Around the A10 20-21 season

[billiken_roy]

lets play the bonnies!

[wgstl]

VCU board is a little feisty towards the Bills this morning. 

[wgstl]

3 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

lets play the bonnies!

I had posted this a week ago, I think we may see the Bonnies cancel their game against st joes next week.  

[Littlebill]

15 minutes ago, wgstl said:

VCU board is a little feisty towards the Bills this morning. 

@lquarles: "If we play them, and shut down Goodwin like we did Crutcher, we will feast. I hate pressing and trapping URI, but I still think it's a good thing to do against SLU, until they show they can consistently beat it. But onto UMass."

Yeah if only you shut down Goodwin.... what would SLU do then.... Didn't Collins and Perkins have big games against them last year? How soon they forgot....

Does he think we still have Aaron Hines running point, and not the conference leader in Ast/TO ratio (almost twice VCU's leader)

 

Like I said, during our hiatus, the league forgot just how good SLU was before the shutdown.

[wgstl]

2 minutes ago, Littlebill said:

LQuarles: If we play them, and shut down Goodwin like we did Crutcher, we will feast. I hate pressing and trapping URI, but I still think it's a good thing to do against SLU, until they show they can consistently beat it. But onto UMass.

Yeah if only you shut down Goodwin.... what would SLU do then.... Didn't Collins and Perkins have big games against them last year? How soon they forgot....

Does he think we still have Aaron Hines running point, and not the conference leader in Ast/TO ratio (almost twice VCU's leader)

 

Like I said, during our hiatus, the league forgot just how good SLU was before the shutdown.

Also crazy the amount of A10 fans that were upset we're still ranked and not playing.  Like why are you upset about that? It can only help your team. 

[Reinert310]

7 minutes ago, Littlebill said:

@lquarles: "If we play them, and shut down Goodwin like we did Crutcher, we will feast. I hate pressing and trapping URI, but I still think it's a good thing to do against SLU, until they show they can consistently beat it. But onto UMass."

Yeah if only you shut down Goodwin.... what would SLU do then.... Didn't Collins and Perkins have big games against them last year? How soon they forgot....

Does he think we still have Aaron Hines running point, and not the conference leader in Ast/TO ratio (almost twice VCU's leader)

 

Like I said, during our hiatus, the league forgot just how good SLU was before the shutdown.

This is actually funny to me. Apparently, this person has never heard of Perkins. Or Jimerson. Or French. Or Collins. The list goes on. Good for them for being optimistic though. I think it’s cute.

[Taj79]

HP doing some great work as this thread bops along.  I find the tier system interesting.  I don't have much of a dispute with any of it except to say that just about every team has a distinct weakness based on observations to this point.  But as usual, cannibalism is always rampant around the A10 so any team (with a few exceptions) can rise up on a given night and 'get lucky.'  What I've seen to date ....

Bonaventure ... will win with defense and Lofton.  They play in-your-face man-to-man and funnel everything down into the shot blocker Osunniyi.  They play ugly.  On offense, Adaway likes to roam the baseline and sneak behind zones that collpase on Osunniyi in the middle.  Osun can dunk and do putbacks.  He has very little offensive game.  Welch is the shooter but blows hot and cold.  English-Holmes is okay but not that good.  The bench is weak in Shaw and Vasquez.  This will come down to the starters doing enough to keep it close for Lofton to take over late.  Lofton is currently 3-of-29 from three.

VCU --- dem Bones.  And that is it.  HAVOC is not the full HAVOC of old and yes this is Bones' team but he alos blows hot and cold.  Stockard and Douglas are offensively-challenged on the blocks and no one has distinguished themselves as a secondary scorer outside of Vince WIlliams who can do it but doesn't do it with much consistency.  Ace Baldwin is a Yuri clone but with few finishers, he has little options available.  Jamir Watkins shows promise and the inconsistency of being a freshman.  Highest recruit Mikeal Brown-Jones has not found a niche.  Sophomore Hasan Ward is coming on but big man transfer Medley-Bacon has been a bust.  They are athletic but athleticism doesn't put the ball in the hoop much.

