3/9 | VCU Rams | 12PM (NBCSN) (A10 Quarterfinal)

[Keatgsr07]

Not that we necessarily needed it, but today's win is doubly big in the sense that we've now likely solidified our seat as an at-large. I was fearful that if we dropped today's game, we'd really be limping in to selection Sunday.

Cheers to dancing!

[PeterRamTime]

Fuck Tillmans blonde hair

I don't think he's a natural blonde, either.

His hair is a lie

[RF1]

Now I want St. Joes. I think the team needs that win to completely restore confidence.

I don't think they will need any motivation if they play St Joe's. Will however have to do a much better job vs the press than parts of today's game and the senior night game.

[Obadiah]

Great win over VCU, URI closed it out and they did not...18-8 down the stretch. There is nothing more pathetic than seeing fans who live in the past and slow to get the message that the Havoc is dead and has been for a quite awhile. A message to VCU fans - there is a new Ram in town and not a copy cat Ram, but an original who speaks not with a lazy, southern drawl but with authority - as four straight wins over VCU clearly shows!!

[RAM67]

Good win. Hopefully the made FT's at the end will build some confidence. While I didn't see the game I get the feeling that they were extremely tight and needed this one in the worst way.

You didn't see the game, yet you criticized people calling out the refs? Go to the corner.

[URI'21]

Go Rhody! Time to find out if we're going to beat the shit out of GM or SJU

[RF1]

I believe Rhody was a lock before today but a loss would have given fans some anxiety going into the Sunday selection show after three straight losses. Today's win should erase any doubt and make Sunday anxiety free except when it comes to seeding. Sunday will be a fun day for the SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR. Makes me think back to the late 90's.

[adam914]

I want St. Joe's so bad. And I have to imagine the team does to.

[RF1]

Great win over VCU, URI closed it out and they did not...18-8 down the stretch. There is nothing more pathetic than seeing fans who live in the past and slow to get the message that the Havoc is dead and has been for a quite awhile. A message to VCU fans - there is a new Ram in town and not a copy cat Ram, but an original who speaks not with a lazy, southern drawl but with authority - as four straight wins over VCU clearly shows!!

URI is now 6-6 all time versus VCU. Given where that program has been of late, that is an accomplishment.

[rhodyruckus]

That final score is evidence why betting on sports is a fool's errand. With 4 minutes to go who would've thunk the guys would coast in like that.

[RhodyRam86]

Now I want St. Joes. I think the team needs that win to completely restore confidence.

I don't think they will need any motivation if they play St Joe's. Will however have to do a much better job vs the press than parts of today's game and the senior night game.

oh...I agree...I don't think motivation is the issue. I think it's confidence. a win over st. joe's can erase the vomit that happened in Kingston.

[scine20]

Good win. Hopefully the made FT's at the end will build some confidence. While I didn't see the game I get the feeling that they were extremely tight and needed this one in the worst way.

You didn't see the game, yet you criticized people calling out the refs? Go to the corner.

I can pretty much guarantee that it went both ways.

I hate blaming officials. They're not on the take and have nothing against whatever team you're rooting for. And truth be told they don't care who wins.

[sf2010]

I can pretty much guarantee that it went both ways.

I hate blaming officials. They're not on the take and have nothing against whatever team you're rooting for. And truth be told they don't care who wins.

That's a helluva guarantee, again considering you did not watch the game. Have you truly never seen a game where poor officiating didn't even out both ways? Sure, sometimes it does. It did not today.

I agree the refs don't have anything against URI. I agree they do not care who wins. They did a shitty job today by calling a foul every time Tillman was breathed on. All of those things can be true.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Now I want St. Joes. I think the team needs that win to completely restore confidence.

I don't think they will need any motivation if they play St Joe's. Will however have to do a much better job vs the press than parts of today's game and the senior night game.

oh...I agree...I don't think motivation is the issue. I think it's confidence. a win over st. joe's can erase the vomit that happened in Kingston.

I don't think confidence or motivation are issues for the team. I'm hoping they want to play St. Joe's because they know how much we all would appreciate the ass-kicking.

[RhodyRam86]

Good win. Hopefully the made FT's at the end will build some confidence. While I didn't see the game I get the feeling that they were extremely tight and needed this one in the worst way.

