SOUTH KINGSTON, R.I. – The keys to VCU snapping a two-game losing streak were a couple of simple ones: make shots and hang in when the game gets tough. The former is one they struggled to do in the two losses, and while an unexpected issue showed up, offensive rebounding helped overcome that as well.
VCU beat Rhode Island 70-64 on Wednesday night in large part because of 48.1 percent shooting and 17 offensive rebounds. They had just a slight 18-15 edge in second-chance points on the evening, but that helped cover up for giving the ball away 19 times, tying a season high and a total head coach Shaka Smart described as “way too many turnovers.” It also helped them overcome another tough night from long range, as they were just 2-11 on the evening.
In the two recent losses, a major problem was the ball not going in the basket. VCU shot 38 percent in the two losses, including 7-33 from long range. They have been a very consistent team at taking care of the ball as Wednesday night marked the second time all season they turned the ball over more than 15 times (the other was against Memphis in the Battle 4 Atlantis).
Like any pressing team, when VCU doesn’t make shots, they can’t get into their press as much or as easily, and the bottom line shows the direct correlation for this team. The Rams have shot below 40 percent in all but one defeat this year (against Memphis, they shot 41.5 percent). In addition, all five losses have come in the only games in which they have forced fewer than 15 turnovers on the season.
“Making shots goes a long way into playing our style of play,” said Smart.
The last stat points to something Smart talked about, which is that they have to be better defensively when teams break their press. That’s part of the adjustment that has come with being in their first season in the Atlantic 10 after being in the Colonial Athletic Association for many years. When they don’t force a turnover, defending means getting a miss, and Atlantic 10 opponents are shooting a little under 46 percent from the field.
“The major difference is better players, particularly at the guard spot,” Smart said when asked to compare the conferences. “Every team seemingly has a couple of guys that can break you down off the dribble, make a play and create a shot for themselves or their teammates. That’s been an adjustment for us, and we need to continue to do a better job of defending guys like that.”
The importance of making shots for how they play was visible on Wednesday night just looking at the two halves. In the first half, Rhode Island generally handled the press well, but more important was that VCU never really got untracked offensively even though they shot over 46 percent from the field. Then in the second, VCU made shots early and were able to get into the press more, and started getting more results. They also got some stickbacks, including a big one late from Juvonte Reddic to break a 10-0 Rhode Island run and help seal it.
“It’s always a point of emphasis to go to the glass, and it certainly was tonight,” said Smart.
Reddic was one of the bright spots in the two losses, as he scored 42 points the two games on 15-20 shooting from the field and had 10 rebounds in each game. The junior forward has steadily improved each year in Richmond and has seven double-doubles this season, including three in a row. With more minutes has come more responsibility and a bigger role, and he continues to respond.
While the numbers show his development, nothing shows it more than watching him become a tougher player. Smart noted how earlier in his career, Reddic would start a game slowly and let that affect him later. Now that’s not happening, and it clearly didn’t on Wednesday night as he started slowly but finished strong. He had 16 of his 18 points in the second half on 6-8 shooting and finished with 12 rebounds.
“Tonight he did a great job responding, and you could see by the look on his face that he was having fun out there playing basketball,” said Smart. “He knew everything wasn’t going to go perfectly, and he made a lot of great plays for us.”
With a bigger role and more responsibility, Reddic can feel the difference from when he first arrived on campus. Along with Treveon Graham, he hasn’t missed a beat in the jump from the CAA to the Atlantic 10 this season, and together they are the key offensive cogs on this team. Graham, who the staff thinks could become the program’s all-time leading scorer one day, was the only player who really got going offensively in the first half, then Reddic picked it up in the second half.
“Last year, I had a role to score and rebound, but this year I’m more like the go-to player on the team with Treveon Graham,” said Reddic. “We’re making an emphasis on getting the ball inside, and good things have been happening.”
If VCU plays pretty much as they have to this point, they should ultimately be in the NCAA Tournament. The implication is that along the way they will pick up another significant win or two to go with the ones against Memphis in the Bahamas and Alabama, as well as ones that are better than most may realize over Belmont and Lehigh (with C.J. McCollum for about a half). They could use a win over the likes of Butler (home), Temple (road) or Xavier (road) to firm that up as long as they avoid a bad loss, which they don’t have to this point.
For VCU to get there, they will have to continue to make enough shots to get into the press, then press as effectively as they have for much of the season. That allows them to play the HAVOC style that they want to and have been successful with. If they continue to keep the turnovers down, as they have much of the season, they will have a possession advantage on many nights since they usually win the rebounding battle.