I think the fourth team will be Richmond.  Just because they start four seniors.  As noted from Day One, they have no bench and Mooney isn't developing one.  They go as Blake Francis and the three-point shot goes.  On a Gilyard steal and fast break, they pull up for a three.  Golden is more a passer than a true scorer.  

My fifth place finishers is Davidson.  As noted, Grady is heating up.  They are a flawed team but recognize their flaws and go with it.  They score with Grady, Carter and lee although Lee has been outed and is a part of opposition game focus now more than in the beginning.  Carter is inconsistent as is Lee.  Mennenga hasn't been the 'A10 best recruit' as on writer siad preseason.  Brajkovic is limited and a dough boy on the interior. McKillop has been playing his bench more but Huffman, Boachie-Yiadom and Bates Jones all are minor players.  Mike Smith can hit a three or two but that's about it.  Watching them dismantle Umass however, they know what they are doing and do it well when they can.  I'd sneak them into fourth except Richmond and Dayton beat them at Davidson this year.  

Sixth is Dayton with Rhodey seventh.  Dayton is two guys ----Crutcher and Watson.  Rhodey is in shambles to me because they don't know who plays what role and I have yet to see them make outside shots consistently.  Fatts is struggling because it's his team bu the can't play point and 2G at the same time.  Jeremy Sheppard seems to be a 2G but Fatts isn't a true PG like Jeff Dowtin was.  The rest of the mass transfer group has yet to figure out who's where in Kingston.  Dayton has no bench and Rodney Chatman, short of being a good defender, wasn't going to add much pre-injury anyway.  Mustapha Amzil came in raw and surprised but has now been outed like Lee at Davidson.  Tshimanga never had game and Elijah Weaver looks lost out there.  The freshmen bench of Sissoko, Nwojkei, Brea, Blakney and Frazier have contributed 90 points over 12 games so far.  Dahyton fans better pray that their two four-star recruits next year are that good.

Umass is somewhat scary to me.  If Tre Mitchell is dominating the middle and Pierre and Weeks are making threes, Umass can be good.  Fernandes is a decent point guard and I like what Dibajo Walkers brings to the table but players five through the end of the bench are just not doing much.  Javohn Garcia has shown some flahs but it seems like the whole Umass game plan is a Chinese fire drill.  They keep trying this full court press defense but it is the same as last year =----- a pretty big sieve.  Seems like a lot of head cases on Umass starting with both Pierre and Weeks.  

I'd go Mason next, just because of Greene and Miller, two nice forwards who don't have much help to work with.  Also, still no real point guard on that team.  AJ Wilson, sans the goggles now, looks a lot like Michael Hughes at Duquesne in that both are more interested in blocking shots than playing true defense.  As noted, Duquesne is a mess and fading.  When Dambrot loses Dunn-Martin, Weathers and Hughes this year, Duquesne's cupboard is dramatically bare again.

La Salle is eight to ten guys trying to score ten each night and 80 will win a whole bunch of games.  Problem is that doesn't happen night in and night out.  Anwar Gill reminds me a lot of TJ Hargrove going forward.

Geedubya, Fordham and the Joeys will all be PIG placements.  I think the fourth there will be Duquesne in all honesty.  Geedubya is a wreck; Battle and Bishop don't share the ball well.  Fordham is Fordham and stud big men, as the announcer claim Joel Soriano to be, don't go to Fordham to play ball.  And St. Joe's just doesn't have the talent to play a whole game.  It will be interesting to see what Ryan Daly has left in the tank when he returns.  

Which leases us and I am really nervous as tonight approaches.  What team will we see out there?  I expect COVID fatigue to be a factor.  I pray it doesn't affect us such that we lose to these guys who are not the Dayton of last year.  The fact that the Wiz and Vegas has us 10 point favorites seems way too large but we shall see.  

[billiken_roy]

11 minutes ago, Littlebill said:

@lquarles: "If we play them, and shut down Goodwin like we did Crutcher, we will feast. I hate pressing and trapping URI, but I still think it's a good thing to do against SLU, until they show they can consistently beat it. But onto UMass."

Yeah if only you shut down Goodwin.... what would SLU do then.... Didn't Collins and Perkins have big games against them last year? How soon they forgot....

