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Game 7-099: NCAA Round of 32, Southwest Region 3/11
March 20, 2011 10:59 pm ET by Kyle Whelliston

[11] Virginia Commonwealth Rams vs. [3] Purdue Boilermakers

March 20, 2011 7:10 pm
Chicago, IL
BBState Stats/Recap



On Saturday night, we left Cleveland and headed west to Chicago to catch back up with the VCU Rams, the first PIG team to win a Round of 64 game. And we saw them become the first PIG team to go to the Sweet Sixteen. It was an instance of a very rare type of upset: the kind where the lower-seeded team transcends reality with limitless confidence, floats above the court, and wins during pregame warmups. Purdue never had a chance against the Runnin' Rams. We also saved a seat on press row for our friend @VCUPav and his VCU Ballz (above), who witnessed the Georgetown game but had to return home. We'll see you when RVA takes over San Antonio.

Meanwhile back at the Q, Mason's season ended with a loss, a 28-point one, at the hands of the overall top seed. And, too: plenty more Bally face time on national television, the best cheering section in the United Center (BOOM SHAKA), Joey Rodriguez continues growing the 2011 NCAA Tournament's biggest King Balls, the utter meaninglessness of an "eye test," more basketball Robots, and why Shaka Smart should wear a toga while coaching.

@midmajority Game Tweets

17:22 RT @MarkBuman: Jim Larranaga pumping up @midmajority nation!!!! #GiantKillers
17:22 RT @polarscribe: Wearing my @midmajority Season 6 "Bally Revolution" T-shirt in support of GMU. Everything's different now, indeed.
17:22 RT @wbryan08: Let's go Mason! Who cares about brackets, right @midmajority?
17:23 [POST by Kyle] The NCAA Tournament Diff: Round of 32 Day 2 | http://www.midmajority.com/p/1991
17:25 RT @MikeMinyard: Wearing my George Mason shirt from the 2006 Final Four in Indianapolis. Let's go! #MarchMadness @midmajority
17:25 RT @WM_VA_Josh: Me too! RT @polarscribe Wearing my @midmajority Season 6 "Bally Revolution" T-shirt in support of GMU. Everything's different now, indeed.
17:57 RT @SethHunt105: Okay, all us mid-major fans are Patriots and Rams today. #CAA #AOUEOU @midmajority
17:57 RT @grittysquirrels: @midmajority Go #georgemason
18:02 Madhouse on Madison. http://plixi.com/p/85619057
18:14 RT @SkywayChicago: #MASON NATION - Today we are All George Mason Fans... (So please start playing with some GM JOY!)
18:39 RT @gmoore21566: @midmajority Miss not having u and Bally in the camera shots when they show Len and Gus before start of second half. Just not right.
18:43 Media room TV (single) in Chicago switched over to Arizona-Texas due to overwhelming popular demand. Sigh.
18:45 RT @KraigW: @ballybasketball and friends are packing up for moving day @midmajority http://plixi.com/p/85626852
18:59Game 7-099: [11] VCU vs. [3] Purdue. NCAA Round of 32, from Chicago. Last call for the Colonial.
19:02 It's true. And awesome. RT @VCUPav You will be happy to know that the VCU band & VCU Gold Rush Dancers are both Title R compliant.
19:06 VCU Ballz is here, but our friend/TV star @VCUPav is not. Real life. Empty seat next to us behind the VCU bench; we dedicate it to him.
19:10 The United Center is more like a cooking pot than the rectangularity of the Q in Cleveland. Noise circulates, sounds deeper and more heroic.
19:11 VCU looks relaxed and confident. The players do, anyway. The assistants look like they're in the waiting room for open-heart surgery.
19:14 Skeen scores first for VCU. Meanwhile back in Cleveland, it's a final: 98-66. Three left.
19:14 RT @midmajority360: George Mason 66 Ohio State 98 | GMU: C. Long 16 - OHST: D. Lighty 25 | http://tmm7.me/g1x
19:16 VCU up 7-4. Calm, businesslike, all the confidence in the world. Ram rooting section with their red blinking light pins.
19:19 RT @zbloxham: Dad: They [VCU] can't start out like this. Me: Dad, VCU is in black. Dad: Oh. Cool! #RamsDontLookLikeAMid! @midmajority
19:22 Purdue rattles off seven straight points to tie it. No panic in that time out, though. Cooler customers than the team that played earlier.
19:25 VCU: win the turnover battle, keep the game moving end to end, get back on D and limit PUR's transition buckets. Not a halfcourt team.
19:26 RT @WM_VA_Josh: @midmajority @ballybasketball Looks like you've got a good seat today! #VCU http://twitpic.com/4bltq9
19:27 Juvonte Reddic getting his foul shooting practice in. Three sweet shots from there. 18-15 PUR, 11:47 1H.
