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No. 22 VCU survives upset bid from St. Joe’s in overtime

Ronald Roberts, Melvin Johnson

Saint Joseph’s forward Ronald Roberts Jr. (13) and Virginia Commonwealth guard Melvin Johnson (32) struggle for a rebound during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013, in Richmond, Va. VCU won 92-86. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

AP

St. Joseph’s shot 52.3% from the floor. VCU was 7-32 from beyond the arc. Tay Jones and Langston Galloway were both playing as well as they have all season. St. Joe’s have a four-point lead with 14 seconds left as the grabbed a defensive rebound.

So it should only make sense that No. 22 Rams beat the Hawks 92-86 in overtime, right?

That’s what happens when the two players grabbing that defensive rebound travel as they fight for the ball, Troy Daniels buries a three, Ronald Roberts hits one of two free throws and Darius Theus ties the game with a driving layup.

And when you’re playing VCU -- especially when you’re a St. Joe’s team that lacks depth, is missing a starter and has a star, Jones, dealing with cramping issues -- you don’t want to go to overtime.

Because that’s the story with this group. There isn’t a team in the country that is more difficult to play than VCU. They press for 40 minutes, they are physical defensively, they make you run up-and-down and they beat you up and they take your legs out of the game. As entertaining as VCU is for someone like me or you to watch on TV, they are twice as miserable for someone like St. Joe’s to play against.

Think about that.

St. Joe’s, for the first time since they beat Harvard a couple of days before Thanksgiving, finally lived up to their talent level. They finally played like a team capable of winning the Atlantic 10. They outplayed VCU on the road. They made big shots down the stretch.

And they still lost.

There is a reason that Shaka Smart calls his system ‘Havoc’.

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.