Does he think we still have Aaron Hines running point, and not the conference leader in Ast/TO ratio (almost twice VCU's leader)

 

Like I said, during our hiatus, the league forgot just how good SLU was before the shutdown.

they will not stop perkins if they go after goodwin.   and yuri will get to the lane.  i have come to believe yuri is the best open court dribbler since marque perry to wear a billiken uniform

[Taj79]

lquarels wants to compare Goodwin, a star on a loaded team, to Crutcher, a star on a one- or two-man team?  Fine by me.  The issue for VCU remains, who will score to help Hyland?  I'll bet even Mike Rhoades doesn't know and it's about February right now.

[Reinert310]

2 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

they will not stop perkins if they go after goodwin.   and yuri will get to the lane.  i have come to believe yuri is the best open court dribbler since marque perry to wear a billiken uniform

Agreed Roy. Goodwin is going to earn his double-double 1 way or another. If you focus on him and not Perkins, Perk will eat you alive. We obviously have other options on the offensive end. But if Perk isn’t your first priority defensively, he’ll kill ya.

[Taj79]

Two tilts tonight ..... Richmond (-12) at St. Joes on ESPN+ at 6 EST/5 CST and then us hosting Dasyton (+9) on CBS Sports network at 8:30/7:30.

[3star_recruit]

15 minutes ago, wgstl said:

Also crazy the amount of A10 fans that were upset we're still ranked and not playing.  Like why are you upset about that? It can only help your team. 

We're too far west to have this much influence over an East Coast conference.  How dare us.

[Brighton]

Yeah, I mean, it’s not like Villanova was off around the same time or anything. 
 

 

[billikenfan05]

Neubauer OUT.

[BIG BILL FAN]

2 hours ago, Taj79 said:

lquarels wants to compare Goodwin, a star on a loaded team, to Crutcher, a star on a one- or two-man team?  Fine by me.  The issue for VCU remains, who will score to help Hyland?  I'll bet even Mike Rhoades doesn't know and it's about February right now.

that seems like a silly comparison to me....Goodwin beats you with his rebounding and defense, pretty hard to game plan against that..

[Taj79]

What’s a Neubauer?

[ACE]

Not sure where to put this, but I caught a glimpse of an NBA game last night and noticed that Watanabe who played at GW is playing in the League. He has played for parts of three seasons, modest stats, but still I never viewed him as a future NBA player even though he had a solid college career. I guess he fills a niche as a bit a stretch four who can play pretty good D.

[3star_recruit]

8 minutes ago, ACE said:

Not sure where to put this, but I caught a glimpse of an NBA game last night and noticed that Watanabe who played at GW is playing in the League. He has played for parts of three seasons, modest stats, but still I never viewed him as a future NBA player even though he had a solid college career. I guess he fills a niche as a bit a stretch four who can play pretty good D.

He also sells a lot of jerseys.

https://bealestreetbears.com/2019/05/04/yuta-watanabe-memphis-grizzlies-jersey-sales/amp/

[lquarles]

6 hours ago, Taj79 said:

lquarels wants to compare Goodwin, a star on a loaded team, to Crutcher, a star on a one- or two-man team?  Fine by me.  The issue for VCU remains, who will score to help Hyland?  I'll bet even Mike Rhoades doesn't know and it's about February right now.

First of all, my name is literally right there, you could spell it right.

 

6 hours ago, Littlebill said:

Does he think we still have Aaron Hines running point, and not the conference leader in Ast/TO ratio (almost twice VCU's leader)

Like I said, during our hiatus, the league forgot just how good SLU was before the shutdown.

No one forgot about SLU, you just haven't played a game in a month, and haven't played one A10 game. Relax. Clearly the AP hasn't forgotten, since they still have you [over]ranked in the top 25. You shouldn't be ranked until you play some games again.

Your so-called "conference leader" has yet to play a conference game, so of course his stats are skewed right now, especially since LSU, Minn, and NCSU are proving to not be as good as you guys thought. LSU is terrible when they don't feel like playing hard for Will Wade, he's a butthole. They just gave up 187 points in two games, including Kentucky. 

