Preview: Crosstown Hoops Rivalry, Part Two

VCU Rams visit the Robins Center tonight in hopes of a sweep.

The Virginia Commonwealth University men’s basketball team visits the University of Richmond for the second Capital City Clash game tonight.

When: Friday, Feb. 17, at 9 p.m.

Where: University of Richmond’s Robins Center

Watch on TV: ESPN 2

Listen on radio: ESPN 950 AM

What you need to know about the VCU Rams:

The Rams (21-5, 11-2 in A-10) have won seven in a row and will need to keep winning to stay on track for a coveted at-large invitation to the NCAA tournament.

Rams fans hope VCU won’t need any more last-second good fortune to win, as the team already may have used up this month’s supply. Yes, to keep their winning streak alive, the lucky Rams stole a couple of games on the road — at St. Bonaventure and George Washington — with a little help from their opponents and the referees. So the Rams have struggled a bit in recent tilts.

Offensive Growth:Although Rams head coach Will Wade couldn’t have been happy with his team’s defensive effort in its last outing against the Colonials, his offense was quite impressive. In that game the Rams’ best three players on the offense showed a confidence that’s growing: senior guard JeQuan Lewis (34 points), junior forward Justin Tillman (14 points and 13 boards) and freshman guard Samir Doughty (10 points and 10 assists).

Paint Power: Should Richmond hold the visitors to one shot per possession and steal a bunch of entry passes to the low post, the Spiders could well pull off the upset. But the advantage the Rams have under the basket can be seen in the statistics. Richmond averages 32.5 rebounds per game while its opponents average 38. VCU averages 36.2 rebounds per games while its opponents average 33.2. The game probably will be decided in the paint.

And about those Spiders:

The Richmond Spiders are fresh off a tough loss Tuesday at George Mason, which dropped them to third place in the Atlantic 10 at 9-4 (15-10 overall). In that game, Richmond got into foul trouble early and a second-half comeback fell short, as the Spiders sent the Patriots to the foul line more than 30 times.

At this point, the Spiders likely are looking at a National Invitational Tournament bid, unless they can finish the season strong and win the A-10 tournament in Pittsburgh. More than the rivalry, Coach Chris Mooney and his squad are likely thinking foremost about assuring a strong seating in the A-10 tourney [the top four seated teams receive a double bye]. Note: Two of the big-name bracketologists are asserting that only two A-10 teams (Dayton and VCU) will make the NCAA tourney this year; they’ve been averaging three teams, which would indicate a slight down year for the league.

Spiders fans would love to see a nice finish for senior stars T.J. Cline — arguably the best passing big in college basketball this season — and point man, ShawnDre’ Jones, who dropped 30 last time against VCU.

Homecourt Advantage? It’s been pointed out before, but the fans at the Robins Center in general tend to be older, longtime supporters. A smaller school, the students don’t show up with near the numbers or passion that Rams fans bring. Add to that the many VCU fans who will be in the house and, well, the home-court advantage is negated somewhat. Nonetheless, the environment for this rivalry game is always electric. And the older fans at the Robins Center have a way of riding the refs through humiliation if they start making too many bad calls.

Freshmen Rising: Once again, the Spiders will need to contain VCU’s bigs inside, no easy task. They’ll also have renewed focus on VCU point guard, Lewis, who hurt them in the last match-up. Richmond’s freshman three-point marksman, Nick Sherod, is coming off a career-high 18 points against Mason. He’ll need to light it up again, as well as hit the boards. Expect the freshman De’Monte Buckingham to be looking to redeem a mediocre performance last time against the Rams — and at six boards a game, he’ll need to help that effort. (That’s if the talented freshmen duo can ward off the physical toll that usually affects freshmen legs at this juncture in the season.)

Simply put, the Spiders’ big two will need to find some sturdy help from younger role-players. Expect this team to leave it all on the court to avenge their loss in what, by all indications, should be another dandy.

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