VCU 2007 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) Rams - Colonial Athletic Association (27-6, 16-2)

Seed: #11 - West Region

Big Wins: 12/6 at Albany (75-57), 1/20 Old Dominion (80-75), 1/27 at Drexel (75-68)

Bad Losses: 11/20 vs Toledo (59-60), 12/30 Appalachian State (70-73), 1/31 at Hofstra (68-79)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2004, First Round loss to Wake Forest

Coach: Anthony Grant (First NCAA appearance)

Probable VCU Starters:

• Eric Maynor, Sophomore, Guard, 13.6 ppg, 6.3 apg, 4.4 rpg

• B.A. Walker, Senior, Guard, 14.8 ppg, 2.0 apg

• Jesse Pellot-Rosa, Senior, Guard, 13.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg

• Michael Anderson, Junior, Forward, 6.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg

• Wil Fameni, Junior, Forward, 9.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.0 bpg

Key Roleplayers for Virginia Commonwealth:

• Jamal Shuler, Junior, Guard, 8.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg

• T.J. Gwynn, Freshman, Forward, 5.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg

• Calvin Roland, Senior, Center, 3.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:
The backcourt is the strength of VCU and Eric Maynor makes it tick. Mostly coming off the bench last year, the sophomore has exploded into a clutch point guard and a great team leader. Maynor averages 13.6 points per game, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals. Yet it is his 6.3 assists and 2.1 turnovers per contest that make him so dangerous. He does a great job of finding his teammates and making smart passes. Maynor is always a threat to drive to the basket and earns a team high 5.1 trips to the charity stripe per game. His outside shooting is decent, but inconsistent, but he leaves that to B.A. Walker and Jesse Pellot-Rosa.

Walker is a prolific outside shooter and knocks down nearly three three-pointers a contest. Walker will take the big shots, but Pellot-Rosa can hit his fair share. The 6-4 senior is a great slasher and a consistent shooter from behind the arc. Jamal Shuler is practically another starter, despite not receiving a start the entire season, and will spend a lot of time on the floor spelling the starters.

Why VCU Can Disappoint:
The Rams will look to push the tempo and do so with a trapping defense. While it obviously works in regard to forcing turnovers, it also can create easy shots for the opposition. The Rams allow the opposition to shoot a decent 44.9% from the floor and if their pressure defense is being easily broken, the resulting easy buckets will have the Rams reeling.

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Who To Watch:
Wil Fameni was a roleplayer at Arizona State as an underclassman and now is developing into a solid big man at VCU. The 6-7 junior has become a consistent scoring threat under the basket. However, it seems like Fameni picks up a couple fouls during the National Anthem and when Fameni is in foul trouble, the Rams are in just plain trouble. Michael Anderson starts by the side of Fameni and will do the dirty work under the basket. Listed at 6-7 and only 190 pounds, Anderson does not have the body to battle inside, but will hustle on the glass and is not a horrible shooter when he takes the opportunity. The bench plays a big part in the frontcourt and the undersized freshman T.J. Gwynn and the big 6-10 senior Calvin Roland are extremely different players, but both are solid contributors.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 74.8 (69th in nation, 1st in conference)

Scoring Defense: 64.8 (77, 5)

Field-Goal Percentage: 46.0 (82, 2)

Field-Goal Defense: 44.9 (224, 10)

Free-Throw Percentage: 72.5 (60, 2)

Rebound Margin: 1.9 (114, 4)

Assists Per Game: 13.6 (155, 5)

Turnovers Per Game: 11.4 (11, 1)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Second Round loss to Pitt

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