By: Tyler Ward
Well, ya know how there always seems to be a Cinderella of the annual NCAA Tournament? It happened again this year and they go by the name of the Rams.
The Virginia Commonwealth Rams.
Somehow, someway, VCU managed to upset the No. 1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday to advance to their first Final Four in school history.
VCU used many different defenses to confuse the Jayhawks, most of them making the Kansas players shoot from long distance. Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed, and the others could not connect as they dug themselves deeper and deeper and deeper.
The Rams, a #11 seed, are now just the third team in NCAA history to advance to the Final Four after being a double-digit seed (LSU, 1986 & George Mason, 2006).
Jamie Skeen led the Rams with 26 points, but his most impressive statistics didn't appear on the scoreboard. Skeen was all over the place on Sunday, diving for loose balls, contesting shots, and anything else you can think of. His style of play possibly led the Rams to the win.
Skeen, a senior, averaged 15.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game over the regular season. In the tournament, he has helped the Rams to wins over five different major conference teams. In their five impressive wins of the tournament, Skeen is averaging 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
Brandon Rozell added 12 points for the Rams, while going 4-for-7 from three-point land. Point guard Joey Rodriguez also added 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Head coach Shaka Smart said after the game, Those people (the doubters) don't matter. The only people that matter is the 14 guys on our team, and they never stopped believing."
And apparently, they didn't stop believing.
Now VCU will be taking on last year's Cinderella, the Butler Bulldogs. The Bulldogs, perhaps the scrappiest team in the NCAA, is looking to advance to the championship for the second consecutive year.
Kansas had a relatively easy path to the Elite 8, as they ran over teams such as Boston (No. 16), Illinois (No. 9), and Richmond (No. 12).
But on Sunday, they were the ones that got pushed around. The Jayhawks (36-3) hadn't trailed by more than two points in any game of the tournament before Sunday.
However, with roughly five minutes to go in the first half, the Jayhawks were somehow down by a remarkable 17 points.
With the loss, it ensures that no #1 seed will be in the Final Four, only the second time in the tournament's history.
Marcus Morris tried to keep Kansas in the game, as he put up a double-double with 20 points and 16 rebounds. His brother, Markieff, also had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Tyshawn Taylor was the only other Jayhawk in double-digits, as he added 14 points.
The statistic that may be most surprising is that Kansas' bench scored just three points. Not only that, but the Jayhawks shot 2-for-21 from three-point range (9.5%).