You didn't see the game, yet you criticized people calling out the refs? Go to the corner.

I can pretty much guarantee that it went both ways.

I hate blaming officials. They're not on the take and have nothing against whatever team you're rooting for. And truth be told they don't care who wins.

I mentioned earlier that I never complain about officiating and call out others on this board when they complain. I agree...officiating is good or bad both ways and we often point out calls that go against us and never mention calls that go our way. But today, I will defend those that complain about calls against us defending Tillman. Several times it appeared the Rhody defender went straight up. It was like "oh...Tillman's shouting...there must be a foul...let me blow the whistle." I would have found it comical if I were not an invested RI fan.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Love this..

Rhody MBB
@RhodyMBB
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"If Fatts Russell played on any other team in this league, he would have been vying for Rookie of the Year. That guy is special. I don't know that there's a rookie in the league that had more clutch performances in more high-leverage games than he did." - head coach Dan Hurley

[wpbrown8267]

Great win over VCU, URI closed it out and they did not...18-8 down the stretch. There is nothing more pathetic than seeing fans who live in the past and slow to get the message that the Havoc is dead and has been for a quite awhile. A message to VCU fans - there is a new Ram in town and not a copy cat Ram, but an original who speaks not with a lazy, southern drawl but with authority - as four straight wins over VCU clearly shows!!

URI is now 6-6 all time versus VCU. Given where that program has been of late, that is an accomplishment.

I also just read this nice nugget on ESPN - "It ends VCU's seven-year NCAA tournament streak, which began with a Final Four run in 2011."

Bye Felicia, I'm mean VCU!

[Rhodyhooopz]

Thanks for keeping me updated guys!!! Guinness are going down smooth over here

[scine20]

I can pretty much guarantee that it went both ways.

I hate blaming officials. They're not on the take and have nothing against whatever team you're rooting for. And truth be told they don't care who wins.

That's a helluva guarantee, again considering you did not watch the game. Have you truly never seen a game where poor officiating didn't even out both ways? Sure, sometimes it does. It did not today.

I agree the refs don't have anything against URI. I agree they do not care who wins. They did a shitty job today by calling a foul every time Tillman was breathed on. All of those things can be true.

I wonder if the VCU fans are complaining about the officiating?

It just gets old, listening to people complain about officials. It's one thing when they made a call late that decided the outcome of the game which was clearly the incorrect call. That I get. Other than that it comes off as whiny and excuse making.

[RF1]

The worse that URI can do RPI ranking wise looks to be about #18. With PC and Alabama solidifying bids, seven of URI eleven OOC opponents will be dancing and two others are in the NIT. Hopefully this (along with today's win) will improve URI's seeding so it is not on the 8-9 line. Would love to at least move up to a 7.

[sf2010]

I wonder if the VCU fans are complaining about the officiating?

It just gets old, listening to people complain about officials. It's one thing when they made a call late that decided the outcome of the game which was clearly the incorrect call. That I get. Other than that it comes off as whiny and excuse making.

I am sure they are. You're absolutely right, most fans for most programs complain about the officiating whether right or wrong after nearly every game. I will give you that. I am sure the game replay will be posted sometime (if it is not already available). When you have 10 minutes to spare, watch every offensive possession by Tillman in the second half and tell me if we were complaining without substance, and tell me that it did not have the potential to alter the outcome of the game.

[Shinze88]

Watching the Mason/Joe's game, I'm not sure which team I'd rather play, what an ugly half of basketball.

How in the world did this St Joe's team completely dismantle us ??

[RF1]

[scine20]

I wonder if the VCU fans are complaining about the officiating?

It just gets old, listening to people complain about officials. It's one thing when they made a call late that decided the outcome of the game which was clearly the incorrect call. That I get. Other than that it comes off as whiny and excuse making.

I am sure they are. You're absolutely right, most fans for most programs complain about the officiating whether right or wrong after nearly every game. I will give you that. I am sure the game replay will be posted sometime (if it is not already available). When you have 10 minutes to spare, watch every offensive possession by Tillman in the second half and tell me if we were complaining without substance, and tell me that it did not have the potential to alter the outcome of the game.

