NIT Second Round: Rams Win and Advance

Final score: VCU 70, South Florida 65.
Location: Yuengling Center in Tampa.
Up to date records: VCU 24-13, South Florida 25-8.

In a nutshell: Although the score was close much of the way, the Rams played this game with a confidence that showed. VCU led for 26:10 of the tilt's 40 minutes, while South Florida led for 9:07.

With Ryan Odom's 24th win it now seems appropriate to note that once again VCU has hired a pretty good head coach. While I can't say anything about his behavior during practices, his calm and focused demeanor throughout the games has been a plus. 

Furthermore, watching Odom's team, gathered from hither and yon, improve over the 2023/24 season has been fun. In particular, he has been consistently getting a lot of production from his bench. Not only has that factor helped win some games, it also has to be good for the team's morale. 

Who knows? Maybe that morale angle will end up keeping some of his developing players from transferring to other programs. 

From the VCU scorebook: Jackson 14 pts., 4 boards, 4 assists 2 assists. Bairstow 13 pts., 6 boards, 4 assists. Lawal 10 points, 5 boards. Fermin 10 pts., 4 boards. 

VCU went 10-for-26 in 3-pointers. South Florida went 4-for-20 in 3-pointers. The Rams blocked five shots. The Bulls blocked 0 shots.

NOTES (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)

• Zeb Jackson knocked down 5-of-9 attempt from the floor, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Graduate wing Sean Bairstow and sophomore forward Tobi Lawal both made clutch plays down the stretch.
• Chris Youngblood buried a three on the first possession of the second half to give the Bulls a 33-32 lead. Although Youngblood would wind up leading all players in scoring with 28 points, when Jackson answered Youngblood's trey with his own 3-pointer, on the ensuing play, the Rams never trailed again. 
• The Rams would lead by as many as nine points, following a three by redshirt freshman guard Fats Billups III that made it 56-47 with 9:21 left.
• The Bulls pulled to within 62-61 on a pair of Youngblood free throws with 3:24 left. But Lawal answered a short time later, finishing through contact in the paint for an And-1 bucket with 2:15 remaining. 
• VCU senior guard Joe Bamisile scooped up an offensive rebound and laid the ball in to give the Rams some breathing room, at 66-61, with 1:26 on the clock. 
• The Bulls would again trim the lead to one on back-to-back scores by Youngblood and Selton Miguel. But Bairstow and Lawal knocked down four free throws and VCU’s defense forced a contested three by Youngblood with five seconds left. It missed. 
• VCU improves to 27-12 all-time against South Florida, its former Sun Belt and Metro Conference rival.

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: The Rams advance to the NIT Quarterfinals for the first time since 1988. VCU will face Utah  on Wednesday, March 27. Tipoff at 9 p.m. TV: ESPN2.