VCU @ UMass
In a tightly contested Atlantic-10, every game matters on the road to March. Seeding in the A-10 tournament is crucial with just one automatic bid for the conference. The UMass Minutemen crushed VCU Tuesday night and jumped into sole possession of fourth place in the conference. Meanwhile, VCU falls to just a game and a half up on UMass with five games to play.
The 74-52 victory over the Rams shot UMass up eight spots in the NET rankings. St. Francis (PA) transfer Josh Cohen lit up the scoreboard Tuesday. A 6-10 senior, Josh averaged 21.8 ppg and 8.3 rpg in his final year with the Red Flash. Now, in his first season at UMass, Cohen is averaging 16 and seven. His 20-point performance in last night’s game led the team. Cohen has racked up six double doubles on the year.
In addition, fellow forward Matt Cross delivered a dominant performance for UMass Tuesday night. Cross, a two-time transfer, started his career with Miami. Matt ranked as the No.5 player in Massachusetts coming out of high school, however, struggled to find a rhythm with the Canes. He transferred to Louisville for his sophomore year. Once again, he struggled, averaging just under six points per contest. Cross immediately found his rhythm upon returning home to UMass and has averaged 13.9 points per game and 7.4 rebounds in his two seasons. He scored 16 and added 13 boards in the Minutemen’s only Quad 1 win of the season at Richmond.
VCU finds themselves in a tricky spot following yesterday’s brutal defeat. The Rams’ NET ranking took a nose-dive, dropping all the way from 71 to 78. On the bright side for VCU fans, the Rams secured a huge Quad 1 win over Dayton on February 9th. That victory keeps them in the running for an at-large bid. However, it will be an uphill battle for VCU.
Coach Ryan Odom will rely on nearly all transfers in his starting five to make a run to the Big Dance. First, former Utah State guards Sean Bairstow and Max Shulga. Shulga leads the Rams in scoring at just under 15 per contest. Bairstow has missed time due to injury, but averages 9.9 points and has eight double digit scoring outings in just 13 games.
In addition, Cal transfer Kuany Kuany has started 25 games for the Rams. Kuany shoots an unbelievable 77.3 percent from the line for his career at 6-9, and provides a defensive presence in the middle for VCU. Finally, former Michigan guard Zeb Jackson. Jackson waited patiently through two years at Michigan and his first at VCU for a chance to start. He’s taking full advantage of his opportunity this season, averaging 11.1 ppg.
Both VCU and UMass remain longshots to make the NCAA Tournament despite the huge win for the Minutemen. Rutgers holds the crown for the lowest rated NET team to make the Big Dance at 77 in 2022. With VCU and UMass ranked 78 and 83 respectively, these squads will need an outstanding performance in the A-10 tournament.