19:40 RT @bubbaprog: Thanks to @WM_VA_Josh I located @midmajority and @ballybasketball http://30fram.es/1pj Google trends increasing again for "basketball toy"
19:42 VCU up 28-24 at 5:18 1H. Not giving an inch, shooting 48%, have withstood 3 blocks.
19:44 I see you waving those towels! RT @NHunterThompson: @midmajority look for us behind the Chicago basket up top with the rams shirts
19:49 VCU opens up a 9-pt lead, thanks to press, turnovers, and legs legs legs. What an amazing run of great NCAAT matchups for the Runnin' Rams.
19:51 You said it, not me. :-) RT @jllanclos: @midmajority yes. Great matchups. Dumb, slow, and overrated
19:52 Rozzell's three puts VCU up 12, and the CAA brass jumps up from their seats.
19:54 Rams running Purdue off the floor right now. Heavy crowd lean to PUR in Big 10 country, but small VCU contingent clearly audible.
19:56 Joey Rodriguez' balls are, once again, visible on satellite imagery.
19:56 RT @sienasoup: @midmajority Bally with more face time than Seth Davis
19:59 VCU 42, Purdue 32 at halftime. What a performance. Too fast for #8vs5 to take hold, too composed to slip, just too good.
20:00 But these games require 40 minutes of near-perfection. VCU's put in 20, halfway to San Antonio.
20:04 Tempo-free HT is brought to you by BLAPP. VCU: 42 points in 35 possessions (1.20). Purdue: 32 points in 31 trips (1.03).
20:08 There are three days coming up without meaningful hoops. Lager, fruit juice and grain alcohol will get you through. Stay strong with BLAPP.
20:10 Disclaimer: time travel with BLAPP will decrease liver function by up to 96%.
20:17 Yes. RT @dhm: @midmajority You really have to update the Urban Dictionary definition for BLAPP. http://t.co/6aSjMUp
20:21 Don't know if it's visible in HD, but VCU comes out on the court for 2H looking like they're running errands, not facing elimination. Calm.
20:25 Purdue fans rise as the Boilers cut it to 7. But VCU isn't blinking. Answering every shot with an equal. 48-39 Rams, 16:59 2H.
20:27 And sometimes VCU answers 2-for-1. Nixon with a #sofdunx to put the Rams up by 12. 15:59 2H.
20:29 The NCAA probably never figured this would happen, but a VCU win here will point up the unfairness of the new broken bracket.
20:30 You have an 11 seed that has to win seven games, while 12 seeds have to win six. Not fair. This is why I was hoping the PIGs would be 16v17.
20:31 RT @gidalkaiser: RT @richiemelby BEST CHEERING SECTION IN THE #UnitedCenter RIGHT HERE! http://plixi.com/p/85649039 @midmajority
20:32 Joey Rodriguez' balls are communicating with life on other planets. Transcendental balls. Galactic balls.
20:38 I know they did play-in PIGs for TV/ticket sales, but seeds should be created equal. Next: wild-cards! Don't know your destination til Wed!
20:39 I have no idea how VCU fans would be nervous right now. Their on-court reps are placid, serene, floating above the United Center floor.
20:41 65-46 after a Burgess #superhoop. 11:33 2H. It is a privilege to be witnessing this in person.
20:43 RT @chanford24: @midmajority Wow - is this what you were expecting when you changed location from Cleveland to Chicago? What an awesome performance!
20:44 Fate. @chanford24
20:45 Also, as mentioned a few days ago, we've been credentialed at San Antonio for the last month. Had a good feeling about that.
20:46 If this holds, it will go into a special class of upset: the ones where the lower-seed team came in with absolute supreme confidence.
20:47 For example, Ohio over Georgetown in 2010, Cleveland State over Wake Forest in 2009. Over before they began.
20:49 Purdue cuts it to 13, but the clock is running. Shaka Smart calls TO. The huddle is calm.
20:50 Agreed. RT @MRLowen24: @midmajority siena-vanderbilt
20:53 I don't want to get into the "belong" argument. They had the right numbers. And VCU got three great matchups: Lunk U, Lunk U and Lunk U.
20:55 But we've been there for USC/PUR, and it's a team that runs like hell & is transcendentally calm when the clock isn't running. Great combo.
20:55 He is one toga away from the "religious leader" look. RT @4QuartersRadio: @midmajority In related news, Shaka Smart just walked on water?
20:56 And it wouldn't have got them in. RT @devyanks90: Purdue lost to Richmond in Chicago in November #804takingoverChitown @midmajority
20:58 And to be clear, we didn't quit on Mason by leaving Cleveland. Not that our presence would have mattered. But we got some letters.