Tillman also had 4 fouls himself. VCU picked up 20 fouls and URI had 17. I do realize that probably 4-5 of them were late when VCU had to foul but if you read this thread, or many other threads in-game you would think it's like a West Virginia-Kansas situation where one team is getting all the foul calls.

[sf2010]

Tillman also had 4 fouls himself. VCU picked up 20 fouls and URI had 17. I do realize that probably 4-5 of them were late when VCU had to foul but if you read this thread, or many other threads in-game you would think it's like a West Virginia-Kansas situation where one team is getting all the foul calls.

We foul more than most other teams due to the in-your-face on-ball pressure our guards play with on every possession. I readily admit that and accept it as a necessary evil that goes with our style of play. Yes, Tillman did commit some fouls. So did VCU. That has literally nothing to do with the conversation we are having.

The point is that there were several point-blank awful foul calls that Tillman benefited from during a critical stretch of the game. It is very frustrating that you are drawing this line in the sand of "it's so annoying when people complain about officiating, it all evens out anyways" when you did not watch the game to have context for the complaints.

Too many people complain about officiating - true. In this instance, it was warranted.

[PeterRamTime]

Watching the Mason/Joe's game, I'm not sure which team I'd rather play, what an ugly half of basketball.

How in the world did this St Joe's team completely dismantle us ??

It's like what Dan says

The teams they see on film are not the same teams that come to play us.

[ramster]

You didn't see the game, yet you criticized people calling out the refs? Go to the corner.

I can pretty much guarantee that it went both ways.

I hate blaming officials. They're not on the take and have nothing against whatever team you're rooting for. And truth be told they don't care who wins.

I mentioned earlier that I never complain about officiating and call out others on this board when they complain. I agree...officiating is good or bad both ways and we often point out calls that go against us and never mention calls that go our way. But today, I will defend those that complain about calls against us defending Tillman. Several times it appeared the Rhody defender went straight up. It was like "oh...Tillman's shouting...there must be a foul...let me blow the whistle." I would have found it comical if I were not an invested RI fan.

I never felt that the URI crowd here at the game felt the the officiating was a problem. It was more like we just couldn’t stop Tillman. He played very well.

[Rammgr]

I think there were a couple of touch fouls that they could have swallowed the whistle but they made up for it when they didn't call a charge that would have have put Tillman out of the game. He lowered his should & moved Andre off the block which isn't easy to do without it being a charge.

[RF1]

While VCU clearly and understandably (short distance and large loyal fan base) had a big crowd, URI seemed to have a decent sized contingent given the distance to DC by the Rhody bench corner. Would think it will only get larger with the weekend.

[Rhody74]

I think there were a couple of touch fouls that they could have swallowed the whistle but they made up for it when they didn't call a charge that would have have put Tillman out of the game. He lowered his should & moved Andre off the block which isn't easy to do without it being a charge.

Definitely. If Tillman had only 3 fouls at the time or it was earlier in the game it probably would have been called.

[DowtinDimes]

Hi everyone, first time, long time. Not a basketball expert here by any means, but after attending the game and peeking at the boxscore, I have these thoughts:

- If Cyril is still nursing an injury, then the way today's game went for him may prove invaluable to us come Saturday and Sunday. Our toughest matchup was Tillman, and we won despite getting only 9 minutes from our best rebounder, who still managed 5 boards.

- That being said, we don't win this game without Berry more than holding his own inside, nor without some important minutes from Nik. Those two will have gained some much-needed confidence going into the semis.

- Dowtin was immense today. Seemed to take control every time we needed someone to step up.

- Fatts is absolutely fearless - a pleasure to watch. Thinking about having him and Jeff together for 2 more years puts a big goofy grin on my face.

- Jared played 40 tough minutes and even when his shots weren't falling, he helped keep up the defensive intensity. As scorers seem to do, he found his 16 points in the end.

- Took a while for Stan to get on the scoresheet, but his made 3 to extend our lead late was a dagger in the heart to VCU. He also led the team with 8 rebounds.

- Some less-sung contributions:
Jarvis: 8 min, 5 ast, 0 TO
EC: 6 rebounds

- EZ Buckets is so loud when you're right next to him. Credit him for helping sections 120 and 121 will those last few foul shots into the net.

