Less than 48 hours after completing one of the greatest comebacks in NCAA Tournament history, the VCU Rams’ Cinderella run came to a painful end Saturday night.
No. 3 seed Illinois beat 11th-seeded VCU 76-55 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, ending the Rams’ season and sending the Fighting Illini to the Sweet 16.
The game turned cruel almost immediately. Illinois bolted to a 20-8 lead after VCU’s Nyk Lewis sprained his ankle in the opening minute of the game and did not return. Lewis, the freshman guard who had been one of the Rams’ most important contributors, had scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Friday’s miraculous comeback win over UNC.
VCU coach Phil Martelli Jr. said losing Lewis to injury so early “took the wind out of our sails,” adding: “Certainly what Nyk represents, you just can’t replicate. I feel terrible for him and for him to go out like that was just a shame.”
To their credit, the Rams didn’t quit. Terrence Hill Jr. — the hero of Thursday’s comeback — hit a flurry of threes to spark a run, and VCU got back in it with a series of 3-pointers to take a 28-26 lead behind 12 first-half points from Hill. For a moment, it felt like lightning might strike twice.
It didn’t. Illinois took control late in the first half with Stojakovic scoring all the points during a 9-0 stretch to close the half. Andrej Stojakovic finished with 21 points and the Illini never looked back.
The size mismatch proved decisive. Illinois, which had a huge height advantage, held VCU to 35% shooting and out-rebounded the Rams 45-29. The Illini blocked five shots.
Terrence Hill Jr. led VCU with 17 points. It was a quiet night by his standards after his transcendent 34-point performance against UNC, but Hill’s performance over the full tournament weekend was nothing short of remarkable and something Ram Nation won’t forget anytime soon.
The loss closes the book on a special VCU season. The Rams won back-to-back A-10 Tournament titles, earned an 11-seed in the Big Dance, and stunned the college basketball world with one of the greatest first-round comeback wins in tournament history. VCU trailed UNC by 19 points in the second half before Hill’s go-ahead three with 15 seconds left sealed the win — the largest first-round comeback in NCAA Tournament history.
This team gave Ram Nation everything. Hold your heads high, Rams. The future is bright.
No. 3 seed Illinois beat 11th-seeded VCU 76-55 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, ending the Rams’ season and sending the Fighting Illini to the Sweet 16.
The game turned cruel almost immediately. Illinois bolted to a 20-8 lead after VCU’s Nyk Lewis sprained his ankle in the opening minute of the game and did not return. Lewis, the freshman guard who had been one of the Rams’ most important contributors, had scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Friday’s miraculous comeback win over UNC.
VCU coach Phil Martelli Jr. said losing Lewis to injury so early “took the wind out of our sails,” adding: “Certainly what Nyk represents, you just can’t replicate. I feel terrible for him and for him to go out like that was just a shame.”
To their credit, the Rams didn’t quit. Terrence Hill Jr. — the hero of Thursday’s comeback — hit a flurry of threes to spark a run, and VCU got back in it with a series of 3-pointers to take a 28-26 lead behind 12 first-half points from Hill. For a moment, it felt like lightning might strike twice.
It didn’t. Illinois took control late in the first half with Stojakovic scoring all the points during a 9-0 stretch to close the half. Andrej Stojakovic finished with 21 points and the Illini never looked back.
The size mismatch proved decisive. Illinois, which had a huge height advantage, held VCU to 35% shooting and out-rebounded the Rams 45-29. The Illini blocked five shots.
Terrence Hill Jr. led VCU with 17 points. It was a quiet night by his standards after his transcendent 34-point performance against UNC, but Hill’s performance over the full tournament weekend was nothing short of remarkable and something Ram Nation won’t forget anytime soon.
The loss closes the book on a special VCU season. The Rams won back-to-back A-10 Tournament titles, earned an 11-seed in the Big Dance, and stunned the college basketball world with one of the greatest first-round comeback wins in tournament history. VCU trailed UNC by 19 points in the second half before Hill’s go-ahead three with 15 seconds left sealed the win — the largest first-round comeback in NCAA Tournament history.
This team gave Ram Nation everything. Hold your heads high, Rams. The future is bright.