20:59 Ed Nixon with a #superhoop and the mini-jersey pop. 80-60, 4:32 2H. Which one of these is the #dagger? Who knows.
21:00 Nervous CAA reps yelling for the Rams to slow it down and burn clock. But they're in such a groove, they just want to keep running their O.
21:01 When Joey Rodriguez came off the floor just now, his eyes met mine. It was the stone-cold gaze of a killer.
21:04 Want. #blackandblue RT @HarrySmalleyIII: @midmajority If Richmond and VCU meet in the E8, the game should be moved to the Richmond Coliseum.
21:04 Which one? Kidding. RT @NHunterThompson: @midmajority are you seeing the vcu cheerleader?
21:05 RT @secho99ncaa: @midmajority This is a nice win, but are we sure VCU passes the "eye test?" They still need to beat the Lakers for me to be convinced
21:06 The only "eye test" consists of committee members reading team sheets. VCU had the numbers. Today's number: 84! (and counting)
21:08 The VCU huddles are so serene and placid. New Age brainwashing type of enlightenment. In their minds, they won this game Friday.
21:10 One minute remaining in regulation. There will not be overtime. There will not be any reality other than two Other 25 teams in San Antonio.
21:11 As VCU starters come out, there's no celebration, no smiles. These are the coolest mother___s in the NCAA Tournament.
21:12 Now they celebrate. VCU is in the Sweet 16!
21:12 RT @Ugarles: I'm watching Syracuse - Marquette but I'd rather be watching VCU beat Purdue. Cablevision is a conspiracy against The @Midmajority.
21:12 RT @CAASports: Great showing from VCU Men's Basketball in the third round of the NCAAs with a win over Purdue! Off to the Sweet 16! Go CAA!
21:14 [RLU ALERT] Virginia Commonwealth 94, Purdue 76 | http://tmm7.me/g1z @RedLineUpsets
21:15 The fans up in section 326 have their signs up: BOOM SHAKA VCU. VCU's final PPP: 1.36. Purdue's vaunted defense was fantastic.
21:15 RT @caazone: V-C-U ! C-A-A ! V-C-U ! C-A-A ! V-C-U ! C-A-A ! V-C-U ! C-A-A ! #VCU #CAA
21:15 RT @midmajority360: Virginia Commonwealth 94 Purdue 76 | VCU: B. Burgess 23 - PUR: J. Johnson 25 | http://tmm7.me/g1z
21:15 RT @rosslancaster: @midmajority VCU! VCU! VCU! #CAA #caahoops #midswin
21:15 RT @sportspenguin: @midmajority f_ class! #BLAPP for the celebration! #GoRamsGo
21:15 RT @juliaflyer: VCU, Richmond and Butler. The @midmajority lives on. #AOUEOU
21:16 RT @StretchedOctave: Nice. cc: @midmajority RT @KevinGehl: #Richmond AND #VCU advance. More teams from Richmond, VA in Sweet 16 than #Big12
21:16 RT @Dobber_BtB_SBN: The City of Richmond owns Purdue University and the City of Chicago. cc @midmajority
21:16 RT @TheOFFSeasonCF: @midmajority Into the lockeroom to peel another piece of clothing off their Jay Bilas poster #MajorLeague
21:17 RT @ESPN_CollHoops: VCU is #Sweet16 for the first time ever after beating #Purdue 94-76. Just 2.4% of ESPN brackets had VCU advancing.
21:18 RT @chicolbball: Hoping @midmajority (full disclosure he's sitting next to me) gets dream VCU-Richmond Southwest Regional Final.
21:27 We will be in San Antonio. RT @ckestel: @midmajority Which regional final are you going to next weekend?
21:40 RT @SethHunt105: @midmajority Trending worldwide right now: BLAPP. (I kid. But Shaka Smart is).
21:41 RT @gmuhoops: Congrats VCU on making it to their first Sweet 16 #CAA
21:48 Joey Rodriguez: "Great moment for our team and our university, but we've got more to do."
21:50 Reporter question for the student-athletes: "How many people on Purdue could you have named before this game?" Players agree: four. #smac
21:51 Burgess: "We lost focus sometimes on the road, against certain opponents. We got a second chance, and we have an intense focus now."
21:55 Smart: "We're not out there coaching Robots where you can push a button and they'll always do the same thing." #Robots
21:56 Purdue went first, otherwise I would do it. :) RT @CAA_FCP: @midmajority did someone ask the same question to Purdue players about VCU?
22:00 Bilas 2011 = Packer 2006. Neither was ever on the SelComm, so neither opinion matters. Just asking folks not to get caught up in that stuff.
22:00 RT @CaseyConlon: @midmajority That was @slimkimmel, @richiemelby, @NHunterThompson, @DanCimmino and myself in 326 with the "Boom Shaka" sign! Go Rams! #VCU
22:04 Smart: "This time of year, as soon as you lose, you're done. Our guys have made a conscious decision: they don't want to be done."
22:04 Smart: "I'm not worried about there being a letdown. For instance, Joey's nuts. He wants to win the whole thing."

