NORFOLK, Va. – Saturday’s 68-64 win at arch-rival Old Dominion says a lot about VCU. It was symbolic in how they made it through some early struggles, they got great leadership from their only senior, and he had support along the way as they continued to find ways to win. All along, this continues to be a team that is growing while they are tied atop the Colonial Athletic Association.
Early on, Saturday’s game was all Old Dominion, as the Monarchs put a lot of pressure on VCU and built a 26-14 lead more than halfway through the first half. The Monarchs were clearly better, as VCU then had some self-inflicted bad possessions with reckless driving into the lane and settling for jumpers. But a 10-0 run got VCU back in it, and Old Dominion was only up by three at the break.
In the second half, VCU took over at the defensive end for a while. Old Dominion missed their first 17 shots of the half and started 1-20 from the field. That helped VCU get the lead with a 10-0 run, and they held on for a while before it became a back-and-forth game in the final minutes. That was when VCU made the big plays that won the game, giving them the first season sweep in this rivalry in eight seasons.
Through it all, steady senior Bradford Burgess led this team, with good help from Darius Theus. Burgess had a game-high 24 points and six rebounds, often scoring at key junctures. He kept them in it in the first half with 13 points, then stretched the lead a couple of times and later hit a big three-pointer to tie it at 61. Theus, meanwhile, scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half and assisted on Burgess’ game-tying basket. After that, he got a conventional three-point play off a steal by Burgess, then sealed it with a rebound of a miss and two more free throws.
Burgess had struggled for a couple of weeks leading up to Wednesday night’s win over Towson. Over a seven-game stretch, he scored in double figures just once, then he broke out again with 22 on Wednesday. That seemed to be just what he needed.
“Wednesday was definitely a relief for me getting back in rhythm and shooting it the way I’m capable of shooting it and just making plays for my team,” said the team’s only senior. “I just fed off today from the last game.”
Even with Burgess’ struggles offensively, he continued to lead and others picked up the slack along the way. The Rams won all seven of those games as part of what is now an 11-game winning streak. They got plenty of support for him in those games, and he wasn’t exactly invisible during that time, either.
“Brad’s a team guy,” said Smart, who sensed Burgess could be a good leader for this team well before this season. “He leads, and he’s very positive whether he’s playing great or his shot’s not going down.”
Smart said Theus, who had a limited role last season playing behind more experienced guards, has also seized a leadership role on this team now that he has the opportunity. That was never more noticeable than on Saturday, when he made key plays down the stretch. His steady play has allowed talented freshmen Briante Weber and Teddy Okereafor to come along at a pace instead of being needed for major minutes at the point guard spot.
The Rams had to count on a talented but younger contingent this season behind Burgess and Theus. Sophomores Rob Brandenburg, Juvonte Reddic and D.J. Haley all showed promise in limited minutes last year. Reddic has come along the most and Haley starts alongside him, while Brandenburg remains a reserve. Brandenburg’s shooting numbers are down from last season, although he’s had his moments, and Smart feels he’s thinking too much, which is noticeable because he plays at such a high speed. Still, as a whole, they along with freshmen like Weber and Treveon Graham have grown while helping this team win.
“They’ve matured so much,” said Burgess, who noted how this still-young team got to 20 wins quickly. “Everybody’s making a contribution in their own way, and that’s what we need.”
All in all, the staff has really enjoyed coaching this group. Smart said they’re especially great to coach in practice because of their work ethic and desire to be coached, and the results are bearing out that they’re accepting coaching and improving all along. This is a team that is 22-5 overall and 13-2 in the CAA, yet still has a lot of better basketball to come. That will help down the stretch, as they have two meetings with George Mason along with a BracketBusters game against Northern Iowa in Richmond still on the slate before the conference tournament.
VCU weathered a storm on Saturday, and made it through a few challenges early in the season and during the winning streak with Burgess’ struggles. They have come through it in a good place, much like they did on Saturday.
