2010–11 VCU Rams men's basketball team

The 2010–11 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University in the Colonial Athletic Association conference during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rams, led by second year head coach Shaka Smart, played their home games at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. They finished the season 28–12, 12–6 in CAA play and lost in the championship game of the 2011 CAA men's basketball tournament to Old Dominion. They received an at-large bid in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament where they played in the new First Four round, defeating USC.They defeated Georgetown and Purdue in the second and third rounds, respectively, to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. They defeated Florida State to advance to the Elite Eight where they defeated Kansas. They advanced to the school's first ever Final Four, being just the third 11 seed in Tournament history to advance to the Final Four, where they were defeated by Butler. The VCU Rams finished 6th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll at the end of the season.[1] This was the highest ranking in VCU's history and the highest ranking of any team from the CAA.[2] The 2011 NCAA tournament run by VCU is regarded by some as one of the best Cinderella runs of all time.[3] They are the first men's Division I basketball team that played in the First Four to make it to the Final Four; UCLA made a similar run ten years later. They also join the 2020–21 Bruins as the only teams in the tournament to win five games and not qualify for the national championship game.

2010–11 VCU Rams men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Final Four
ConferenceColonial Athletic Association
Ranking
CoachesNo. 6
Record28–12 (12–6 CAA)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaStuart C. Siegel Center
Seasons
2010–11 CAA men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
George Mason 16 2   .889 27 7   .794
Old Dominion 14 4   .778 27 7   .794
Hofstra 14 4   .778 21 12   .636
VCU 12 6   .667 28 12   .700
Drexel 11 7   .611 21 10   .677
James Madison 10 8   .556 21 12   .636
Delaware 8 10   .444 14 17   .452
UNCW 7 11   .389 13 18   .419
Georgia State 6 12   .333 12 19   .387
Northeastern 6 12   .333 11 20   .355
William & Mary 4 14   .222 10 22   .313
Towson 0 18   .000 4 26   .133
2011 CAA tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Roster

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Number Name Position Height Weight Year Hometown
5 Juvonte Reddic Forward 6–9 225 Freshman Winston-Salem, North Carolina
10 Darius Theus Guard 6–3 190 Sophomore Portsmouth, Virginia
12 Joey Rodriguez Guard 5–10 175 Senior Merritt Island, Florida
20 Bradford Burgess Guard 6–6 225 Junior Midlothian, Virginia
21 Jamie Skeen Forward 6–9 240 Senior Charlotte, North Carolina
23 Rob Brandenberg Guard 6–2 170 Freshman Gahanna, Ohio
24 Heath Houston Forward 6–8 240 Freshman Powder Springs, Georgia (Hillgrove High School)
25 Reco McCarter Guard 6–7 180 Freshman Goldsboro, North Carolina
30 Troy Daniels Guard 6–4 195 Sophomore Roanoke, Virginia
31 Toby Veal Forward 6–8 235 Junior Savannah, Georgia
32 Brandon Rozzell Guard 6–2 185 Senior Richmond, Virginia
33 D. J. Haley Center 7–0 250 Freshman Palmdale, California
34 David Hinton Forward 6–9 235 Sophomore Winston-Salem, North Carolina
50 Ed Nixon Guard 6–4 210 Senior St. Petersburg, Florida

Signees

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2010–11 team recruits

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Juvonte Reddic
C
Winston-Salem, North Carolina Quality Education Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Mar 22, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 90
Rob Brandenberg
SG
Gahanna, Ohio Lincoln High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Aug 30, 2009 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 86
D. J. Haley
C
Palmdale, California Palmdale High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (100 kg) May 4, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 78
Reco McCarter
SF
Goldsboro, North Carolina Wayne Country Day School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sep 29, 2009 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 91
Heath Houston
PF
Powder Springs, Georgia Hillgrove High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jun 28, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 83
Toby Veal
SF
Savannah, Georgia Northwest Florida State College 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jan 17, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: JC
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "VCU 2012 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  • "2012 VCU Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  • "2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011.

Season

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Preseason

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VCU was predicted to finish third in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason polls, which was released October 19, 2010 in Arlington, Virginia.[4] Senior guard Joey Rodriguez was selected to the preseason Atlantic 10 Conference first team.

