).  He had 12 points and 3 steals against New Mexico, 7 points and 5 steals against Vanderbilt. “I thought his energy was really good in both games,” Grant said. “He impacts our team in a lot of different ways. Against New Mexico, he shot the ball very well, but the number of plays he was involved with on the defensive end, his hustle and effort, was really good. That continued against Vanderbilt even though he didn’t shoot the ball well from the field.”

    2) Guard Ed Nixon missed the New Mexico game in the Cancun Challenge after twisting his ankle in practice. Nixon played limited minutes against Vanderbilt. Grant is hoping Nixon will be close to 100 percent tonight against Western Michigan.

    3) Wonder how many times someone has referred to Western Michigan as Kool and the Gang? Sorry, couldn’t resist after seeing guard David Kool is the Broncos’ leader. Think of how many Kool campaigns someone could come up with to promote him.

    4) The Rams haven’t lost more than two games in a row under Grant. They didn’t lose more than one in his first season in 2006-07. Twice, they lost two straight in 2007-08. They’ve done it once this season.

    5) Forward Larry Sanders ranks eighth nationally in blocked shots (3.7 per game).

    6) VCU continues to have problems at the foul line. The Rams are hitting only 65.5 percent (76 of 116) of their free throws. “That can be a huge difference in giving us a chance to win,” Grant said. “Against Vanderbilt, they went to the line 30 times and made 26 of them. We went to the line 16 times and made 10. When you look at a one- or two-possession game at the end of the game, those free throws add up. One of many things that a young basketball team such as ours has to understand the importance of, what a difference it can make in giving you a chance to be successful.”
      Asked if the Rams were getting to the foul line enough, Grant said, “You’re never going to get there as much as a coach wants. I think we’ve got a group of guys that want to, that want to do what we’re asking them to do. It’s a process. It’s a matter of keeping their focus and their attention in understanding what it takes to be successful. There’s a learning curve there that we can’t speed up, unfortunately. It’s got to happen through experience. It’s got to happen through practice. It’s got to happen through a desire to get there.”
 
    7) Judging by the early results, no team is being fitted for the CAA crown. Only Hofstra (5-1), picked to finish seventh, and George Mason (5-2) are significantly above .500. Five of the projected top six – VCU (3-3), Northeastern (3-4), Old Dominion (2-3), Delaware (2-5) and Georgia State (2-5) – haven’t generated any momentum.
    A 13-5 conference record may be enough to win the regular season.

    The Final Thought: “A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun in shining but wants it back the minute it begins to rain.” – Attributed to Mark Twain.

Posted by Tim Pearrell in • College Sports • Virginia Commonwealth University
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