 

6 hours ago, Taj79 said:

VCU --- dem Bones.  And that is it.  HAVOC is not the full HAVOC of old and yes this is Bones' team but he alos blows hot and cold.  Stockard and Douglas are offensively-challenged on the blocks and no one has distinguished themselves as a secondary scorer outside of Vince WIlliams who can do it but doesn't do it with much consistency.  Ace Baldwin is a Yuri clone but with few finishers, he has little options available.  Jamir Watkins shows promise and the inconsistency of being a freshman.  Highest recruit Mikeal Brown-Jones has not found a niche.  Sophomore Hasan Ward is coming on but big man transfer Medley-Bacon has been a bust.  They are athletic but athleticism doesn't put the ball in the hoop much.

4 hours ago, BIG BILL FAN said:

that seems like a silly comparison to me....Goodwin beats you with his rebounding and defense, pretty hard to game plan against that..

6 hours ago, Reinert310 said:

This is actually funny to me. Apparently, this person has never heard of Perkins. Or Jimerson. Or French. Or Collins. The list goes on. Good for them for being optimistic though. I think it’s cute.

Don't let last year fool you. SLU is 0-6 at VCU, is 2-8 over the last 10 meetings, and if it happens, the game is at VCU this year. Also, COVID can have lingering side effects, so keep an eye on that with your players, especially if they look more than just a little "rusty". 

VCU was in a season tailspin during the last matchup, and had basically packed it in for the season, for whatever reason (most likely chemistry issues). This year, they're young, so duh, of course they'll be inconsistent. But when they're on, they're ON! They can look as good as they looked against Dayton and the first half against SBU, or they can look as bad as the second halves against SBU and URI. Their chemistry has been great overall, but they (rightfully so) have gotten cocky and blown leads. Bones is the man, a top-30 NBA prospect right now, but almost everyone on the team has had great games, and can step up at anytime. So you can call them raw, because that's literally what a young team is, duh, but Bones is most definitely not all they have. I look for Jamir Watkins, Hason Ward, and any of Williams/Baldwin/Clark to have great games against SLU. VCU's recruiting classes are back at, or near, the top for a reason, they just have to keep gelling. They clearly love playing for Rhoades. And don't forget, Levi Stockard dropped 17 points on 5/5 shooting with 7 rebounds against SLU while with KSU. In last year's matchup, VCU still held SLU to some ice-cold shooting stretches, mainly in the first half, and VCU's defense is much better now. It's currently ranked #12 in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency, even with all the inconsistencies, so their only issue has been playing like that ranking for all 40 minutes, which again, young teams will struggle with. So if you have cold shooting stretches again, you will most likely lose.

I only mentioned Goodwin because of the reasons BIG BILL FAN stated. He gets after it, and VCU will need to not only defend him well, but know where he is at all times and keep a body on him, containing his hustle plays. But frankly, I'm worried more about French than any of your guards. Last year, he dropped 18 points and 7 rebounds on us, and was a menace in the paint. This year, we play big lineups much more often, and I think we'll be able to hold our own inside, especially if 6' 9" Ward plays like he did the last two games (8 blocks combined, altered a thousand shots). It will be fun seeing the lineups with him and 6' 8" Mikeal Brown-Jones out there together against SLU. They were very imposing in their first extended minutes together against Dayton.

7' 1" Brendan Medley-Bacon has been a bust so far, but keep in mind he would normally be redshirting this year, working on getting his body used to the upgrade in competition anyway. He still has three more years of eligibility remaining, if he chooses to stay. He will come on, maybe even by the end of this season. He has the physical tools, and runs the court very well. Anything we get from him this season is gravy.

Frankly, the only A10 team I'm worried about this season is VCU. I love giving credit to the other team against us (like Fatts Russell and Shepherd torching the press), but the ceiling is unlimited for this team. They have the overall talent to beat anyone, and they look awesome when they're clicking. If they lose, it's most likely because of unforced turnovers, or taking plays off defensively. You better hope they aren't clicking against SLU. We'll know much more if they can get the URI monkey off their backs on the road, and make the first matchup a distant memory, but I love what I see when they're dialed in and actually playing help defense. It's too bad tomorrow's UMass game got postponed, because that's another revenge game I'm looking forward to.