Schedule

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov. 4, 2010*
7:30 pm
Virginia Union W 71–56 
 10  Tied   8  Skeen   5  Theus  Stuart C. Siegel Center (6,645)
Richmond, Virginia
Regular season
Nov. 12, 2010*
7:30 pm
UNC Greensboro W 101–86  1–0
 23  Rozzell   7  Skeen   17  Rodriguez  Stuart C. Siegel Center (7,094)
Richmond, VA
Nov. 15, 2010*
9:30 pm
vs. Winthrop
NIT Season Tip-Off first round
W 67–54  2–0
 15  Rodriguez   8  Skeen   8  Rodriguez  LJVM Coliseum (1,276)
Winston-Salem, NC
Nov. 16, 2010*
7:00 pm
at Wake Forest
NIT Season Tip-Off Quarterfinals
W 90–69  3–0
 25  Burgess   8  Burgess   6  Rodriguez  LJVM Coliseum (8,119)
Winston-Salem, NC
Nov. 24, 2010*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. No. 24 Tennessee
NIT Season Tip-Off Semifinals
L 72–77  3–1
 23  Rozzell   14  Skeen   4  Rozzell  Madison Square Garden (10,912)
New York, NY
Nov. 26, 2010*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. UCLA
NIT Season Tip-Off 3rd place game
W 89–85  4–1
 23  Skeen   9  Skeen   5  Rodriguez  Madison Square Garden (10,292)
New York, NY
Dec. 1, 2010*
7:00 pm
at South Florida L 59–60 OT 4–2
 16  Skeen   13  Burgess   3  Rozzell  USF Sun Dome (2,921)
Tampa, FL
Dec. 4, 2010
12:00 pm
William & Mary W 59–55  5–2 (1–0)
 13  Rodriguez   7  Skeen   3  Rodriguez  Stuart C. Siegel Center (6,482)
Richmond, VA
Dec. 8, 2010*
7:30 pm
VMI W 86–80  6–2
 19  Skeen   10  Veal   6  Theus  Stuart C. Siegel Center (6,023)
Richmond, VA
Dec. 11, 2010*
7:00 pm
at Richmond
Capital City Classic
L 60–72  6–3
 14  Skeen   10  Skeen   3  Rodriguez  Robins Center (8,906)
Richmond, VA
Dec. 18, 2010*
2:00 pm
Tulane W 70–67  7–3
 15  Skeen   6  Skeen   5  Theus  Stuart C. Siegel Center (5,734)
Richmond, VA
Dec. 21, 2010*
8:00 pm
at UAB L 65–68  7–4
 26  Burgess   10  Skeen   4  Theus  Bartow Arena (4,344)
Birmingham, AL
Dec. 29, 2010*
7:00 pm
Wofford
Holidays on the Hardwood Classic
W 75–66  8–4
 18  Rozzell   8  Skeen   4  Theus  Stuart C. Siegel Center (5,799)
Richmond, VA
Dec. 30, 2010*
7:30 pm
New Hampshire
Holidays on the Hardwood Classic
W 78–65  9–4
 24  Burgess   8  Burgess   8  Rodriguez  Stuart C. Siegel Center (5,590)
Richmond, VA
Jan. 3, 2011
7:00 pm
at Georgia State L 66–76  9–5 (1–1)
 16  Skeen   4  Skeen   3  Theus  GSU Sports Arena (852)
Atlanta, GA
Jan. 5, 2011
7:00 pm
Drexel W 52–48  10–5 (2–1)
 11  Burgess   8  Burgess   5  Rodriguez  Stuart C. Siegel Center (6,313)
Richmond, VA
Jan. 8, 2011
7:00 pm
at UNC Wilmington W 82–64  11–5 (3–1)
 22  Rozzell   8  Burgess   6  Rodriguez  Trask Coliseum (5,126)
Wilmington, NC
Jan. 12, 2011
7:00 pm
at William & Mary W 70–52  12–5 (4–1)
 22  Brandenberg   12  Skeen   6  Theus  Kaplan Arena (2,245)
Williamsburg, VA
Jan. 15, 2011
12:00 pm
Northeastern W 73–64  13–5 (5–1)
 26  Burgess   9  Burgess   7  Rodriguez  Stuart C. Siegel Center (6,042)
Richmond, VA
Jan. 19, 2011
7:30 pm
Georgia State W 71–54  14–5 (6–1)
 23  Brandenberg   7  Skeen   6  Rodriguez  Stuart C. Siegel Center (6,531)
Richmond, VA
Jan. 22, 2011
4:00 pm
at Old Dominion
ODU rivalry
W 59–50  15–5 (7–1)
 15  Burgess   10  Skeen   5  Skeen  Ted Constant Convocation Center (8,457)
Norfolk, VA
Jan. 24, 2011
7:00 pm
at Towson W 80–76  16–5 (8–1)
 28  Rodriguez   5  Burgess   5  Nixon  Towson Center (1,365)
Towson, MD
Jan. 27, 2011
7:00 pm
Hofstra W 82–67  17–5 (9–1)
 18  Skeen   14  Burgess   6  Nixon  Stuart C. Siegel Center (7,208)
Richmond, VA
