The Virginia Commonwealth University Rams went 2-1 last week competing in the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic. The Rams faced off against the Utah State Aggies, 15th ranked West Virginia Mountaineers and the Memphis Tigers.
On Wednesday, the Rams used a huge second-half run and career-high 23 points from Sophomore Guard Na’Shon Hyland to defeat the Aggies. VCU’s defensive pressure stifled Utah State and held them to a total of six points in the final 11 minutes to cap off a 33-6 run.
Against a ranked opponent, VCU started slow and had to play catch up throughout the game. The Mountaineers dominated the paint with 23 offensive rebounds, which turned into 25 points. Hyland led the team with 13 points on 31 percent shooting. The black and gold made valiant efforts to climb back in the game throughout; however, West Virginia had an answer for every run and eventually won the game 78-66. Junior Forward Derek Culver finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds and was named the entire tournament’s MVP.
VCU bounced back against a young Memphis team on Friday. The Rams were more fundamentally sound and disciplined than the Tigers.
Junior Forward Vince Williams led the team with 15 points and shot 60 percent from three-point range. Junior guard Keyshawn Curry added 14 points and five rebounds. The Rams used a balanced effort to defeat the Tigers 70-59 to cap off the tournament.
Head Coach Mike Rhoades was pleased with his team’s efforts. He could see the immense joy the players had as they finally got a chance to get back on the court. When asked about the point of emphasis to improve Hyland’s defense, he responded with, “Absolutely.” Rhoades is highly impressed with the help and individual defense from the stand out sophomore.
The fourth-year head coach talked about how important it is for the Rams to play with pace off of misses. At times there were situations where freshman point guard Adrian Baldwin Jr. would initially pass the ball off the rebound instead of pushing the ball up the court and forcing the defense to decide. Rhoades stated that there are players on his team who have played with incredible pace their entire careers. It’s vital to get their athletes out in transition to create easy baskets moving forward.
The VCU Rams are 2-1 to start the season. They will travel on the road to face the Penn State Nittany Lions on Wednesday, December 2, at 5:00 PM EST.