# 2010–11 VCU Rams men's basketball team

The 2010–11 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University in the Colonial Athletic Association conference during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rams, led by second year head coach Shaka Smart, played their home games at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. They finished the season 28–12, 12–6 in CAA play and lost in the championship game of the 2011 CAA men's basketball tournament to Old Dominion. They received an at-large bid in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament where they played in the new First Four round, defeating USC.They defeated Georgetown and Purdue in the second and third rounds, respectively, to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. They defeated Florida State to advance to the Elite Eight where they defeated Kansas. They advanced to the school's first ever Final Four, being just the third 11 seed in Tournament history to advance to the Final Four, where they were defeated by Butler. The VCU Rams finished 6th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll at the end of the season. This was the highest ranking in VCU's history and the highest ranking of any team from the CAA. The 2011 NCAA tournament run by VCU is regarded by some as one of the best Cinderella runs of all time. They are the first men's Division I basketball team that played in the First Four to make it to the Final Four; UCLA made a similar run ten years later. They were also the first team in the tournament to win five games and not qualify for the national championship game, a feat which the 2020–21 UCLA Bruins duplicated.

## Roster

| Number | Name | Position | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown |
| 5 | Juvonte Reddic | Forward | 6–9 | 225 | Freshman | Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| 10 | Darius Theus | Guard | 6–3 | 190 | Sophomore | Portsmouth, Virginia |
| 12 | Joey Rodriguez | Guard | 5–10 | 175 | Senior | Merritt Island, Florida |
| 20 | Bradford Burgess | Guard | 6–6 | 225 | Junior | Midlothian, Virginia |
| 21 | Jamie Skeen | Forward | 6–9 | 240 | Senior | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 23 | Rob Brandenberg | Guard | 6–2 | 170 | Freshman | Gahanna, Ohio |
| 24 | Heath Houston | Forward | 6–8 | 240 | Freshman | Powder Springs, Georgia (Hillgrove High School) |
| 25 | Reco McCarter | Guard | 6–7 | 180 | Freshman | Goldsboro, North Carolina |
| 30 | Troy Daniels | Guard | 6–4 | 195 | Sophomore | Roanoke, Virginia |
| 31 | Toby Veal | Forward | 6–8 | 235 | Junior | Savannah, Georgia |
| 32 | Brandon Rozzell | Guard | 6–2 | 185 | Senior | Richmond, Virginia |
| 33 | D. J. Haley | Center | 7–0 | 250 | Freshman | Palmdale, California |
| 34 | David Hinton | Forward | 6–9 | 235 | Sophomore | Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| 50 | Ed Nixon | Guard | 6–4 | 210 | Senior | St. Petersburg, Florida |

### 2010–11 team recruits

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Juvonte Reddic C | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Quality Education Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Mar 22, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 90 ||||||
| Rob Brandenberg SG | Gahanna, Ohio | Lincoln High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Aug 30, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 86 ||||||
| D. J. Haley C | Palmdale, California | Palmdale High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | May 4, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Reco McCarter SF | Goldsboro, North Carolina | Wayne Country Day School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Sep 29, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 91 ||||||
| Heath Houston PF | Powder Springs, Georgia | Hillgrove High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Jun 28, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Toby Veal SF | Savannah, Georgia | Northwest Florida State College | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Jan 17, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: JC ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "VCU 2012 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011. "2012 VCU Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011. "2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011. ||||||