Jan. 29, 2011
7:30 pm
UNC Wilmington W 79–70  18–5 (10–1)
 25  Rodriguez   8  Burgess   7  Theus  Stuart C. Siegel Center (7,552)
Richmond, VA
Feb. 2, 2011
7:00 pm
at Northeastern L 80–91  18–6 (10–2)
 18  Rodriguez   9  Skeen   5  Nixon  Matthews Arena (1,095)
Boston, MA
Feb. 5, 2011
2:00 pm
at James Madison W 70–66  19–6 (11–2)
 22  Burgess   7  Nixon   5  Rodriguez  JMU Convocation Center (4,989)
Harrisonburg, VA
Feb. 9, 2011
7:00 pm
at Delaware W 84–74 2OT 20–6 (12–2)
 32  Skeen   11  Skeen   3  Nixon  Bob Carpenter Center (2,471)
Newark, DE
Feb. 12, 2011
7:00 pm
Old Dominion
ODU rivalry
L 59–70  20–7 (12–3)
 15  Rozzell   7  Skeen   4  Rozzell  Stuart C. Siegel Center (7,552)
Richmond, VA
Feb. 15, 2011
7:00 pm, ESPNU
George Mason
George Mason rivalry
L 51–71  20–8 (12–4)
 12  Brandenberg   8  Rodriguez   3  Skeen  Stuart C. Siegel Center (7,552)
Richmond, VA
Feb. 18, 2011*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
at Wichita State
ESPN BracketBusters
W 68–67  21–8
 17  Burgess   12  Skeen   11  Rodriguez  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
Feb. 23, 2011
7:00 pm
at Drexel L 60–64  21–9 (12–5)
 17  Skeen   7  Burgess   3  Burgess  Daskalakis Athletic Center (2,073)
Philadelphia, PA
Feb. 26, 2011
12:00 pm
James Madison L 69–72  21–10 (12–6)
 20  Skeen   8  Nixon   10  Rodriguez  Stuart C. Siegel Center (7,552)
Richmond, VA
CAA Tournament
Mar. 5, 2011
2:30 pm, CSN
(4) vs. (5) Drexel
CAA Quarterfinals
W 62–60  22–10
 24  Skeen   8  Skeen   5  Rodriguez  Richmond Coliseum (7,814)
Richmond, VA
Mar. 6, 2011
12:00 pm, CSN
(4) vs. (1) No. 25 George Mason
CAA Semifinals
W 79–63  23–10
 21  Skeen   13  Burgess   5  Nixon  Richmond Coliseum (8,962)
Richmond, VA
Mar. 7, 2011
7:00 pm, ESPN
(4) vs. (2) Old Dominion
CAA Championship Game
L 65–70  23–11
 19  Burgess   8  Burgess   7  Rodriguez  Richmond Coliseum (11,200)
Richmond, VA
NCAA tournament
Mar. 16, 2011*
9:00 pm, truTV
(11 SW) vs. (11 SW) USC
NCAA First Four
W 59–46  24–11
 16  Skeen   10  Burgess   5  Rodriguez  University of Dayton Arena (10,192)
Dayton, OH
Mar. 18, 2011*
9:50 pm, TNT
(11 SW) vs. (6 SW) Georgetown
NCAA Second Round
W 74–56  25–11
 26  Rozzell   8  Burgess   7  Rodriguez  United Center (17,369)
Chicago, IL
Mar. 20, 2011*
7:10 pm, TBS
(11 SW) vs. (3 SW) No. 13 Purdue
NCAA Third Round
W 94–76  26–11
 23  Burgess   8  Burgess   11  Rodriguez  United Center (18,146)
Chicago, IL
Mar. 25, 2011*
9:57 pm, TBS
(11 SW) vs. (10 SW) Florida State
NCAA Sweet Sixteen
W 72–71 OT 27–11
 26  Burgess   8  D   10  Rodriguez  Alamodome (14,566)
San Antonio, TX
Mar. 27, 2011*
2:20 pm, CBS
(11 SW) vs. (1 SW) No. 2 Kansas
NCAA Elite Eight
W 71–61  28–11
 26  Skeen   10  Skeen   5  Rodriguez  Alamodome (14,738)
San Antonio, TX
Apr. 2, 2011*
6:09 pm, CBS
(11 SW) vs. (8 SE) Butler
NCAA Final Four
L 62–70  28–12
 27  Skeen   9  Burgess   8  Rodriguez  Reliant Stadium (75,421)
Houston, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
SE=NCAA Southeast Regional. SW=NCAA Southwest Regional.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Honors

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Senior forward Jamie Skeen was named the Southwest Regional Most Outstanding Player. Skeen was also named to 2nd team All- Colonial Athletic Association. Senior guard Joey Rodriguez was named to 3rd team All- Colonial Athletic Association.[5]

References

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