The victory over Duke is the primary difference between VCU-Then, and VCU-Now.
VCU's climb to No. 11 during the Barnett Era is highly misleading; the Rams were most efficient in those days at puttering along in slow lane, without spinning out. VCU was out-pointing light- and middleweights - not heavyweights - en route to that lofty perch in the rankings.
Also, consider VCU's four NCAA victories under Barnett were over Long Island, LaSalle, Northeastern and Marshall - not exactly national headline grabbers. The NCAA had a 48-team field at that time. The first four seeds received byes the opening round, so you didn't have these ludicrous 1-vs.-16, 2-vs.-15, like now.
Three other reasons why the program is in sounder footing in the 21st century:
Home attendance: Some of the oldtimers, with selected memory, forget that home attendance was generally poor, with just a few exceptions toward the end of J.D's. tenure. There were many 2-to-3,000 crowds at the Coliseum that didn't come close to filling the lower deck.
The recent sellouts (with actual competition for tickets), coupled with mushrooming spirit, provide a far more powerful recruitng base.
Academics: Nowadays, VCU recruits basketball players similar in GPA/SAT qualifications to those being sought by U.Va., Tech, etc. Much of the early-times success was based on recruiting athletes who would not be considered by more established schools.
TV: Used to be, only royalty came into your living rooms. Now, so many cable options have enabled the less-endowed schools to receiver a larger share of the package.
Bottom line:
The dethroning of Duke was the turning point - that's the game that spun heads, opened eyes, and won the attention of students/area citizens who previous had only marginal interest.
It has been said that the victory over the blue-blooded Blue Devils - representing the beheading of despised monarch - meant more to generating interest in VCU hoops than all the victories, put together, that the Rams had accumulated in so many previous decades.