Enough talk. Let's play some basketball.
After a week of hype, Virginia Commonwealth University is preparing for the biggest game in school history, as the No. 11-seeded Rams take on the No. 8 Butler Bulldogs tonight in the Final Four.
This morning, VCU coach Shaka Smart will gather the team at the Hotel Derek in Houston and go over the game plan. If he can't find enough game tape of the Bulldogs, he won't have to look far to find a comparable team.
The Rams share a defensive style of play, a mid-major background and a willingness to run up and down the court as long as is necessary.
"They play just like us," VCU senior Jamie Skeen said. "We're going to see who cracks first, and who's going to get tired first."
Those sprints will have extra meaning tonight, when a victory means a shot at the national championship.
Virginia Commonwealth has handled every level of pressure thrown its way so far, and was introduced to an even brighter spotlight at Reliant Stadium on Friday morning.
The Rams elected to practice Thursday at nearby Rice University, waiting until Friday's shootaround to get their first glimpse of playing basketball on a stage. The court is on an elevated platform at midfield to give better sight lines to the 70,000 in attendance.
"I don't even know what 70,000 people look like," senior guard Brandon Rozzell said. "I've never been to an NFL arena in my life. I'm even excited just to practice. But this team does well on the big stage."
His teammates echoed those comments, stressing that the Rams are a big-game kind of team.
Sitting at a podium with hundreds of media members circling was a far departure from where the Rams were at the same time in 2010. They were preparing for the CBI championship in St. Louis, a game that was attended by about 5,000 fans.
Guard Joey Rodriguez laughed at the thought.
"Comparing the CBI and Final Four, there's no comparison," he said. "That was good, but this is, by far, the best experience ever."
Smart has been working on getting his team to turn its focus from the atmosphere to the game, holding meetings and study sessions. Butler has been on a tear through the NCAA tournament, including knocking off Old Dominion, which beat VCU twice this season.
The Bulldogs have done it with attention to detail on defense, and the Rams will devote practices to specific plays and scenarios designed to probe for weaknesses.
"They're a great defensive team," senior Ed Nixon said. "Watching film, they're a great rebounding team, too. Those are the things we have to focus in on, and make sure we execute the proper way."
Meanwhile, the Rams will look to continue their red-hot shooting from behind the 3-point line. If they hit seven 3-pointers tonight, they'll tie the tournament record set by the 1995 Arkansas team.
Of course, Butler is plotting ways to hold down VCU, and the Bulldogs have done a superb job of that against top-caliber competition so far.
"You've got to get out on the shooters, or you won't be successful against them," Bulldogs senior Shawn Vanzant said. "You've got to try to run them off the 3-point line a little bit."
Both teams are readying for a fast-paced, rock 'em, sock 'em basketball game.
If that happens, it would be an enjoyable introduction to mid-major basketball for large portions of the viewing audience. The players would have fun, too.
They're already doing their best to soak in the spotlight. CBS constructed a mock court with spotlights and a smoke machine. The players filmed intro videos and other pieces during a portion of the day on Thursday. Is that the sort of thing that could derail a team's focus?
"Nah, that's nice," Nixon said. "I like that."
But what he'd really like is a chance to do it again on Sunday.
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