[Reinert310]

19 minutes ago, lquarles said:

First of all, my name is literally right there, you could spell it right.

 

No one forgot about SLU, you just haven't played a game in a month, and haven't played one A10 game. Relax. Clearly the AP hasn't forgotten, since they still have you [over]ranked in the top 25. You shouldn't be ranked until you play some games again.

Your so-called "conference leader" has yet to play a conference game, so of course his stats are skewed right now, especially since LSU, Minn, and NCSU are proving to not be as good as you guys thought. LSU is terrible when they don't feel like playing hard for Will Wade, he's a butthole. They just gave up 187 points in two games, including Kentucky. 

 

Don't let last year fool you. SLU is 0-6 at VCU, is 2-8 over the last 10 meetings, and if it happens, the game is at VCU this year. Also, COVID can have lingering side effects, so keep an eye on that with your players, especially if they look more than just a little "rusty". 

VCU was in a season tailspin during the last matchup, and had basically packed it in for the season, for whatever reason (most likely chemistry issues). This year, they're young, so duh, of course they'll be inconsistent. But when they're on, they're ON! They can look as good as they looked against Dayton and the first half against SBU, or they can look as bad as the second halves against SBU and URI. Their chemistry has been great overall, but they (rightfully so) have gotten cocky and blown leads. Bones is the man, a top-30 NBA prospect right now, but almost everyone on the team has had great games, and can step up at anytime. So you can call them raw, because that's literally what a young team is, duh, but Bones is most definitely not all they have. I look for Jamir Watkins, Hason Ward, and any of Williams/Baldwin/Clark to have great games against SLU. VCU's recruiting classes are back at, or near, the top for a reason, they just have to keep gelling. They clearly love playing for Rhoades. And don't forget, Levi Stockard dropped 17 points on 5/5 shooting with 7 rebounds against SLU while with KSU. In last year's matchup, VCU still held SLU to some ice-cold shooting stretches, mainly in the first half, and VCU's defense is much better now. It's currently ranked #12 in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency, even with all the inconsistencies, so their only issue has been playing like that ranking for all 40 minutes, which again, young teams will struggle with. So if you have cold shooting stretches again, you will most likely lose.

I only mentioned Goodwin because of the reasons BIG BILL FAN stated. He gets after it, and VCU will need to not only defend him well, but know where he is at all times and keep a body on him, containing his hustle plays. But frankly, I'm worried more about French than any of your guards. Last year, he dropped 18 points and 7 rebounds on us, and was a menace in the paint. This year, we play big lineups much more often, and I think we'll be able to hold our own inside, especially if 6' 9" Ward plays like he did the last two games (8 blocks combined, altered a thousand shots). It will be fun seeing the lineups with him and 6' 8" Mikeal Brown-Jones out there together against SLU. They were very imposing in their first extended minutes together against Dayton.

7' 1" Brendan Medley-Bacon has been a bust so far, but keep in mind he would normally be redshirting this year, working on getting his body used to the upgrade in competition anyway. He still has three more years of eligibility remaining, if he chooses to stay. He will come on, maybe even by the end of this season. He has the physical tools, and runs the court very well. Anything we get from him this season is gravy.

Frankly, the only A10 team I'm worried about this season is VCU. I love giving credit to the other team against us (like Fatts Russell and Shepherd torching the press), but the ceiling is unlimited for this team. They have the overall talent to beat anyone, and they look awesome when they're clicking. If they lose, it's most likely because of unforced turnovers, or taking plays off defensively. You better hope they aren't clicking against SLU. We'll know much more if they can get the URI monkey off their backs on the road, and make the first matchup a distant memory, but I love what I see when they're dialed in and actually playing help defense. It's too bad tomorrow's UMass game got postponed, because that's another revenge game I'm looking forward to.

Lol. This is hilarious. Imagine bragging about beating a Dayton team that’s already lost to Fordham. And comparing this year’s SLU team to last year’s SLU team is asinine and pointless. None of Thatch, Linssen or Jimerson were active in those games last year. Just stop.

[brianstl]

1 hour ago, lquarles said:

First of all, my name is literally right there, you could spell it right.

