VCU to face stout defense
Saint Mary’s ranks fifth in the country in points allowed
Few teams probably appreciate the chance to play in the NCAA Tournament more than VCU, which faces Saint Mary’s of California at 2 p.m. today on TBS in the first of four round-of-64 games at MVP Arena in Albany, New York.
The Rams gained an at-large bid in 2021, but because of a COVID outbreak discovered on the day of the game, were the only one of 68 qualifiers who didn’t take the floor. Last season, they went to the National Invitation Tournament second round after falling in an Atlantic 10 quarterfinal to rival Richmond, which went on to take the title and upset Iowa in the NCAA Tournament.
This season, with point guard Ace Baldwin coming back to health after wrist injuries, the Rams won the Atlantic 10 regular season by three games and took the tournament title with victories in Brooklyn, New York, over Davidson, Saint Louis and Dayton.
The Rams trailed Dayton by 11 points early in the second half before locking down on defense, holding the Flyers to 20 points in the final 20 minutes and pulling away for a 68-56 triumph. They’re yielding just 63 points per game, 24th-best in the nation.
So VCU (27-7), seeded 12th in the West Region, carries momentum into its game against the fifthseeded Gaels (26-7). Baldwin (12.7 points, 5.9 assists, 2.2 steals per game) is a dynamo on offense and defense, complimented by forwards Brandon Jones (11.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Jalen DeLoach (10 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.4 blocks per game) and Jayden Nunn (9.3 ppg), plus 3-point threats Jamir Watkins (9.6 ppg) and David Shriver (6.5 ppg) off the bench. VCU is looking for its first NCAA Tournament victory under popular coach Mike Rhoades, an assistant when the Rams went to the Final Four in 2011 with Shaka Smart as head coach.
Saint Mary’s has four doubledigit scorers: guards Logan Johnson (14.7 ppg, 3.7 apg, 4.8 rpg, 1.5 spg), Alex Ducas (12.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Aidan Mahaney (14.5 ppg, 2 apg), plus forward Mitchell Saxen (11.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg). They’re fifth in the nation in scoring defense (59.3 ppg), so whichever team can get transition baskets figures to have the edge.