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VCU Vs. Akron


lance99

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Zeke's guarantee:

http://fox8.com/2013/03/19/zips-confident-...o-ncaa-tourney/

Akron center Zeke Marshall guarantees a win.

“Y’all are going to love that, I know,” said Marshall. “I’m in a position to where we can accomplish the goals that we as a team wanted to accomplish at the beginning of the year. We have a goal that we want to get to and we are going to run over people until we get it.”

“We lost to them last year but we are going to beat them where it matters the most, and I’m confident enough to say that because they are in our way,” said Marshall.

If you watch the video, Zeke gets asked to clarify if he is guaranteeing an Akron win, and he says 'Yes I am.'

Just for those who were asking for a link.

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While I am certainly wary (and very respectful) of VCU's Havoc pressure, I thought I'd throw out that one of the key ways to overcome that style of play has little-to-nothing to do with ball-handling. You play great defense yourself, keep them at a low percentage of made buckets, protect the rim, dominate the defensive glass, and push the ball with outlet passes. The Zips are a very good defensive team... they are a very good rebounding team with a significant height advantage at virtually every position but one... and have one of the best shot-blockers in the tournament. VCU is probably a better shooting squad than they showed in the A-10 final, but their poor shooting in that game took a significant amount of sting out of their pressure game. If they shoot like that against Akron (and Akron can definitely have a formidable say in that stat), I think the Zips can beat these guys.

I have a lot of faith in this team and in this coach. I think they will be coached up and ready for battle. They will not be an easy out.

GO ZIPS! :champs:

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Thanks for the link Districtballer, do us a favor and don't tell anybody on your end about the coerced "guarantee." :D

LOL our guys are on top of it.

Shaka's heavy on motivation, I'm sure he'll use it. It's tough to find bulletin board material when you're a 5 seed but he does what he can to get our guys prepared to go to war.

Either way, you still have to execute on the court, so it only helps so much. Akron will be a tough challenge regardless.

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I was reading the VCU message boards and I think the VCU fans are more arrogant than OU fans.

This can't possibly be true. My brain can't comprehend something more arrogant than OU fan/grad.

I'm glad they lost last night. Their fans thought they were going to the big dance and now they're nowhere. Good riddance.

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This can't possibly be true. My brain can't comprehend something more arrogant than OU fan/grad.

I'm glad they lost last night. Their fans thought they were going to the big dance and now they're nowhere. Good riddance.

OU fans on twitter were wondering why they didn't get an at-large this year.

As far as Zeke's guarantee? So what. 99% of the country, including me, has guaranteed VCU a win. Don't give me the VCU "motivation" garbage. Ask any of the Rams if they expect to win and they will all say yes. Not a single athlete in the entire tournament is making the trip to lose.

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OU fans on twitter were wondering why they didn't get an at-large this year.

As far as Zeke's guarantee? So what. 99% of the country, including me, has guaranteed VCU a win. Don't give me the VCU "motivation" garbage. Ask any of the Rams if they expect to win and they will all say yes. Not a single athlete in the entire tournament is making the trip to lose.

Shaka loves that stuff. He uses every and anything an opponent says. We're all competitors, but you will never hear a VCU player do that. Shaka banned twitter for all of our players after a George Mason player threw out some smack about our season being over prior to our matchup in the CAA tournament in 2011. They beat us by 20 at our house a week or so before, were riding a nation-leading 16-game winning streak, and had just cracked the Coaches top 25. VCU had lost 4 of its last 5 regular season games.

He had that tweet printed out in large letters on the board when our players came in. We won by 16.

It's something this group responds to.

I agree, you don't expect any of your players to think differently, you'd just never hear our guys say something like that publicly before a game.

Like I said before, it doesn't change the fact that you still have to execute and that Akron is a damn good opponent that will take away your strengths. Our staff will just use it because our guys respond to that kind of a challenge.

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LOL our guys are on top of it.

Shaka's heavy on motivation, I'm sure he'll use it. It's tough to find bulletin board material when you're a 5 seed but he does what he can to get our guys prepared to go to war.

Either way, you still have to execute on the court, so it only helps so much. Akron will be a tough challenge regardless.

I don't think it will matter much. At most, it could help offset the national media already hyping a VCU-Michigan match-up in the next round. Virtually no one, other than the die-hards here and the Zips themselves, give Akron a snowball's chance in this game. So there's no way Shaka can get a bigger chip on his team's shoulders than the one already on the Zips' shoulders. And the Rams won't be the underdog neutral crowd darling this time around; the Zips will assume that role.

