2011–12 VCU Rams men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 2011–12 VCU Rams VCU Athletics logo 2012.png 200 Colonial Athletic Association CAA 29–7 15–3 Shaka Smart (3rd year) Jamion Christian Mike Rhoades Will Wade Stuart C. Siegel Center CAA tournament champions NCAA tournament Round of 32 The 2011–12 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was the 44th season of the university fielding a men's basketball program. Led by third-year head coach Shaka Smart, the Rams were coming off a season marked by a run to the Final Four. Expected to finish lower in the CAA regular season standings, the Rams finished as regular season runners-up with a 15–3 conference record, before winning the 2012 CAA Men's Basketball Championship against Drexel, 59–56, earning their 11th ever berth into the NCAA Tournament. It was also the first season since 1984–85 that the Rams consecutively qualified for the NCAA Tournament. During the NCAA Tournament, the Rams were the only CAA representative in the tournament and earned a 12-seed. The Rams upset Wichita State in the second round, before losing to Indiana in the Third Round. Preseason VCU was predicted to finish third in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason polls, which were released October 18, 2011 in Arlington, Virginia.http://www.caasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205318205 Drexel Picked to Win Caa Men?S Basketball Championship in 2011-12 Senior guard/forward Bradford Burgess was selected to the preseason Colonial Athletic Association first team. 2011–12 incoming team members 2011–12 team recruits no no 2011 Treveon Graham SF Washington, D.C. St. Mary's Ryken (MD) 6 5 215 August 19, 2010 3 0 86 Jared Guest PF Columbia, South Carolina Charis Prep. (NC) 6 8 205 May 11, 2011 2 0 Post Brianté Weber PG Chesapeake, VA Fork Union Military Academy 6 2 165 July 3, 2010 2 3 Post Teddy Okereafor PG London, England Christchurch School 6 3 170 April 19, 2011 2 0 90 2011 VCU 2011 Basketball Commitments 2011 VCU Basketball Commits ESPN vcu 5136145 2670 June 14, 2011 yes Roster 2011 VCU Rams m #000000 #F8B800 #F8B800 #000000 Brianté Weber y 2 G 6 2 165 FR Chesapeake, VA Teddy Okereafor 5 G 6 3 190 FR London, England London, England Darius Theus y 10 G 6 3 190 JR Portsmouth, VA Rob Brandenberg 11 G 6 2 180 SO Gahanna, Ohio Gahanna, OH Juvonte Reddic y 15 F 6 9 225 SO Winston-Salem, NC Bradford Burgess y 20 G/F 6 6 225 SR Midlothian, Virginia Midlothian, VA Treveon Graham 21 G 6 5 215 FR Washington, District of Columbia Washington, D.C. y Jarred Guest 23 F 6 8 210 FR Columbia, South Carolina Columbia, S.C. Heath Houston 24 F 6 8 230 FR Powder Springs, Georgia Powder Springs, GA Reco McCarter 25 G 6 7 190 FR Goldsboro, North Carolina Goldsboro, N.C. Troy Daniels y 30 G 6 4 200 JR Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke, VA D. J. Haley 33 C 7 0 250 SO Palmdale, California Palmdale, CA David Hinton 34 F 6 9 235 JR Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem, N.C. http://www.vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2010-11/roster July 25, 2011 Shaka Smart Mike Rhoades Will Wade Accolades Honors and awards Senior guard/forward Bradford Burgess was named to the first team Colonial Athletic Association. Sophomore forward Juvonte Reddic and junior guard Darius Theus were named to the third team Colonial Athletic Association. Theus was also named to the Colonial Athletic Association all defensive team.Casadonte Lane Burgess named first team CAA as VCU Rams prepare for conference tournament 2 March 2012 http://wtvr.com/2012/03/02/vcu-gets-ready-for-caa-tournament/ 2 December 2012 Records Regular season Prior to the start of the regular season, the men's basketball team played two preseason exhibitions. On November 3, the Rams defeated Cal U. Vulcans 71–48. Treveon Graham of the Rams led the team in scoring with 16 points.Defense, balanced scoring lead Rams to 71–48 exhibition win over California (Pa.) http://vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/2011110447puyo VCUAthletics.com November 5, 2011 The regular season began with the Rams hosting the Saint Francis Red Flash on November 11. In a close affair, the Rams earned a 63–57 victory over the Red Flash to open up the season.Daniels, Reddic lead Rams to 63–57 season-opening win over Saint Francis on banner night http://vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/20111111k20jx6 January 24, 2012 November 11, 2011 Despite the opening victory, the Rams lost their second two games of the season, both at neutral venues during the Charleston Classic, losing to Seton Hall and Georgia Tech. Against Tech, the Rams held an eight-point lead at halftime, before relinquishing the lead in the second half. Bradford