Boxscore

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH 94, PURDUE 76
03/20/2011


VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH 26-11 (12-6) -- D. Hanson 6-18 0-0 16; B. Burgess 8-12 4-4 23; J. Rodriguez 5-10 1-2 12; J. Skeen 5-9 3-4 13; B. Rozzell 3-11 2-2 10; E. Nixon 5-8 0-0 11; R. Brandenberg 1-2 0-0 2; D. Theus 1-1 0-0 2; J. Reddic 6-8 0-0 12; D. Haley 2-2 2-2 6; T. Veal 0-1 0-0 0; T. Daniels 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 37-65 12-14 94.
PURDUE 26-8 (14-4) -- J. Johnson 11-20 2-3 25; E. Moore 5-15 0-0 10; R. Smith 7-9 0-0 20; L. Jackson 3-10 4-4 10; D. Byrd 2-7 1-2 6; T. Johnson 2-5 1-2 5; T. Carroll 0-0 0-0 0; J. Hart 0-1 0-0 0; S. Marcius 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-67 8-11 76.

Three-point goals: VCU 8-21 (J. Skeen 0-1; E. Nixon 1-2; J. Rodriguez 1-4; B. Rozzell 2-8; B. Burgess 3-4; T. Daniels 1-1; R. Brandenberg 0-1), PUR 8-25 (J. Johnson 1-4; E. Moore 0-3; L. Jackson 0-2; R. Smith 6-8; J. Hart 0-1; D. Byrd 1-5; T. Johnson 0-2); Rebounds: VCU 26 (B. Burgess 8), PUR 31 (J. Johnson 14); Assists: VCU 26 (J. Rodriguez 11), PUR 20 (L. Jackson 7); Total Fouls -- VCU 13, PUR 15; Fouled Out: VCU-None; PUR-D. Byrd.