VCU using lack of respect as motivation

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Commonwealth has emerged from the First Four to become the darling of the NCAA Tournament, sending a trio of major programs home -- all in convincing fashion. Not bad for a team many said had no business being invited in the first place.

The Rams have beaten Southern Cal, Georgetown and Purdue, which VCU ousted Sunday in a stunningly lopsided 94-76 runaway. "It's still a bit surreal," Rams forward Bradford Burgess said Monday.

The reality is VCU has been dominant. Its three wins in the tournament are one more than anyone else, and its average margin of victory has been more than 16 points.

VCU beat Southern Cal, 59-46, in an opening-round game. Georgetown never really challenged in its 74-56 loss. Next up is Florida State Friday night in San Antonio.

Not a bad run for a team that finished fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association in the regular season at 12-6, two games behind Hofstra, and didn't even watch the selection show together because coach Shaka Smart was skeptical about the chances of getting an at-large bid. He didn't want the potential disappointment of being left out to become the defining moment of a 23-win season.

But guard Brandon Rozzell said none of what has happened since has been a surprise.

"At the next practice, the enthusiasm, I think it's just carried over," he said. "After the USC win, it opened a lot of eyes to the nation, but we weren't shocked at all. Georgetown, we weren't shocked. We were just playing our brand, and it's come together at the right time."

It helps that point guard Joey Rodriguez is playing the best basketball of his career. It was never more evident than against the Boilermakers, when he had 11 assists and no turnovers. The Rams had 26 assists and four turnovers as a team.

Rodriguez said the bashing and second-guessing VCU endured from analysts who believed the Rams didn't deserve a bid has helped motivate the team, but the way it has adjusted since losing to Old Dominion in the CAA Tournament final has helped more. "I think it's more about our attitude and how we're approaching everything," he said. "It's more like carefree, going out there and just playing loose and attacking people. When we play on our heels, we're not that good."

When at-large bids were announced, Smart had his five freshmen watch the show with him in his office, seemingly expecting the show to fuel their fire. "If we didn't get in, I wanted them to really feel it and feel how it felt," he said, "because there's going to be several more selection Sundays for them."

Instead, they got to feel elation, with a dose of motivation. "Every game, we hear people still doubting us," Burgess said. " . . . Every game, we're still using it. Every time we hit the court, every practice, we're still using it as motivation."