Burgess led the Rams in scoring, with 17 points.Rams falter in second half, fall to ACC foe Georgia Tech, 73–60 http://vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/20111119x0lbd1 VCUAthletics.com January 24, 2012 November 18, 2011 Their final game of the Classic ended in a five-point victory over Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. On November 23, the Rams played the Hilltoppers again, this time in an intra-conference early season game, and still picked up a victory. Burgess once again led the Rams in scoring, with 16 points.Rams suffocate Western Kentucky, pick up decisive 68–45 win http://vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/20111124za51dj VCUAthletics.com January 24, 2012 On November 27, 2011, the Rams traveled south to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide, their first nationally ranked opponent of the season. The Crimson Tide, who were NIT finalists the previous season, had gone off to a 6–0 start to the season, and were ranked thirteenth in the nation at the time of tip-off. The Crimson Tide were also coached by former Rams head coach Anthony Grant, who led the Rams to three NCAA Tournaments during his tenure. While the game was closely contested, the Tide pulled away late on to earn a 72–64 victory.JaMychal Green hits 21 as Tide rallies late to repel Rams https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=313310333 The Associated Press ESPN.Go.com January 24, 2012 November 27, 2011July 2024 medicmedic Burgess led the Rams in scoring with 18 points.Rams battle 13th-ranked Alabama to the end, but fall, 72–64 http://vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/201111285f0373 VCUAthletics.com January 24, 2012 November 27, 2011 At the time, the 64 points scored by the Rams was the most points the Crimson Tide had allowed all season long.Kausler, Jr. Don No. 13 Alabama 72, VCU 64, final http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/11/no_13_alabama_72_vcu_64_final.html The Birmingham Times AL.com January 24, 2012 November 27, 2011 From late November until early January, the Rams went on an eight-game winning streak, including victories over their intercity rivals, the Richmond Spiders and South Florida. The Rams began Colonial Athletic Association conference play on December 17, 2011, by hosting the UNC Wilmington Seahawks. Despite having a 2–6 regular season record at the time, the Seahawks were on a two-game winning streak.Seahawks Extinguish Flames, 77–68 http://www.uncwsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=92923&SPID=11332&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=19800&ATCLID=205343386 UNCW Sports Information UNCWSports.com January 24, 2012 December 6, 2011 The Rams, also on a two-game win-streak were able to dominate the majority of the game, earning an 87–64 victory of the Seahawks. Once again, Burgess led the Rams in scoring, tallying 22 points. Juvonte Reddic of the Rams led the team in rebounds, totaling nine off the glass. Darius Theus led the Rams with both assists and steals, accumulating eight assists and seven steals.Stats: VCU 87, UNCW 64 https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=313512670 https://web.archive.org/web/20241130232338/https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=313512670 dead November 30, 2024 The Associated Press ESPN.go.com January 24, 2012 December 17, 2011 Following their conference opener against UNC Wilmington, the Rams played three more non-conference games to close out 2011. At their December 20 home game, the Rams posted a 68–49 victory over the UAB Blazers. Following the victory over the Blazers, the Rams travelled to games at UNC Greensboro and Akron, winning each affair. The December 29 victory at Akron was the Rams' first overtime game and victory of the season. To open 2012, the Rams traveled up north to take conference foe, Hofstra. The January 2 game resulted in a 17-point victory for the Rams, making it, at the time, the largest road victory for VCU of the season. Two days later, the Rams hosted Georgia State, and suffered their first home loss of the season, falling 53–55 against the Panthers. The game was also the Rams' first defeat in CAA play. Their follow-up game at Drexel also resulted in a narrow defeat, as the Rams fell to the Dragons, 58–64. For the next month, from January 11 – February 12, the Rams went on an eleven-game winning streak, improving their overall record to 22–5 and their conference record to 13–2. The record earned the Rams three votes in the AP Coaches' Poll, making them unofficially ranked 36th in the nation amongst Division I schools. Their winning streak came to end on February 14, when the Rams traveled north to take on their I-95 rivals, George