 

No one forgot about SLU, you just haven't played a game in a month, and haven't played one A10 game. Relax. Clearly the AP hasn't forgotten, since they still have you [over]ranked in the top 25. You shouldn't be ranked until you play some games again.

Your so-called "conference leader" has yet to play a conference game, so of course his stats are skewed right now, especially since LSU, Minn, and NCSU are proving to not be as good as you guys thought. LSU is terrible when they don't feel like playing hard for Will Wade, he's a butthole. They just gave up 187 points in two games, including Kentucky. 

 

Don't let last year fool you. SLU is 0-6 at VCU, is 2-8 over the last 10 meetings, and if it happens, the game is at VCU this year. Also, COVID can have lingering side effects, so keep an eye on that with your players, especially if they look more than just a little "rusty". 

VCU was in a season tailspin during the last matchup, and had basically packed it in for the season, for whatever reason (most likely chemistry issues). This year, they're young, so duh, of course they'll be inconsistent. But when they're on, they're ON! They can look as good as they looked against Dayton and the first half against SBU, or they can look as bad as the second halves against SBU and URI. Their chemistry has been great overall, but they (rightfully so) have gotten cocky and blown leads. Bones is the man, a top-30 NBA prospect right now, but almost everyone on the team has had great games, and can step up at anytime. So you can call them raw, because that's literally what a young team is, duh, but Bones is most definitely not all they have. I look for Jamir Watkins, Hason Ward, and any of Williams/Baldwin/Clark to have great games against SLU. VCU's recruiting classes are back at, or near, the top for a reason, they just have to keep gelling. They clearly love playing for Rhoades. And don't forget, Levi Stockard dropped 17 points on 5/5 shooting with 7 rebounds against SLU while with KSU. In last year's matchup, VCU still held SLU to some ice-cold shooting stretches, mainly in the first half, and VCU's defense is much better now. It's currently ranked #12 in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency, even with all the inconsistencies, so their only issue has been playing like that ranking for all 40 minutes, which again, young teams will struggle with. So if you have cold shooting stretches again, you will most likely lose.

I only mentioned Goodwin because of the reasons BIG BILL FAN stated. He gets after it, and VCU will need to not only defend him well, but know where he is at all times and keep a body on him, containing his hustle plays. But frankly, I'm worried more about French than any of your guards. Last year, he dropped 18 points and 7 rebounds on us, and was a menace in the paint. This year, we play big lineups much more often, and I think we'll be able to hold our own inside, especially if 6' 9" Ward plays like he did the last two games (8 blocks combined, altered a thousand shots). It will be fun seeing the lineups with him and 6' 8" Mikeal Brown-Jones out there together against SLU. They were very imposing in their first extended minutes together against Dayton.

7' 1" Brendan Medley-Bacon has been a bust so far, but keep in mind he would normally be redshirting this year, working on getting his body used to the upgrade in competition anyway. He still has three more years of eligibility remaining, if he chooses to stay. He will come on, maybe even by the end of this season. He has the physical tools, and runs the court very well. Anything we get from him this season is gravy.

Frankly, the only A10 team I'm worried about this season is VCU. I love giving credit to the other team against us (like Fatts Russell and Shepherd torching the press), but the ceiling is unlimited for this team. They have the overall talent to beat anyone, and they look awesome when they're clicking. If they lose, it's most likely because of unforced turnovers, or taking plays off defensively. You better hope they aren't clicking against SLU. We'll know much more if they can get the URI monkey off their backs on the road, and make the first matchup a distant memory, but I love what I see when they're dialed in and actually playing help defense. It's too bad tomorrow's UMass game got postponed, because that's another revenge game I'm looking forward to.

It must suck being lquarels.

[slufanskip]

1 hour ago, lquarles said:

First of all, my name is literally right there, you could spell it right.

 

No one forgot about SLU, you just haven't played a game in a month, and haven't played one A10 game. Relax. Clearly the AP hasn't forgotten, since they still have you [over]ranked in the top 25. You shouldn't be ranked until you play some games again.

Your so-called "conference leader" has yet to play a conference game, so of course his stats are skewed right now, especially since LSU, Minn, and NCSU are proving to not be as good as you guys thought. LSU is terrible when they don't feel like playing hard for Will Wade, he's a butthole. They just gave up 187 points in two games, including Kentucky. 