At the U-12 right now with St. Joe's up 13. Good. Time for revenge.

[mstyles22]

I can pretty much guarantee that it went both ways.

I hate blaming officials. They're not on the take and have nothing against whatever team you're rooting for. And truth be told they don't care who wins.

That's a helluva guarantee, again considering you did not watch the game. Have you truly never seen a game where poor officiating didn't even out both ways? Sure, sometimes it does. It did not today.

I agree the refs don't have anything against URI. I agree they do not care who wins. They did a shitty job today by calling a foul every time Tillman was breathed on. All of those things can be true.

I wonder if the VCU fans are complaining about the officiating?

It just gets old, listening to people complain about officials. It's one thing when they made a call late that decided the outcome of the game which was clearly the incorrect call. That I get. Other than that it comes off as whiny and excuse making.

I understand that complaining about officials is lame and often an excuse for poor play, BUT...

Calm down, bro. You didn't even see the game. When Rhody Surf posts it (he's great for doing that btw) I suggest you watch how Tillman was officiated in the game.

Then and only then should you report back here and admonish those of us that complained if you think we were exaggerating.

[ramster]

VCU crowd was not a major factor in the game. Neither were the refs.
The lower arena was fairly full but nobody in the upper half of the arena
Jeff Dowtin played very well and Stan with a huge 3 from the corner in front of the URI bench. Russell with the huge 3 at halftime, another clutch 3 and nailed those two FTs late.

[RhodyRam86]

I wonder if the VCU fans are complaining about the officiating?

It just gets old, listening to people complain about officials. It's one thing when they made a call late that decided the outcome of the game which was clearly the incorrect call. That I get. Other than that it comes off as whiny and excuse making.

I am sure they are. You're absolutely right, most fans for most programs complain about the officiating whether right or wrong after nearly every game. I will give you that. I am sure the game replay will be posted sometime (if it is not already available). When you have 10 minutes to spare, watch every offensive possession by Tillman in the second half and tell me if we were complaining without substance, and tell me that it did not have the potential to alter the outcome of the game.

I just read the VCU message board. They complained about officiating throughout. How Tillman had to get tackled to get a call. I guess it's a matter of perspective. But i'll reiterate that I never complain about officiating. Heck...I even defended the refs on the EC charge call against Oregon last year. Tillman was definitely getting calls he didn't deserve and I have a hard time with someone that didn't watch the game having such a strong opinion on any part of it.

[adam914]

Have to call out the performance by my guy Fatts today to. This dude just shows up in big games over and over. Hit some big big shots today.

[RhodyRam86]

I wonder if the VCU fans are complaining about the officiating?

It just gets old, listening to people complain about officials. It's one thing when they made a call late that decided the outcome of the game which was clearly the incorrect call. That I get. Other than that it comes off as whiny and excuse making.

I am sure they are. You're absolutely right, most fans for most programs complain about the officiating whether right or wrong after nearly every game. I will give you that. I am sure the game replay will be posted sometime (if it is not already available). When you have 10 minutes to spare, watch every offensive possession by Tillman in the second half and tell me if we were complaining without substance, and tell me that it did not have the potential to alter the outcome of the game.

Tillman also had 4 fouls himself. VCU picked up 20 fouls and URI had 17. I do realize that probably 4-5 of them were late when VCU had to foul but if you read this thread, or many other threads in-game you would think it's like a West Virginia-Kansas situation where one team is getting all the foul calls.

watch the game. fouls called on tillman were no doubters. heck..on his 4th foul he ran right into garrett who was dribbling the ball and knocked him over. really hard to have an argument about this with someone who hasn't seen the game, just looks at numbers and thinks he's got the whole thing figured out.

[RhodyRam86]

VCU crowd was not a major factor in the game. Neither were the refs.
The lower arena was fairly full but nobody in the upper half of the arena
Jeff Dowtin played very well and Stan with a huge 3 from the corner in front of the URI bench. Russell with the huge 3 at halftime, another clutch 3 and nailed those two FTs late.

with all due respect ramster...you get a different perspective on the game when you watch on tv and have the opportunity to see the same play a few times and in slow motion.