I still think it comes down to the Rams outside shooting, because Akron is going to protect the paint and the rim at all costs on defense. If the Rams start making a bunch of outside shots to set up their press on a tee all night, Akron could easily be in for a major thump job. If not... well, I actually think Akron has a really good shot at winning this game.

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Yea I'd think having most of the crowd rooting against VCU will work in our favor. Michigan wants no part of seeing VCU, so we'll use the things we can to build up an 'us against the world' mentality to our advantage much like Akron is using the national media disrespect card to their own.

Good coaches seize on any and all opportunities. The opposing teams senior captain guaranteeing a win would qualify and everyone in Auburn Hill rooting for us to lose would as well.

You guys have plenty to seize on from the national media, and I bet Coach D is doing just that.

It's going to be a heckuva game. At the end of the day, it comes down to who the better team tomorrow will be. All the rest are distractors.

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Yea I'd think having most of the crowd rooting against VCU will work in our favor. Michigan wants no part of seeing VCU, so we'll use the things we can to build up an 'us against the world' mentality to our advantage much like Akron is using the national media disrespect card to their own.

Good coaches seize on any and all opportunities. The opposing teams senior captain guaranteeing a win would qualify and everyone in Auburn Hill rooting for us to lose would as well.

You guys have plenty to seize on from the national media, and I bet Coach D is doing just that.

It's going to be a heckuva game. At the end of the day, it comes down to who the better team tomorrow will be. All the rest are distractors.

Agreed.

One thing that will be interesting is how many Michigan fans stick around for a 9:45 game... especially if S. Dakota St. pulls off the upset. (They're pretty good.)

Always enjoy your input here, District. I wish we were playing somebody else, because I like Shaka and VCU quite a lot.

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Agreed.

One thing that will be interesting is how many Michigan fans stick around for a 9:45 game... especially if S. Dakota St. pulls off the upset. (They're pretty good.)

Always enjoy your input here, District. I wish we were playing somebody else, because I like Shaka and VCU quite a lot.

Likewise.

I'll tell you what, I hate that one of our seasons will end tomorrow, but if it has to be us, I know which mid-major I'll be rooting for to make a deep run.

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On any given night, ANY DI team can beat any other DI team.

VCU is not playing a high school team, or a schoolyard pickup team.

They are playing a team that won 19 in a row, won both their conference and conference tournament, and beat Princeton, Penn State and MTSU, each of whom had some good wins of their own.

They are also playing a team that defeated a 2012 Sweet 16 team, which was conference co-champion (and I choke on those words) and got an at large to the NIT. Did I mention they beat that team THREE TIMES?

It is not over until the Fat Lady sings. It is not over if there is a 20 point deficit at the half, as this team has come back many times.

It will be over sometime after 11:30 tomorrow night. Until then, the odds are simply 50-50.

We will win or we will lose.

50-50.

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On any given night, ANY DI team can beat any other DI team.
VCU is not playing a high school team, or a schoolyard pickup team.

They are playing a team that won 19 in a row, won both their conference and conference tournament, and beat Princeton, Penn State and MTSU, each of whom had some good wins of their own.

They are also playing a team that defeated a 2012 Sweet 16 team, which was conference co-champion (and I choke on those words) and got an at large to the NIT. Did I mention they beat that team THREE TIMES?

It is not over until the Fat Lady sings. It is not over if there is a 20 point deficit at the half, as this team has come back many times.

It will be over sometime after 11:30 tomorrow night. Until then, the odds are simply 50-50.

We will win or we will lose.

50-50.


Now why would you bring THAT up? :rolleyes::D

Go Zips. Get a 20-point lead at the half! :wave:
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Zips turnovers per game:

13.62 in 29 games with Abreu at PG

13.67 in 3 games without Abreu at PG

And the second figure against the stiffest competition the MAC had to offer - K.e.nt State (x2) & Ohio.

In no way is Melo the playmaker AA was. However, he is a better ball-handler & won't try to do too much & get sloppy, like AA was quite prone to do.

We'll see.

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And the second figure against the stiffest competition the MAC had to offer - K.e.nt State (x2) & Ohio.

In no way is Melo the playmaker AA was. However, he is a better ball-handler & won't try to do too much & get sloppy, like AA was quite prone to do.

We'll see.

Melo's biggest issue is making mental mistakes. He has the ability/talent to be a great point guard. Let's just hope he grows up fast.

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