VCU’s Darius Theus (10) knocks the ball from Alabama’s Trevor Lacey in the Rams’ 73-54 win over the Tide. (AP photo by Mark Gormus of the Richmond Times-Dispatch)
After Alabama’s 73-54 loss to Virginia Commonwealth, blame for such a one-sided loss came from all directions at many targets.
The nine 3-point shots Alabama let VCU make was one, as the Rams have never lost a home game under head coach Shaka Smart in which they have made 10 or more 3-pointers.
The Crimson Tide’s slow start was another, after 10 minutes of basketball left the Tide with two points on 0-for-7 shooting.
“That’s been a problem the last few games, the way we’ve started games,” Alabama coach Anthony Grant said today at a news conference looking ahead to Wednesday’s game at Texas Tech.
The start was not the only issue for Alabama, as it shot only 39 percent from the floor, a number that would rank last in the Southeastern Conference if applied to an entire season.
“There was a lot that didn’t go well for us,” Grant said. “Offensively, we really struggled handling their pressure. They did a great job of taking us out of our actions.
“When we did get shots, we didn’t do a very good job of converting them.”
Grant credited VCU’s defensive effort for a great deal of the Tide’s offensive futility.
“Give VCU a lot of credit,” he said. “A lot of the things we struggled with, they had a lot to do with from a defensive standpoint.”
Offensively, VCU was able to outrun the Tide, and in more ways than the 11-0 run the Rams assembled in just over six minutes of play in the first half.
“They really hurt us in transition,” Grant said. “They’re really good at turning their defense into offensive opportunities. We dug a hole for ourselves there.”
Contributed by Brett Hudson
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