POINTS PER GAME
REBOUNDS PER GAME
ASSISTS PER GAME
FIELD GOAL PCT
With the win over Hampton last night, Wake Forest faces Virginia Commonwealth, who defeated Winthrop 67-54.
This will be a big test for the Baby Deacs, and it would be a huge boost of confidence if they could defeat the Rams and advance to Madison Square Garden next week.
This preview may have more stats than actual analysis because I am running short on time due to classes and other conflicts. There should be enough up there to give the reader a good idea of what VCU brings to the table and is good at. Also....WELCOME BACK JAMIE SKEEN!
Click through the jump to check out VCU's roster and what they have done well this year so far.
Category
Offense
Defense
D-I Avg
Adj. Efficiency:
109.5 49
96.8 95
100.4
Adj. Tempo:
69.4 67
67.7
Four Factors
Effective FG%:
60.5 21
46.2 122
48.2
Turnover %:
20.4 133
23.8 77
21.4
Off. Reb. %:
30.5 173
36.7 213
32.4
FTA/FGA:
27.4 239
37.6 136
39.9
VCU has been pretty good on offense and defense this year. Offensively, they are averaging 1.09 ppp (once again, anything over 1 is good). They are holding opponents to .968 ppp, which is also good, and better than the D1 average. They play a little slower than Wake, averaging 69 possessions per game, as opposed to Wake's 71, but both teams like to play quickly. In the four major factors offensively, VCU is well above the D1 average in eFG%, and slightly below it in turnovers and offensive rebounding %. A cause for concern tonight could be VCU's ability to force turnovers at a rate above the D1 average. That could also be misleading because of the two teams they have played so far (UNCG and Winthrop). Looks as if Wake could potentially exploit the Rams in the free throw department and make several trips to the line.
21.8
Miscellaneous Components
3P%:
40.0 66
38.7 223
33.2
2P%:
60.9 19
41.9 89
47.4
FT%:
52.9 271
72.7 205
67.5
Block%:
7.2 103
15.1 59
9.8
Steal%:
8.8 131
12.9 65
9.9
Style Components
3PA/FGA:
44.4 38
26.5 58
33.9
A/FGM:
73.4 10
60.4 215
53.9
Defensive Fingerprint:
Mostly Man
Point Distribution (% of total points)
3-Pointers:
39.3 41
25.7 161
27.3
2-Pointers:
50.0 156
51.4 135
50.8
Free Throws:
10.7 284
22.9 128
The Rams are shooting 40% on the year from 3-point land, which is obviously pretty good. They are also shooting a staggering 61% from inside the arc. This is what produces such a high eFG%. The fact that their 3PA/FGA is so high, along with a 40% shooting percentage from 3's is a huge boost as well. Surprisingly, VCU is not good at the free throw line. They will need to improve on that 60% as the year goes along. VCU ranks 10th in the country in A/FGM, which is usually the sign of a good offense. This ball movement leads to easy shots and a high eFG%.
VCU Rams
| Last Season | 27-9 (.750) |
| Conference Record | 11-7 (t-5th) |
| Starters Lost/Returning | 1/4 |
| Coach | Shaka Smart (Kenyon College '99) |
| Record At School | 27-9 (1 year) |
| Career Record | 27-9 (1 year) |
| RPI Last 5 years | 80-44-56-51-46 |
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: A
BENCH/DEPTH: B+
FRONTCOURT: B
INTANGIBLES: A-
COACH AND PROGRAM- Excerpt from Blue Ribbon
Shaka Smart can feel it, even if he doesn't know it. If he knows it, he's not telling. His first season as a head coach produced 27 wins and a five-game sweep of the College Basketball Invitational, but something seemed awkward.
Sure, there is a learning curve to coaching -- the clich} of the difference in making suggestions and making decisions. But VCU's season was like a boxing match in which it was ahead on all the judges' cards after eight rounds but eerily felt like it was behind.
"If you go strictly by numbers, we had a terrific year," Smart said. "Every CAA game we won was by double digits, and every loss except Northeastern was by three points, five points -- they were all close. We were right there."
So what is changing to alleviate that feeling?
"Our goals don't change -- a CAA championship and NCAA Tournament -- so that isn't different, but the fact that we have a year's worth of relationships and an understanding of how we do things is important," he said.