Mason. The closely-knit affair saw the Rams lose 61–62 on a last-second three-pointer by George Mason's Sherrod Wight.Wright's 3-pointer at buzzer gives George Mason 62–61 win over Virginia Commonwealth https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/wrights-3-pointer-at-buzzer-gives-george-mason-62-61-win-over-virginia-commonwealth/2012/02/14/gIQAtsjoER_story.html https://web.archive.org/web/20120215193700/http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/wrights-3-pointer-at-buzzer-gives-george-mason-62-61-win-over-virginia-commonwealth/2012/02/14/gIQAtsjoER_story.html dead February 15, 2012 Associated Press WashingtonPost.com February 17, 2012 February 14, 2012 Following the one-point loss to George Mason, the Rams played their final non-conference game of the regular season against Northern Iowa in the ESPN BracketBusters series. Held at the Siegel Center, the Rams earned a 77–68 victory over the Panthers, giving the Rams a final non-conference regular-season record of 10–3. The Rams finished their conference schedule at home against George Mason. Following the narrow loss to George Mason in Fairfax, VCU beat George Mason 89–77 to end conference play at 15–3. Postseason Finishing as the regular season runners-up, the Rams earned a direct bye to the quarterfinals of the 2012 CAA men's basketball tournament, where they earned the second seed in the tournament. Their conference tournament run began on March 3, 2012, when the Rams took on the Northeastern Huskies at the Richmond Coliseum in downtown Richmond, Virginia. The Rams won 75–65 and advanced to the semifinals against Mason. In the semifinals, the Rams took a 22-point lead against Mason, leading 22–0 before Mason successfully scored their first basket.Pearrell Tim CAA TOURNAMENT: Roller coaster takes VCU to final http://www2.timesdispatch.com/sports/2012/mar/05/tdsport01-roller-coaster-takes-vcu-to-final-ar-1740155/ Richmond Times–Dispatch TimesDispatch.com March 6, 2012 March 5, 2012 https://archive.today/20130205041850/http://www2.timesdispatch.com/sports/2012/mar/05/tdsport01-roller-coaster-takes-vcu-to-final-ar-1740155/ February 5, 2013 dead mdy-all Winning, again by a ten-point margin, 74–64, the Rams reached their second-consecutive CAA Championship, and their seventh in the past eleven years. In the CAA Championship, VCU took on Drexel, whom they lost to during the regular season. After leading by as many as sixteen in the second half,Darius Theus helps send VCU back to NCAA tournament https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=320652182 https://web.archive.org/web/20210917050806/https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=320652182 dead September 17, 2021 Associated Press ESPN.com March 6, 2012 March 5, 2012 the Rams would weather a Drexel comeback, winning their fifth CAA tournament, 59–56.Lopez Tommy CAA Champs: Rams down Drexel, capture title, advance to the Dance http://ramsreview.com/2012/03/05/caa-champs/ VCU Student Media Group Rams Review March 6, 2012 On March 11, 2012, the Rams were announced by the NCAA Selection Committee as a #12 seed in the Southern Region, taking on Wichita State in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Wichita State, finished the season ranked #15 in the nation and won the previous year's National Invitation Tournament. Played in Portland, Oregon at the Rose Garden, the Rams took a 62–59 victory over Wichita State, sending them into the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Rams led by as many as 13 points in the game. As the season came to a close, VCU was defeated in a heart breaker by Indiana in the third round of the NCAA tournament after Hoosiers came back from 6 down with 4 minutes to win 63–61 as VCU's three-point attempt bounced off the inside of the rim at the buzzer. The Rams' season finished with a 29–7 record. Schedule Source http://vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/schedule 2011–12 Schedule 2011-07-29 yes n |- !colspan=12| Preseason exhibitions November 3 7:30 pm yes California (Pa.) Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA 71–48 6,675 0–0 |- !colspan=12| Regular season November 11 7:30 pm yes Saint Francis Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA ESPN3 63–57 7,617 1–0 November 17 5:30 pm yes yes Seton Hall Carolina First Arena Charleston, SC Charleston Classic ESPNU 54–69 – 1–1 November 18 8:30 pm yes yes Georgia Tech Carolina First Arena Charleston, SC Charleston Classic 60–73 4,528 1–2 November 20 8:30 pm yes yes WKU Carolina First Arena Charleston, SC Charleston Classic ESPN3 69–64 2,455 2–2 November 23 7:00 pm yes yes WKU E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 68–45 3,285 3–2 November 27 9:30 pm yes yes Alabama 13 Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL ESPNU 64–72 10,500 3–3 November 30 7:30 pm yes South Florida Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA ESPN3 69–46 7,617 4–3 December 4 2:30 pm yes yes George Washington Verizon Center Washington, D.C. BB&T Classic MASN 75–60 – 5–3 December 09 7:30 pm yes Richmond Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA Farm Bureau Insurance Black & Blue Classic ESPN2 73–51 7,617 6–3 December 17 7:30 pm UNC Wilmington Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA ESPN3 87–64 7,617 7–3 1–0 December 20 7:30 pm yes UAB Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA ESPN3 68–49 7,617 8–3 December 22 7:00 pm yes yes UNC Greensboro Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, NC 80–68 2,716 9–3 December 29 7:00 pm yes yes Akron James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH 76–75 OT 3,993 10–3 January 2 7:00 pm yes Hofstra Hofstra Arena Hempstead, NY 80–63 1,612 11–3 2–0 January 4 7:30 pm Georgia State Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA 53–55 7,617 11–4 2–1 January 7 8:00 pm yes Drexel Daskalakis Athletic Center Philadelphia, PA CSN 58–64 2,532 11–5 2–2 January 12 6:00 pm James Madison Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA ESPNU 65–45 7,617 12–5 3–2 January 14 8:00 pm yes Delaware Bob Carpenter Center Newark, DE TCN 68–55 3,568 13–5 4–2 January 19 8:00 pm William & Mary Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA ESPNU 69–68 OT 7,617 14–5 5–2 January 21 8:00 pm Old Dominion Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA CSN 61–48 7,617 15–5 6–2 January 23 7:00 pm Hofstra Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA CSN 61–49 7,617 16–5 7–2 January 25 7:00 pm yes Towson Towson Center Towson, MD 67–42 974 17–5 8–2 January 28 2:00 pm yes Georgia State GSU Sports Arena Atlanta, GA 59–58 2,025 18–5 9–2 February 1 7:00 pm yes William & Mary William & Mary Hall Williamsburg, VA CSN 87–78 2,506 19–5 10–2 February 4 7:00 pm Northeastern Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA CSN 59–56 7,617 20–5 11–2 February 8 7:30 pm Towson Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA ESPN3 66–43 7,617 21–5 12–2 February 11 2:00 pm yes Old Dominion Ted Constant Convocation Center Norfolk, VA CSN 68–64 8,742 22–5 13–2 February 14 9:00 pm yes George Mason Patriot Center Fairfax, VA CSN 61–62 6,734 22–6 13–3 |- February 17 7:00 pm yes Northern Iowa Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA ESPN BracketBusters ESPN2 77–68 7,617 23–6 February 22 7:30 pm yes UNC Wilmington Trask Coliseum Wilmington, NC 63–59 3,514 24–6 14–3 |- February 25 6:00 pm George Mason Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, VA ESPN2 89–77 7,617 25–6 15–3 |- !colspan=9| 2012 CAA men's basketball tournament March 3 6:00 pm yes 2 Northeastern 7 Richmond Coliseum Richmond, VA Quarterfinals 11,200 TCN 75–65 26–6 |- March 4 4:30 pm yes 2 George Mason 3 Richmond Coliseum Richmond, VA Semifinals 11,200 TCN/ESPN3 74–64 27–6 |- March 5 7:00 pm yes 2 Drexel 1 Richmond Coliseum Richmond, VA Championship 11,200 ESPN 59–56 28–6 |- !colspan=9| 2012 NCAA tournament March 15 7:15 pm yes yes 12 S Wichita State 18 5 S Rose Garden Portland, OR Second Round CBS 62–59 17,519 29–6 |- March 17 7:10 pm yes yes 12 S Indiana 16 4 S Rose Garden Portland, OR Third Round TBS 61–63 17,337 29–7 Eastern Time (#) during NCAA Tournament is seed with Region Statistics No. Number Player GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game FG% Field goal percentage 3FG% Three-point field goal percentage FT% Free throw percentage RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Saves per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game 2 Brianté Webber 29 4 19.9 .432 .258 .800 3.2 1.7 2.2 0.3 5.4 5 Teddy Okereafor 21 0 5.6 .267 .000 .750 0.4 0.7 0.3 0.0 0.5 10 Darius Theus 29 29 31.2 .452 .264 .646 2.4 4.8 1.6 0.3 8.7 11 Rob Brandenberg 29 15 25.1 .337 .287 .681 2.7 1.9 1.1 0.6 8.3 15 Juvonte Reddic 29 28 27.5 .517 .000 .701 6.8 0.6 1.4 1.2 10.4 20 Bradford Burgess 29 29 31.9 .367 .367 .792 5.1 1.5 1.1 0.3 13.1 21 Treveon Graham 29 0 17.1 .374 .311 .641 3.6 0.5 0.7 0.3 6.9 23 Jarred Guest 16 0 4.8 .312 .000 1.000 0.7 0.1 0.2 0.2 1.0 24 Heath Houston 10 1 3.8 .600 .--- .--- 0.6 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.6 25 Reco McCarter 10 0 1.6 .400 .500 .250 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.6 30 Troy Daniels 29 13 23.4 .367 .379 .816 3.4 0.6 1.2 0.1 9.9 33 D.J. Haley 29 26 15.5 .536 .--- .333 3.9 0.3 0.6 0.6 3.4 34 David Hinton 17 0 2.6 .500 .--- .000 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.2 Source: ESPN.comLast updated: February 18, 2012 References 2 VCU Category:VCU Rams men's basketball seasons VCU VCU Rams VCU Rams