Spiders, Rams facing different challenges
In preparation for an NCAA tournament game against Florida State, Virginia Commonwealth had a surprise visitor during its shootaround Thursday in San Antonio — former NBA 3-point marksman Steve Kerr.
What better symbol for the long-shot chances of VCU and Richmond as they prepare for games in the Sweet 16 in the Alamodome?
Recommended Stories
| Southwest Region |
| No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 12 Richmond |
| When » Thursday, 7:27 p.m. |
| No. 10 Florida State vs. No. 11 VCU |
| When » Thursday, 9:57 p.m. |
| Where » Alamodome, San Antonio |
| TV » TBS |
On Friday night, after 12th-seeded Richmond (29-7) takes on No. 1 Kansas (34-2), No. 11 VCU (26-11) will play No. 10 Florida State (23-10).
As mid-major Cinderellas, the two teams from Richmond have much in common, but their challenges Friday night are dissimilar.
While Richmond takes on a Kansas team that leads the nation in field goal shooting (51.4 percent), VCU faces an FSU squad that leads the nation in field goal defense (36 percent), under the direction of Leonard Hamilton.
“His guys play extremely hard,” VCU coach Shaka Smart told reporters Thursday. “He’s one of the best defensive coaches in the country.”
The frontcourt-oriented offense of Kansas — led by junior twins Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris — has occupied the focus of Richmond coach Chris Mooney.
“If they score easily, that can really start to pile up on you, and you start to feel a little bit helpless,” Mooney said. “We need to make it difficult for them to score.”
Both teams will strive for Smart’s psychological ideal in big games, which he terms ACL (aggressive, confident, loose). It’s a mindset many low-seeded teams before them have failed to achieve.
One good omen was VCU point guard Joey Rodriguez beating Kerr in a shooting contest Thursday.
“We’re going to do what we do and attack them,” Rodriguez. “If we play on our heels, it will be to their advantage.”