[Billyboy78]

Somebody is criticizing Jarvis? Really? The kid's been sick. He played only 8 minutes but had 5 assists and 2 rebounds. That's pretty damn good if you ask me.

[RAM67]

^ Agreed.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Jarvis was very efficient today...did a real nice job.

[wpbrown8267]

2nd to agree, 5 assists in 8 mins is amazing, and Danny pointed out that JG had a flair up with his colitis. The kid is nails, end of story

[RF1]

[RF1]

[ramster]

I wonder if the VCU fans are complaining about the officiating?

It just gets old, listening to people complain about officials. It's one thing when they made a call late that decided the outcome of the game which was clearly the incorrect call. That I get. Other than that it comes off as whiny and excuse making.

I am sure they are. You're absolutely right, most fans for most programs complain about the officiating whether right or wrong after nearly every game. I will give you that. I am sure the game replay will be posted sometime (if it is not already available). When you have 10 minutes to spare, watch every offensive possession by Tillman in the second half and tell me if we were complaining without substance, and tell me that it did not have the potential to alter the outcome of the game.

I just read the VCU message board. They complained about officiating throughout. How Tillman had to get tackled to get a call. I guess it's a matter of perspective. But i'll reiterate that I never complain about officiating. Heck...I even defended the refs on the EC charge call against Oregon last year. Tillman was definitely getting calls he didn't deserve and I have a hard time with someone that didn't watch the game having such a strong opinion on any part of it.

How can you say you never complain about officiating but you are complaining about Tillman? At the game and never did the URI contingent lend one to believe that URI was getting screwed. Tillman even had 4 fouls. He was a beast. Got to give him credit even hitting threes.
If we had lost this game it would not have been due to the refs. Crowd there didn’t show it. Maybe it looked different on TV.

[PeteRI]

I was getting really nervous with our terrible free throw shooting and the close score near the end of the game. But fortunately it looks like we've regained the skill, determination and tenacity that we had during our amazing run. Here's to the beginning of another one!!

(And Jeff and Fatts give me great hope that we'll be able to repeat our success next year.)

[RAM67]

A three.

[rhodysurf]

[RhodyRam86]

I am sure they are. You're absolutely right, most fans for most programs complain about the officiating whether right or wrong after nearly every game. I will give you that. I am sure the game replay will be posted sometime (if it is not already available). When you have 10 minutes to spare, watch every offensive possession by Tillman in the second half and tell me if we were complaining without substance, and tell me that it did not have the potential to alter the outcome of the game.

I just read the VCU message board. They complained about officiating throughout. How Tillman had to get tackled to get a call. I guess it's a matter of perspective. But i'll reiterate that I never complain about officiating. Heck...I even defended the refs on the EC charge call against Oregon last year. Tillman was definitely getting calls he didn't deserve and I have a hard time with someone that didn't watch the game having such a strong opinion on any part of it.

How can you say you never complain about officiating but you are complaining about Tillman? At the game and never did the URI contingent lend one to believe that URI was getting screwed. Tillman even had 4 fouls. He was a beast. Got to give him credit even hitting threes.
If we had lost this game it would not have been due to the refs. Crowd there didn’t show it. Maybe it looked different on TV.

In my 2 to 3 years on this board I have never complained about officiating until today and have often griped at those that do complain about officiating. If you don't believe me, go back and look at my posts and prove me a liar. Tillman is a beast. Played a great game, but he also benefitted from several weak foul calls. I don't think the URI contingent at the game could have nearly the same perspective as the URI contingent at home when determining the validity of calls. Did you have the benefit of seeing a instant replay. The ability to see a play 2 or 3 times? Perhaps you had angles and views of plays that we at home didn't get to see...

[reef]

Great win for URI

Jeff was outstanding

JT had nice 2h after struggling 1h

On to St Joe

[RhodyRam86]

Definitely great to be back in the win column. Something did jump out in the box score that I wasn't aware of while watching. In most games our guys top out at 32-33 minutes. Jarred play 40 and Jeff played 38. Just something to keep an eye on this weekend. Maybe we give Joes a little payback and can give these guys some rest...