VCU notes

Rams have little time to celebrate

Virginia Commonwealth forward Larry Sanders celebrated his 21st birthday Saturday night, the same time the Rams were celebrating an 82-69 victory over 17th-ranked Oklahoma at the Siegel Center.

There won't be much time to savor either happening.

The Rams (2-1) need to come down from the stratosphere quickly because they have to travel to Hampton (0-2) tonight.

"It's critical that we go into the next game ready to go," VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "By the way, it's not an easy place to play."

The Rams lost at Hampton 64-55 two seasons ago. VCU won 59-54 last year at home.

Sanders asserts himself in second half

Sanders, a 6-11 junior who is a potential first-round NBA draft pick, struggled in VCU's first two games. Hampered by foul trouble, Sanders averaged 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds and just 21 minutes.

He battled through four fouls Saturday and played only 21 minutes, but he was able to make his presence felt in the second half, scoring 12 of his 17 points.

"It's a great birthday present," he said. "I think Brandon [Rozzell] said it before we went out there, 'The best gift we can give you right now is to get this win.' I think everybody bought into that.'"

Sanders, who did not attempt a 3-pointer in his first two seasons, even made a 3-pointer in the first half --after missing one attempt.

"I was excited," he said, "plus I was open."

He's 1 for 3 this year and said he's probably taken enough, a thought echoed by Smart.

Sooners' coach praises Rams, crowd

Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel had plenty of good things to say about VCU after the game. Capel coached the Rams for four seasons.

"They are very talented," he said. "It's scary to think how good they'll be when Jamie Skeen becomes eligible. . . . They have everything you need to continue to win championships here, on top of great fan support."

Skeen, a 6-9 transfer from Wake Forest, has to sit out until the end of the first semester under NCAA transfer rules. His first game will be against Tulane on Dec. 19.

Capel noncommittal about return visit

The Rams may not have done themselves any favors when it comes to luring another big-name school to the Siegel Center. Since the 1992-93 season, the Rams were 2-12 against teams ranked in The Associated Press poll, according to the VCU sports information office.

But they're 123-22 at the Siegel Center, which opened in 1999. Oklahoma was the first ranked team to visit the Siegel Center and had to endure being soundly beaten in a delirious atmosphere.

Capel had a clause in his VCU contract that stipulated if he left for another school, that school would have to play the Rams in a home-and-home series. He was noncommittal when asked if he would bring Oklahoma back again.

"If I have a better team," he said jokingly. "I don't know. Scheduling is hard. It just kind of depends on our team." -- Tim Pearrell