## Season
### Preseason

VCU was predicted to finish third in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason polls, which was released October 19, 2010 in Arlington, Virginia. Senior guard Joey Rodriguez was selected to the preseason Atlantic 10 Conference first team.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov. 4, 2010* 7:30 pm | | Virginia Union | W 71–56 | — | 10 – Tied | 8 – Skeen | 5 – Theus | Stuart C. Siegel Center (6,645) Richmond, Virginia |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov. 12, 2010* 7:30 pm | | UNC Greensboro | W 101–86 | 1–0 | 23 – Rozzell | 7 – Skeen | 17 – Rodriguez | Stuart C. Siegel Center (7,094) Richmond, VA |
| Nov. 15, 2010* 9:30 pm | | vs. Winthrop NIT Season Tip-Off first round | W 67–54 | 2–0 | 15 – Rodriguez | 8 – Skeen | 8 – Rodriguez | LJVM Coliseum (1,276) Winston-Salem, NC |
| Nov. 16, 2010* 7:00 pm | | at Wake Forest NIT Season Tip-Off Quarterfinals | W 90–69 | 3–0 | 25 – Burgess | 8 – Burgess | 6 – Rodriguez | LJVM Coliseum (8,119) Winston-Salem, NC |
| Nov. 24, 2010* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. No. 24 Tennessee NIT Season Tip-Off Semifinals | L 72–77 | 3–1 | 23 – Rozzell | 14 – Skeen | 4 – Rozzell | Madison Square Garden (10,912) New York, NY |
| Nov. 26, 2010* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. UCLA NIT Season Tip-Off 3rd place game | W 89–85 | 4–1 | 23 – Skeen | 9 – Skeen | 5 – Rodriguez | Madison Square Garden (10,292) New York, NY |
| Dec. 1, 2010* 7:00 pm | | at South Florida | L 59–60 $^{OT}$ | 4–2 | 16 – Skeen | 13 – Burgess | 3 – Rozzell | USF Sun Dome (2,921) Tampa, FL |
| Dec. 4, 2010 12:00 pm | | William & Mary | W 59–55 | 5–2 (1–0) | 13 – Rodriguez | 7 – Skeen | 3 – Rodriguez | Stuart C. Siegel Center (6,482) Richmond, VA |
| Dec. 8, 2010* 7:30 pm | | VMI | W 86–80 | 6–2 | 19 – Skeen | 10 – Veal | 6 – Theus | Stuart C. Siegel Center (6,023) Richmond, VA |
| Dec. 11, 2010* 7:00 pm | | at Richmond Capital City Classic | L 60–72 | 6–3 | 14 – Skeen | 10 – Skeen | 3 – Rodriguez | Robins Center (8,906) Richmond, VA |
| Dec. 18, 2010* 2:00 pm | | Tulane | W 70–67 | 7–3 | 15 – Skeen | 6 – Skeen | 5 – Theus | Stuart C. Siegel Center (5,734) Richmond, VA |
| Dec. 21, 2010* 8:00 pm | | at UAB | L 65–68 | 7–4 | 26 – Burgess | 10 – Skeen | 4 – Theus | Bartow Arena (4,344) Birmingham, AL |
| Dec. 29, 2010* 7:00 pm | | Wofford Holidays on the Hardwood Classic | W 75–66 | 8–4 | 18 – Rozzell | 8 – Skeen | 4 – Theus | Stuart C. Siegel Center (5,799) Richmond, VA |
| Dec. 30, 2010* 7:30 pm | | New Hampshire Holidays on the Hardwood Classic | W 78–65 | 9–4 | 24 – Burgess | 8 – Burgess | 8 – Rodriguez | Stuart C. Siegel Center (5,590) Richmond, VA |
| Jan. 3, 2011 7:00 pm | | at Georgia State | L 66–76 | 9–5 (1–1) | 16 – Skeen | 4 – Skeen | 3 – Theus | GSU Sports Arena (852) Atlanta, GA |
| Jan. 5, 2011 7:00 pm | | Drexel | W 52–48 | 10–5 (2–1) | 11 – Burgess | 8 – Burgess | 5 – Rodriguez | Stuart C. Siegel Center (6,313) Richmond, VA |
| Jan. 8, 2011 7:00 pm | | at UNC Wilmington | W 82–64 | 11–5 (3–1) | 22 – Rozzell | 8 – Burgess | 6 – Rodriguez | Trask Coliseum (5,126) Wilmington, NC |
| Jan. 12, 2011 7:00 pm | | at William & Mary | W 70–52 | 12–5 (4–1) | 22 – Brandenberg | 12 – Skeen | 6 – Theus | Kaplan Arena (2,245) Williamsburg, VA |
| Jan. 15, 2011 12:00 pm | | Northeastern | W 73–64 | 13–5 (5–1) | 26 – Burgess | 9 – Burgess | 7 – Rodriguez | Stuart C. Siegel Center (6,042) Richmond, VA |
| Jan. 19, 2011 7:30 pm | | Georgia State | W 71–54 | 14–5 (6–1) | 23 – Brandenberg | 7 – Skeen | 6 – Rodriguez | Stuart C. Siegel Center (6,531) Richmond, VA |
| Jan. 22, 2011 4:00 pm | | at Old Dominion ODU rivalry | W 59–50 | 15–5 (7–1) | 15 – Burgess | 10 – Skeen | 5 – Skeen | Ted Constant Convocation Center (8,457) Norfolk, VA |
| Jan. 24, 2011 7:00 pm | | at Towson | W 80–76 | 16–5 (8–1) | 28 – Rodriguez | 5 – Burgess | 5 – Nixon | Towson Center (1,365) Towson, MD |