 

Don't let last year fool you. SLU is 0-6 at VCU, is 2-8 over the last 10 meetings, and if it happens, the game is at VCU this year. Also, COVID can have lingering side effects, so keep an eye on that with your players, especially if they look more than just a little "rusty". 

VCU was in a season tailspin during the last matchup, and had basically packed it in for the season, for whatever reason (most likely chemistry issues). This year, they're young, so duh, of course they'll be inconsistent. But when they're on, they're ON! They can look as good as they looked against Dayton and the first half against SBU, or they can look as bad as the second halves against SBU and URI. Their chemistry has been great overall, but they (rightfully so) have gotten cocky and blown leads. Bones is the man, a top-30 NBA prospect right now, but almost everyone on the team has had great games, and can step up at anytime. So you can call them raw, because that's literally what a young team is, duh, but Bones is most definitely not all they have. I look for Jamir Watkins, Hason Ward, and any of Williams/Baldwin/Clark to have great games against SLU. VCU's recruiting classes are back at, or near, the top for a reason, they just have to keep gelling. They clearly love playing for Rhoades. And don't forget, Levi Stockard dropped 17 points on 5/5 shooting with 7 rebounds against SLU while with KSU. In last year's matchup, VCU still held SLU to some ice-cold shooting stretches, mainly in the first half, and VCU's defense is much better now. It's currently ranked #12 in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency, even with all the inconsistencies, so their only issue has been playing like that ranking for all 40 minutes, which again, young teams will struggle with. So if you have cold shooting stretches again, you will most likely lose.

I only mentioned Goodwin because of the reasons BIG BILL FAN stated. He gets after it, and VCU will need to not only defend him well, but know where he is at all times and keep a body on him, containing his hustle plays. But frankly, I'm worried more about French than any of your guards. Last year, he dropped 18 points and 7 rebounds on us, and was a menace in the paint. This year, we play big lineups much more often, and I think we'll be able to hold our own inside, especially if 6' 9" Ward plays like he did the last two games (8 blocks combined, altered a thousand shots). It will be fun seeing the lineups with him and 6' 8" Mikeal Brown-Jones out there together against SLU. They were very imposing in their first extended minutes together against Dayton.

7' 1" Brendan Medley-Bacon has been a bust so far, but keep in mind he would normally be redshirting this year, working on getting his body used to the upgrade in competition anyway. He still has three more years of eligibility remaining, if he chooses to stay. He will come on, maybe even by the end of this season. He has the physical tools, and runs the court very well. Anything we get from him this season is gravy.

Frankly, the only A10 team I'm worried about this season is VCU. I love giving credit to the other team against us (like Fatts Russell and Shepherd torching the press), but the ceiling is unlimited for this team. They have the overall talent to beat anyone, and they look awesome when they're clicking. If they lose, it's most likely because of unforced turnovers, or taking plays off defensively. You better hope they aren't clicking against SLU. We'll know much more if they can get the URI monkey off their backs on the road, and make the first matchup a distant memory, but I love what I see when they're dialed in and actually playing help defense. It's too bad tomorrow's UMass game got postponed, because that's another revenge game I'm looking forward to.

We scored 80 on you. So if you held us to some ice cold shooting stretches, we must have been on fire during the rest of the game. Lucky you were good for at least a few stretches though as without those moments of tough D by your team  we'd have dropped triple digits on you. 

BTW ... just to refresh your memory we shot 58% in the 1st half and 56% in the 2nd. Yep, it always sucks when facts get in the way of a nice story. 

[Taj79]

VCU is irrelevant tonight.  

Richmond waxing the Joeys on Hawk Hill 73 to 53 with just about 3.5 to go.  The Joeys making Matt Grace look like a stud.  The Joeys are fundamentally bad.  Also making Tyler Burton look like Kobe with 25 to date.  Billy Lange won't be the head hawk for long at this rate.  Daly not back yet and Jack Forrest in a walking boot.

