VCU seemed to be in cruise control, up 20 at the half, but the Rams had to hold off feisty crosstown rival Richmond, which got the margin down to two with 6:02 to go, on the way to a critical 78-67 road win on Saturday.
Phew!
VCU (20-6, 11-2 A-10, NET: 48) has now won nine in a row.
The Black & Gold led by as many as 23, but Richmond (14-12, 4-9 A-10, NET: 140) got the score to 64-62 with 6:06 on the clock on a bucket by AJ Lopez.
A floater by junior forward Michael Belle on VCU’s ensuing possession provided a four-point cushion. A short time later, Terrence Hill buried a three-pointer from the left wing to give the Black and Gold a 72-65 edge with 1:55 left. UR could get no closer than five the rest of the way.
NCAA Tournament resume
Quad 1: 0-4
Quad 2: 5-2
Quad3/4: 15-0
Key
Quad 1: Home (1-30), Neutral (1-50), Away (1-75)
Quad 2: Home (31-75), Neutral (51-100), Away (76-135)
Metrics
Topline
- ELO: 37
- RPI: 38
- NET: 48
Resume
- KPI: 38
- WAB: 52
- SOR: 53
Predictive
- KenPom: 46
- BPI: 47
- BartTorvik: 60
Average: 46.6
NCAA Tournament seed projection: Last Four In/First Four Out line
Key remaining games
- Quad 1: @Saint Louis (24-1, 12-0 A-10, NET: 16), Feb. 20
- Quad 2: @Dayton (15-9, 6-5 A-10, NET: 92), March 6
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Chris Graham
