I guess you could say it was a pretty good night for VCU fans. The Rams had no problem taking care of Howard in their final non-conference game. Getting off to a hot start and never looking back, the Rams rolled over the Bison 85-51. VCU shot 51.7% from the field and forced a “havoc-esque” 21 turnovers on Wednesday night. JeQuan Lewis led the way for the Rams with 17 points, 5 assists, and 6 steals. He played just 15 minutes as the Rams were able to get their bench a lot of playing time. Jonathan Williams added 14 points and 6 assists in just 22 minutes of playing time. The Bison were led by freshman Charles Williams with 20 points.
VCU has now won 4 straight heading into conference play, and the Rams will play an enormous conference opener on Friday. The George Mason Patriots, having won 9 straight, await in Fairfax for the Rams who are also beginning to heat up. Losses to Georgia Tech and Illinois were concerning for this ball club, but a win over Middle Tennessee and dominance over Howard show that this team be back on the right track. Either way, this conference opener will be a huge chance for Mason and a huge test for VCU. Bring on the basketball.
In other news, VCU fans (at least the bitter ones) may have gotten a laugh out of Shaka Smart’s misery at Texas. It was no secret that the Longhorns have been struggling this season; they’ve failed to win any good games and most recently lost a buy game to Kent State at home. Obviously, this means nothing to the Atlantic 10, but considering Smart left our conference to pursue bigger and better opportunities is ludicrous given his lack of success this season. We can’t help but laugh a little bit.