[wgstl]

2 hours ago, lquarles said:

No one forgot about SLU, you just haven't played a game in a month, and haven't played one A10 game. Relax. Clearly the AP hasn't forgotten, since they still have you [over]ranked in the top 25. You shouldn't be ranked until you play some games again.

 

why are you upset that a fellow conference member is ranked.  It only helps vcu, and you want vcu to shine, right? 

[CBFan]

2 hours ago, lquarles said:

First of all, my name is literally right there, you could spell it right.

 

No one forgot about SLU, you just haven't played a game in a month, and haven't played one A10 game. Relax. Clearly the AP hasn't forgotten, since they still have you [over]ranked in the top 25. You shouldn't be ranked until you play some games again.

Your so-called "conference leader" has yet to play a conference game, so of course his stats are skewed right now, especially since LSU, Minn, and NCSU are proving to not be as good as you guys thought. LSU is terrible when they don't feel like playing hard for Will Wade, he's a butthole. They just gave up 187 points in two games, including Kentucky. 

 

Don't let last year fool you. SLU is 0-6 at VCU, is 2-8 over the last 10 meetings, and if it happens, the game is at VCU this year. Also, COVID can have lingering side effects, so keep an eye on that with your players, especially if they look more than just a little "rusty". 

VCU was in a season tailspin during the last matchup, and had basically packed it in for the season, for whatever reason (most likely chemistry issues). This year, they're young, so duh, of course they'll be inconsistent. But when they're on, they're ON! They can look as good as they looked against Dayton and the first half against SBU, or they can look as bad as the second halves against SBU and URI. Their chemistry has been great overall, but they (rightfully so) have gotten cocky and blown leads. Bones is the man, a top-30 NBA prospect right now, but almost everyone on the team has had great games, and can step up at anytime. So you can call them raw, because that's literally what a young team is, duh, but Bones is most definitely not all they have. I look for Jamir Watkins, Hason Ward, and any of Williams/Baldwin/Clark to have great games against SLU. VCU's recruiting classes are back at, or near, the top for a reason, they just have to keep gelling. They clearly love playing for Rhoades. And don't forget, Levi Stockard dropped 17 points on 5/5 shooting with 7 rebounds against SLU while with KSU. In last year's matchup, VCU still held SLU to some ice-cold shooting stretches, mainly in the first half, and VCU's defense is much better now. It's currently ranked #12 in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency, even with all the inconsistencies, so their only issue has been playing like that ranking for all 40 minutes, which again, young teams will struggle with. So if you have cold shooting stretches again, you will most likely lose.

I only mentioned Goodwin because of the reasons BIG BILL FAN stated. He gets after it, and VCU will need to not only defend him well, but know where he is at all times and keep a body on him, containing his hustle plays. But frankly, I'm worried more about French than any of your guards. Last year, he dropped 18 points and 7 rebounds on us, and was a menace in the paint. This year, we play big lineups much more often, and I think we'll be able to hold our own inside, especially if 6' 9" Ward plays like he did the last two games (8 blocks combined, altered a thousand shots). It will be fun seeing the lineups with him and 6' 8" Mikeal Brown-Jones out there together against SLU. They were very imposing in their first extended minutes together against Dayton.

7' 1" Brendan Medley-Bacon has been a bust so far, but keep in mind he would normally be redshirting this year, working on getting his body used to the upgrade in competition anyway. He still has three more years of eligibility remaining, if he chooses to stay. He will come on, maybe even by the end of this season. He has the physical tools, and runs the court very well. Anything we get from him this season is gravy.

Frankly, the only A10 team I'm worried about this season is VCU. I love giving credit to the other team against us (like Fatts Russell and Shepherd torching the press), but the ceiling is unlimited for this team. They have the overall talent to beat anyone, and they look awesome when they're clicking. If they lose, it's most likely because of unforced turnovers, or taking plays off defensively. You better hope they aren't clicking against SLU. We'll know much more if they can get the URI monkey off their backs on the road, and make the first matchup a distant memory, but I love what I see when they're dialed in and actually playing help defense. It's too bad tomorrow's UMass game got postponed, because that's another revenge game I'm looking forward to.

Be afraid Bills fan Levi Stockard is going to get us.  VCU ceiling is unlimited, WOW!  There coming on’ look out.
What will SLU do.