Schedule
| Scores & Schedule | |
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tickets | Audio/Video | Video Highlights | |
| Fri, Nov 12 | N.C. Greensboro | W 101-86 | -- | -- | -- | |
| Mon, Nov 15 | Winthrop | W 67-54 | -- | -- | -- | |
| Date | Opponent | Time | Tickets | Audio/Video | Video Highlights | |
| Tue, Nov 16 | at Wake Forest | 7:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Wed, Dec 1 | at South Florida | 7:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Sat, Dec 4 | William & Mary | 12:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Wed, Dec 8 | Virginia Military | 7:30 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Sat, Dec 11 | at Richmond | 7:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Sat, Dec 18 | Tulane | 2:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Tue, Dec 21 | at UAB | 8:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Wed, Dec 29 | Wofford | 7:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Mon, Jan 3 | at Georgia St. | 7:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Wed, Jan 5 | Drexel | 7:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Sat, Jan 8 | at N.C. Wilmington | 7:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Wed, Jan 12 | at William & Mary | 7:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Sat, Jan 15 | Northeastern | 12:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Wed, Jan 19 | Georgia St. | 7:30 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Sat, Jan 22 | at Old Dominion | 4:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Mon, Jan 24 | at Towson | 7:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Thu, Jan 27 | Hofstra | 7:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Sat, Jan 29 | N.C. Wilmington | 7:30 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Wed, Feb 2 | at Northeastern | 7:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Sat, Feb 5 | at James Madison | 12:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Wed, Feb 9 | at Delaware | 7:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Sat, Feb 12 | Old Dominion | TBA | -- | -- | -- | |
| Tue, Feb 15 | George Mason | 7:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Wed, Feb 23 | at Drexel | 7:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
| Sat, Feb 26 | James Madison | 12:00 pm | -- | -- | -- | |
Roster
2010-11 VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH RAMS
NO
NAME
POS
HT
WT
CLASS
HOMETOWN
5
Juvonte Reddic
F
6-10
230
FR
Winston-Salem, NC
10
Darius Theus
G
6-3
200
SO
Portsmouth, VA
12
Joey Rodriguez
G
5-10
175
SR
Oviedo, FL
20
Bradford Burgess
G
6-5
225
JR
Midlothian, VA
21
Jamie Skeen
F
6-9
240
SR
Charlotte, NC
23
Rob Brandenberg
G
6-3
160
FR
Gahanna, OH
24
Heath Houston
F
6-8
240
FR
Powder Springs, GA
25
Reco McCarter
G
6-7
190
FR
Goldsboro, NC
30
Troy Daniels
G
6-4
200
SO
Roanoke, VA
31
Toby Veal
F
6-8
230
JR
Savannah, GA
32
Brandon Rozzell
G
6-2
190
SR
Richmond, VA
33
D.J. Haley
C
6-11
255
FR
Palmdale, CA
34
David Hinton
F
6-8
235
SO
Winston-Salem, NC
50
Ed Nixon
G
6-4
210
SR
St. Petersburg, FL
Previous Game Box Score (along with projected starters)
Winthrop Eagles
STARTERS
MIN
FGM-A
3PM-A
FTM-A
OREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
PTS
George Valentine, F
38
4-7
0-0
1-2
5
9
1
2
2
2
2
9
Matt Morgan, C
37
2-8
0-1
0-0
1
4
0
2
1
1
0
4
Justin Burton, G
30
1-9
0-3
4-6
1
3
5
2
0
1
2
6
Reggie Middleton, G
22
3-9
0-1
0-0
1
4
1
0
0
5
3
6
Andre Jones, G
34
4-13
1-3
0-0
0
3
2
0
0
0
1
9
BENCH
MIN
FGM-A
3PM-A
FTM-A
OREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
PTS
Gideon Gamble, G
27
7-12
4-7
2-3
0
2
0
0
0
2
2
20
Julius Francis, C
5
0-0
0-0
0-0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
Joab Jerome, F
7
0-1
0-0
0-0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
TOTALS
FGM-A
3PM-A
FTM-A
OREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
PTS
21-59
5-15
7-11
8
27
9
6
3
12
12
54
35.6%
33.3%
63.6%
Virginia Commonwealth Rams
STARTERS
MIN
FGM-A
3PM-A
FTM-A
OREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
PTS
Jamie Skeen, F
34
1-3
0-1
1-2
0
8
2
0
3
2
1
3
Toby Veal, F
19
3-3
0-0
0-0
1
3
0
1
0
1
1
6
Ed Nixon, G
29
3-8
2-4
0-0
1
4
3
2
1
3
2
8
Joey Rodriguez, G
31
4-10
4-7
3-5
0
2
8
0
0
3
2
15
Bradford Burgess, G
28
5-12
2-5
0-1
0
3
2
0
2
1
1
12
BENCH
MIN
FGM-A
3PM-A
FTM-A
OREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
PTS
Brandon Rozzell, G
23
4-7
2-4
0-0
0
2
2
1
0
2
2
10
Darius Theus, G
15
2-3
1-1
0-0
0
2
2
0
0
0
2
5
Troy Daniels, G
6
0-2
0-2
0-0
0
2
0
1
0
1
1
0
Juvonte Reddic, F
1
0-0
0-0
0-0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
Rob Brandenberg, G
12
4-4
0-0
0-0
0
2
0
0
0
0
1
8
D.J. Haley, C
2
0-0
0-0
0-0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
TOTALS
FGM-A
3PM-A
FTM-A
OREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
PTS
26-52
11-24
4-8
2
28
19
5
6
15
14
67
50.0%
45.8%
50.0%
Score Predictions (WFU opens @ -1...no idea how)
My Prediction- VCU-83 Wake-68 (1-1 on the season)
KenPom- VCU-77 Wake- 74
ACCUScore- VCU-77 Wake-72 (projected box score below)
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Va. Commonwealth
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Wake Forest
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Wrap-Up
That wraps up the preview of the game tonight. I think it will be a tough one for the Deacs to handle. I am really excited to see if we can continue to improve. The atmosphere has to be better tonight because last night was atrocious. Good luck to Jamie Skeen in his return to Wake Forest as well! Go Deacs!!!