Only 24 teams remain dancing in the NCAA Tournament. And just one city in America can boast two of those basketball teams as its own.
Name the city.
Go ahead. We’ll wait for the shot clock to expire on your hoops knowledge.
Need a hint? OK.
“Rich-what?” students on the University of Richmond campus shouted Saturday, as the Spiders punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 with a lopsided 65-48 victory over Morehead State.
Virginia Commonwealth University, told it was unworthy of inclusion in the 68-team field by basketball snobs, can crash the Sweet 16 party today with an upset of Purdue.
Senior guard Kevin Anderson of Richmond was asked to describe the relationship between his Spiders and the Rams of Virginia Commonwealth.
“Well, I don’t think it’s anything like hatred,” Anderson said.
OK, let’s call it a healthy mutual disdain that Tar Heels and Dukies could appreciate.
“It’s definitely a rivalry,” Anderson said. One of Richmond’s 29 victories was against VCU, “so we’ve definitely got the last laugh right now.”
Tobacco Road or the Big East Conference has nothing on the former capital of the Confederacy when it comes to concentrated basketball excellence.
“Jay Bilas,” chanted the Virginia Commonwealth faithful, as the Rams’ rout of Georgetown during the round of 64 gave fans a prime chance to shove the criticism back in the face of an ESPN commentator who declared that VCU didn’t belong in the tournament ahead of such teams as Colorado.
“Anytime people disrespect you, especially on national TV, it kind of hurts you. We had an opportunity to come out and prove people wrong,” Virginia Commonwealth guard Joey Rodriguez said after scoring 17 points against the Hoyas of the revered Big East.
The VCU and Richmond grounds are located within 6 miles of each other in a metro area of 1.2 million people.
But Richmond and VCU are worlds apart. The two schools are about as different as Kanye West and Taylor Swift.
VCU is bright lights and honking horns. Richmond is chirping birds and preppy pink shorts.
Richmond is a private school of 3,000 undergrads with a campus divided by serene Westhampton Lake. VCU is a public school of 32,000 students with a campus next to Five Guys Burgers and Fries.
Medical education is top-notch at Virginia Commonwealth. Business is hard to beat at Richmond.
On the basketball court, the up-tempo Rams try to wreak havoc on the psyche of foes, while the Spiders weave a tangled web with intricate defensive schemes that sap the life from a game’s pace.
For all the well-deserved hullabaloo regarding Brigham Young guard Jimmer Fredette during the NCAA Tournament games in Colorado, the real steal of the upcoming NBA draft might well be Richmond’s Justin Harper, a 6-foot-9 forward currently projected to go in the second round. If there’s a place for Al Harrington on the Nuggets’ roster, then there will certainly be meaningful minutes for Harper in the league.
“He’ll be a guy that will certainly get a good look from NBA people because of all the ball screening they do on the next level. He can pick and pop, make that 17- or 19-footer,” Morehead State coach Donnie Tyndall said, after watching Harper lead the Spiders with 19 points.
If Richmond and VCU are still alive, it’s left to wonder what Colorado might have done in the NCAA tourney if the Buffaloes were only given a chance.
The Spiders get to sit back and relax, while checking the television today as Virginia Commonwealth tries to keep the dream alive against highly ranked Purdue.
“We both might be two of the teams in the same regional next week,” said Anderson, who provided Richmond with the poise to survive Morehead State. “I’m glad we can breathe. Now it’s not on us. It’s on them.”
Rich-what?
Richmond.
For at least one more day, it’s the college basketball capital of America.
Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com
