In advancing to the NCAA Final Four for the first time, 11th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth faces the same challenge as the last No. 11 seed to make it to the semifinals, George Mason in 2006. Can the Rams fare better than the Patriots, who fell to Florida 73-58?
One advantage for VCU, according to George Mason coach Jim Larranaga, is that the Rams have already played in a football stadium, winning the last two rounds at the Alamodome. In 2006, when the Patriots played at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, they missed 13 of their first 17 shots, fell behind and never recovered as they finished 2-for-11 on 3-point tries.
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“It was the first time not only that our guys had ever played in a dome, it was the first time they had even been in a dome,” Larranaga said. “But VCU is very prepared to keep playing like they’re playing.”
Facing the national leader in field goal percentage defense (Florida State) and the nation’s fifth-best 3-point field goal percentage defense (Kansas), VCU hit 24 of 51 shots from beyond the arc last weekend.
Hitting shots and starting fast have keyed VCU’s tournament run, allowing the Rams to do what they do best: press fullcourt, change defenses and keep teams off-balance.
“When you don’t score, you don’t get a chance to press. You can’t change your defenses as often,” Larranaga said. “That’s their game.”
When George Mason beat VCU in the regular season 71-51, the Rams hit five of 19 3-point shots. Three weeks later in the CAA semifinals, VCU hit nine of its first 16 3-point tries on its way to a 79-63 win.
Another difference between George Mason 2006 and VCU 2011 is the semifinal opponent. The Patriots played a loaded Florida squad with a frontcourt of future NBA players: Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer. The Gators outrebounded the Patriots 40-27.
After facing major conference powers in the first five rounds, VCU will open in Houston with one of its own in mid-major Butler. There won’t be a talent disparity like the one George Mason faced in 2006.
“It all comes down to who you’re matched up against,” Larranaga said. “VCU is great at changing defenses and mixing things up. The teams they’ve faced so far have been slow to recognize what they’re doing.”
