It was a tale of two defenses last night for the Rams, but if the black and gold want any realistic shot at an eighth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, defense No.2 is what we'll need to see a lot more of from the Rams the remainder of the season.
After giving up 45 points on 58% shooting to the Mountaineers of Appalachian State in the first half (68.4% inside the arc) of Tuesday night's contest, the Sunbelt team was limited to 27 second half points and held to 33% from the field the remainder of the game.
It was one of the better halves of VCU defense we've seen this year from the statistically worst VCU defense we've seen in a decade, a defense that if it stays the course, is virtually guaranteed to miss out on NCAA tournament action if the Rams can't collect an A-10 tournament title.
<span style="color: #ff0000;">Of the 36 Atlantic 10 NCAA tournament representatives the past decade, only two have gone on to an NCAA tourney with a D that ranked outside of kenpom's top-100 in adjusted defensive efficiency.</span>[/HEADING=3]
After giving up 45 points on 58% shooting to the Mountaineers of Appalachian State in the first half (68.4% inside the arc) of Tuesday night's contest, the Sunbelt team was limited to 27 second half points and held to 33% from the field the remainder of the game.
It was one of the better halves of VCU defense we've seen this year from the statistically worst VCU defense we've seen in a decade, a defense that if it stays the course, is virtually guaranteed to miss out on NCAA tournament action if the Rams can't collect an A-10 tournament title.
