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How 'Bout Those Rams! ..... (VCU Rams, that is)

Started by jdcord, March 16, 2007, 01:18:37 PM

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jdcord


It's a great day in Richmond, as the VCU Rams did what those of us who'd seen them at any time this year fully expected them to do - knock off "the Dookies"  in yesterday's 1st round matchup of the NCAA Tournament.  In fact, it's a great day anywhere and everywhere that Duke "haters" may reside.

......... and by the way, ....... YES! - I did pick VCU to beat Duke in my bracket (found here, but I'm not sure if ya'll can open that page w/o being part of the group).


Anyway, I was reading yesterday afternoon in either the USA Today, or in the local paper here (the Richmond Times-Dispatch), about how VCU's star guard Eric Maynor had grown up in North Carolina and was a big UNC fan, and how he was just hoping he'd have a chance to beat Duke on a last second shot.  So when he got the ball in his hands last night with just 10 seconds left in the game, with the score tied, I turned to my wife and said, "That's it.  Game over.  There's no way he misses this shot."  And sure enough, he froze the defender, went up clean, and calmly drained a 12 foot jump shot with 1.8 seconds left.

I had also told my wife during the 1st half of the game - with Duke leading 22-9 at the time - that by the end of the game VCU's guards were going to completely wear out Duke's guards, and that VCU would win the game because of it.

So if any of you caught the end of that game yesterday, did you notice how in the last 2-3 minutes of the game Duke's 3-point attempts were all coming up well short?  One of them was an "air-ball", and the other 2 or 3 all clanged short, off the front of the rim - a sure sign that Duke's players were physically exhausted, and had nothing left in the tank.  Meanwhile, VCU's guards (Maynor and Pella Rosa) were still draining their jump shots, hitting nothing but net.  Game over.

Wanda:   Two wrongs don't make a right.
Cosmo:   But three rights make a left,...

bishopnl

I saw it...it was a pretty awesome game.

Seemed to me VCU won because of two reasons:

1.  Their full court press, or trap, or whatever it's called (I'm not basketball expert, so forgive me for not knowing).  Their defense was phenomenal...Duke players couldn't touch the ball without having a VCU player in their face.  And you could tell VCU was pumped up and not intimidated by Duke, if you saw Maynor's chest bumping incident midway through the game.

2.  Their unerring ability to hit the three.  I think I heard one of the commentator's say they had averaged 40% from beyond the arc for the year...that's pretty awesome...and they showed it last night.  They were nailing threes like crazy. 

Unfortunately, I didn't pick Duke to lose...I don't think Duke has lost in the first round of the tournament in like 9 years.  My bracket was already going south early anyway though...I also picked Wash. State to lose to Oral Roberts, and I picked Old Dominion to upset Butler, and both of those things didn't happen. 
~Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.~
- Mark Twain, a Biography

~There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.~

- James Madison, speech to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 16, 1788

jdcord

#2

Quote from: bishopnl on March 16, 2007, 06:03:37 PM
Unfortunately, I didn't pick Duke to lose...I don't think Duke has lost in the first round of the tournament in like 9 years.  My bracket was already going south early anyway though...I also picked Wash. State to lose to Oral Roberts, and I picked Old Dominion to upset Butler, and both of those things didn't happen. 

Hey, I picked both of those upsets as well, so don't feel too bad.  The only real problem would be if you had any of those underdogs moving on to the Sweet 16, or even further; ....... or worse, if the teams you picked to lose in those games happen to keep winning and go deep into the tourney (* Yikes! *).

I wasn't of the opinion that either Butler or WSU would make it to the Sweet 16 if they did somehow avoid the 1st round upsets, and that even if they did manage to get there, once there they sure weren't going to beat Florida or Georgetown, respectively - so it's not as if either of those games really affects any of my Elite 8 picks, or anything like that.

........... now Louisville, on the other hand - they could seriously shred up my bracket on Saturday, should they knock off Texas A&M (my pick to lose to Florida in the finals).  Depending on how that game goes tomorrow, I may not have any nails left come Sunday morning.  *L*

Wanda:   Two wrongs don't make a right.
Cosmo:   But three rights make a left,...