‘It will be a war’: WSU bracing for another chapter of VCU basketball rivalry

If there has been one nonconference rivalry that has defined the decade for Wichita State basketball, it’s likely been its tussles with VCU.

That’s why it’s fitting that the Shockers are closing out the decade with one more showdown against the Rams. The 11 a.m. Saturday game at Koch Arena, broadcast to a national audience on ESPN2, promises to be another thriller between NCAA Tournament hopefuls, as WSU (9-1) and VCU (9-2) both enter on the cusp of a top-25 ranking.

“(VCU) will be a veteran team and they play extremely hard and extremely tough. It will be a war,” WSU coach Gregg Marshall said on his radio show Monday. “This game on Saturday will be one of the best games of the year against one of the best teams on our schedule.”

The rivalry was ignited in 2011 in an ESPN Bracketbusters game that each side desperately needed to boost its postseason chances. VCU escaped with a 68-67 win at Koch Arena when Joe Ragland was whistled for a foul on Joey Rodriguez with less than a second remaining and WSU up one. Rodriguez made both free throws for the win, a result Marshall still can’t believe to this day.

“That was an unbelievable call with Joey Rodriguez; otherwise we win that game,” Marshall said. “Instead, VCU wins and goes on to the Final Four that year, and that was the year we went on our run to the NIT championship. Who knew that Bracketbusters game and that call at the very end of the game on the last play would determine so much of that season.”

The two sides met again the next season in the NCAA Tournament with VCU once again winning (62-59) in the final minute. Eight months later, WSU went into Richmond, Virginia and emerged with a 53-51 victory after a game-winning jumper by Malcolm Armstead with 3.8 seconds left. The series was renewed last season with VCU winning 70-54 at home with Saturday being the return trip to Wichita.

Through the years, Marshall has become very familiar with VCU and its “Havoc” pressure defense. This season is no different, as VCU ranks second in steals (10.5) and turnovers forced (19.7) per game. The Rams are led by 6-foot-7 junior center Marcus Santos-Silva (13.5 points, 8.7 rebounds) and four other senior starters to make up one of the most experienced teams in college basketball.

“This is a big-boy press, a grown-man press,” Marshall said. “They work on it every day and it’s their calling card. We’re going to have to be very disciplined, make great decisions, be strong with the basketball, do everything with two hands. All of the things these guys have heard every single day they’ve been here. Hopefully we’ll be at our best on Saturday.”

WSU’s returning guards should know the feeling after the Shockers committed 17 turnovers, including seven from starting point guard Ricky Torres, in last year’s 16-point loss against the Rams. Marshall said he felt like it was an “accomplishment” for WSU last yer to even get the ball past halfcourt against the pressure.

But now Jamarius Burton, Erik Stevenson and Dexter Dennis all have a year of experience under their belt and Marshall has injected the team with more talent at the guard positions with freshmen Grant Sherfield, Tyson Etienne and Noah Fernandes. Marshall said he is much more confident going into this game with the depth and ball handlers he has at his disposal this season.

Here’s what the key will be for the Shockers:

“You’ve got to keep the ball centered and you can’t get too close to the sidelines,” Marshall said. “You’ve got to know when you turn your back, the double team is coming. We’re always trying to get multiple cutters toward the basketball and center the ball when you do make the pass out of the double team. If you get it centered, then you can go either way and you’re not boxed in on one side of the court. We’re going to have to make a lot of unorthodox basketball plays. It’s not cookie cutter by any stretch of the imagination.”

And just like it was at the start of the decade, Saturday’s game could once again hold important NCAA Tournament implications come March.

“I’m excited for this opportunity,” Marshall said. “We’re 9-1 and this is the last game before Christmas break. We win this game and more than likely we go into Christmas with a streak and several marquee wins and likely a top-25 ranking. If we can finish off this three-game stretch (Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, VCU), that would just be marvelous.”

VCU (9-2) at Wichita State (9-1)

When: 11 a.m. Saturday

Where: Koch Arena (10,506), Wichita

TV: ESPN2 (Ch. 2033 on Cox, Ch. 1606 on AT&T, Ch. 209 on DirecTV, Ch. 143 on Dish)

Streaming: Watch ESPN

Radio: KEYN, 103.7 FM

Series: VCU leads 3-2 (1-1 in Wichita)

Projected starters

Coach: Mike Rhodes, third season, 52-25

Coach: Gregg Marshall, 13th season, 317-114

About VCU: Expectations are high for a VCU team coming off a 25-win season and an Atlantic-10 championship. VCU has the 23rd-oldest team in the country this year and has risen to as high as No. 20 in the AP Top 25 poll. The Rams, which return four starters, were picked to win the A-10 title once again by the coaches and return 89% of their scoring back... VCU’s two losses are by a combined six points to Purdue and Tennessee... VCU recorded its first 6-0 start in school history earlier this season... The Rams rank 21st in defensive efficiency... VCU is coming off a narrow 76-71 win at Charleston, its first road win of the year where the Rams had to rally from a 10-point deficit in the second half.

About Wichita State: The NCAA released its first NET rankings of the season on Monday with WSU checking in at No. 14... The Shockers earned 31 AP votes this week and are essentially ranked No. 28 nationally... Since a 2011 home loss to VCU, WSU has defeated 55 of its last 56 non-conference opponents at Koch Arena with an average margin of victory of 21.5 points... WSU has won nine straight at home, while VCU has won seven straight on the road for the second-longest road winning streak in the country... Erik Stevenson was named AAC Player of the Week after scoring 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds in WSU’s 80-75 win over Oklahoma.

This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 5:10 PM.

Taylor Eldridge

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6270

Wichita State athletics beat reporter. Bringing you closer to the Shockers you love and inside the sports you love to watch.