| Jan. 27, 2011 7:00 pm | | Hofstra | W 82–67 | 17–5 (9–1) | 18 – Skeen | 14 – Burgess | 6 – Nixon | Stuart C. Siegel Center (7,208) Richmond, VA |
| Jan. 29, 2011 7:30 pm | | UNC Wilmington | W 79–70 | 18–5 (10–1) | 25 – Rodriguez | 8 – Burgess | 7 – Theus | Stuart C. Siegel Center (7,552) Richmond, VA |
| Feb. 2, 2011 7:00 pm | | at Northeastern | L 80–91 | 18–6 (10–2) | 18 – Rodriguez | 9 – Skeen | 5 – Nixon | Matthews Arena (1,095) Boston, MA |
| Feb. 5, 2011 2:00 pm | | at James Madison | W 70–66 | 19–6 (11–2) | 22 – Burgess | 7 – Nixon | 5 – Rodriguez | JMU Convocation Center (4,989) Harrisonburg, VA |
| Feb. 9, 2011 7:00 pm | | at Delaware | W 84–74 $^{2OT}$ | 20–6 (12–2) | 32 – Skeen | 11 – Skeen | 3 – Nixon | Bob Carpenter Center (2,471) Newark, DE |
| Feb. 12, 2011 7:00 pm | | Old Dominion ODU rivalry | L 59–70 | 20–7 (12–3) | 15 – Rozzell | 7 – Skeen | 4 – Rozzell | Stuart C. Siegel Center (7,552) Richmond, VA |
| Feb. 15, 2011 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | George Mason George Mason rivalry | L 51–71 | 20–8 (12–4) | 12 – Brandenberg | 8 – Rodriguez | 3 – Skeen | Stuart C. Siegel Center (7,552) Richmond, VA |
| Feb. 18, 2011* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Wichita State ESPN BracketBusters | W 68–67 | 21–8 | 17 – Burgess | 12 – Skeen | 11 – Rodriguez | Charles Koch Arena (10,506) Wichita, KS |
| Feb. 23, 2011 7:00 pm | | at Drexel | L 60–64 | 21–9 (12–5) | 17 – Skeen | 7 – Burgess | 3 – Burgess | Daskalakis Athletic Center (2,073) Philadelphia, PA |
| Feb. 26, 2011 12:00 pm | | James Madison | L 69–72 | 21–10 (12–6) | 20 – Skeen | 8 – Nixon | 10 – Rodriguez | Stuart C. Siegel Center (7,552) Richmond, VA |
| CAA Tournament |||||||||
| Mar. 5, 2011 2:30 pm, CSN | (4) | vs. (5) Drexel CAA Quarterfinals | W 62–60 | 22–10 | 24 – Skeen | 8 – Skeen | 5 – Rodriguez | Richmond Coliseum (7,814) Richmond, VA |
| Mar. 6, 2011 12:00 pm, CSN | (4) | vs. (1) No. 25 George Mason CAA Semifinals | W 79–63 | 23–10 | 21 – Skeen | 13 – Burgess | 5 – Nixon | Richmond Coliseum (8,962) Richmond, VA |
| Mar. 7, 2011 7:00 pm, ESPN | (4) | vs. (2) Old Dominion CAA Championship Game | L 65–70 | 23–11 | 19 – Burgess | 8 – Burgess | 7 – Rodriguez | Richmond Coliseum (11,200) Richmond, VA |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar. 16, 2011* 9:00 pm, truTV | (11 SW) | vs. (11 SW) USC NCAA First Four | W 59–46 | 24–11 | 16 – Skeen | 10 – Burgess | 5 – Rodriguez | University of Dayton Arena (10,192) Dayton, OH |
| Mar. 18, 2011* 9:50 pm, TNT | (11 SW) | vs. (6 SW) Georgetown NCAA Second Round | W 74–56 | 25–11 | 26 – Rozzell | 8 – Burgess | 7 – Rodriguez | United Center (17,369) Chicago, IL |
| Mar. 20, 2011* 7:10 pm, TBS | (11 SW) | vs. (3 SW) No. 13 Purdue NCAA Third Round | W 94–76 | 26–11 | 23 – Burgess | 8 – Burgess | 11 – Rodriguez | United Center (18,146) Chicago, IL |
| Mar. 25, 2011* 9:57 pm, TBS | (11 SW) | vs. (10 SW) Florida State NCAA Sweet Sixteen | W 72–71 $^{OT}$ | 27–11 | 26 – Burgess | 8 – D | 10 – Rodriguez | Alamodome (14,566) San Antonio, TX |
| Mar. 27, 2011* 2:20 pm, CBS | (11 SW) | vs. (1 SW) No. 2 Kansas NCAA Elite Eight | W 71–61 | 28–11 | 26 – Skeen | 10 – Skeen | 5 – Rodriguez | Alamodome (14,738) San Antonio, TX |
| Apr. 2, 2011* 6:09 pm, CBS | (11 SW) | vs. (8 SE) Butler NCAA Final Four | L 62–70 | 28–12 | 27 – Skeen | 9 – Burgess | 8 – Rodriguez | Reliant Stadium (75,421) Houston, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. SE=NCAA Southeast Regional. SW=NCAA Southwest Regional. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Honors

Senior forward Jamie Skeen was named the Southwest Regional Most Outstanding Player. Skeen was also named to 2nd team All- Colonial Athletic Association. Senior guard Joey Rodriguez was named to 3rd team All- Colonial Athletic Association.