<a href="http://www.vcuramnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Atlantis.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-9308" title="Atlantis" src="http://www.vcuramnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Atlantis-300x185.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="185" /></a>VCU defeated No.19 Memphis in tonight's opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, a game that saw the Rams' fast-paced havoc system and a youth movement lead them to the big 78-65 upset win.
The Rams came out firing on all cylinders, out-running and wreaking havoc on the Tigers to the tune of a 14-point halftime advantage.
After watching their lead cut to just two with 4:06 left on the clock, VCU went on a 12-0 run behind junior Rob Brandenberg and sophomore Treveon Graham, and punched their ticket to a semi-final matchup against the 5th-ranked Duke Blue Devils.
Graham lead all players with 26 points on the evening, a career high.
The sophomore expected to fill much of the void left by the graduation of senior Bradford Burgess, hit a layup to give the Rams a four-point lead with 3:49 to play, then put the nail in the coffin with a rare four-point play, giving the Rams a 14-point lead with just 1:25 left on the game clock.
Rob Brandenberg was huge during that stretch as well, hitting two threes in a matter of 44 seconds, giving the junior guard 15 points on a perfect 5-5 from long range for the evening.
The Rams once again lead the turnover battle, getting 22 out of Memphis, 14 coming from VCU steals.
The black and gold turned the ball over 17 times themselves in tonight's track meet, but blasted Memphis from long range, hitting 13-of-22 three balls, a ridiculous 59.1% clip, good for 11 more makes than the Tigers who hit just 2-of-7 on the night.
VCU sharpshooter Troy Daniels accounted for the threes Graham and Brandenberg weren't hitting, taking all of his eight shots from behind the line and hitting four of those attempts, good for 12 points in the win.
The Rams will advance to take on an undefeated Duke (4-0) squad who dispatched Minnesota earlier today 89-71.
Game tips Friday at 7PM on NBC Sports Network.
The Rams came out firing on all cylinders, out-running and wreaking havoc on the Tigers to the tune of a 14-point halftime advantage.
After watching their lead cut to just two with 4:06 left on the clock, VCU went on a 12-0 run behind junior Rob Brandenberg and sophomore Treveon Graham, and punched their ticket to a semi-final matchup against the 5th-ranked Duke Blue Devils.
Graham lead all players with 26 points on the evening, a career high.
The sophomore expected to fill much of the void left by the graduation of senior Bradford Burgess, hit a layup to give the Rams a four-point lead with 3:49 to play, then put the nail in the coffin with a rare four-point play, giving the Rams a 14-point lead with just 1:25 left on the game clock.
Rob Brandenberg was huge during that stretch as well, hitting two threes in a matter of 44 seconds, giving the junior guard 15 points on a perfect 5-5 from long range for the evening.
The Rams once again lead the turnover battle, getting 22 out of Memphis, 14 coming from VCU steals.
The black and gold turned the ball over 17 times themselves in tonight's track meet, but blasted Memphis from long range, hitting 13-of-22 three balls, a ridiculous 59.1% clip, good for 11 more makes than the Tigers who hit just 2-of-7 on the night.
VCU sharpshooter Troy Daniels accounted for the threes Graham and Brandenberg weren't hitting, taking all of his eight shots from behind the line and hitting four of those attempts, good for 12 points in the win.
The Rams will advance to take on an undefeated Duke (4-0) squad who dispatched Minnesota earlier today 89-71.
Game tips Friday at 7PM on NBC Sports Network.
