Box Score
THE STORY LINES
• For the first time in school history, VCU is making its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. It is just the second time in the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia that a school reached four straigth tournaments. UVA accomplished that feat from 1981-1984.
• The Rams are making its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance and sixth in the past eight years. VCU has an overall record of 12-12 in the NCAA Tournament.
• This is the second straight year and fourth overall that the VCU has been a #5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Each of those years ('81, '83, '13, '14), the Rams won the first round game, but dropped the second game of the tournament.
• Since arriving at VCU in 2009, Coach Smart and his staff are 23-7 in postseason tournaments (11-4 in conference tournaments, 7-3 in the NCAA Tournament, 5-0 in the CBI).
• VCU is one of just seven schools that enter the 2014 NCAA Tournament with an opportunity to win an NCAA Tournament game in each of the past four years. Joining the Rams in that group is Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, North Carolina, Syracuse and Ohio State.
• With 26 or more wins in each of the past five seasons, VCU is just one of three schools to accomplish that feat. Also in that group is Duke and Syracuse. Kansas (24) and Ohio State (25) can join that group with success in this year's NCAA Tournament.
• During Coach Smart's tenure, VCU is 28-8 in the month of March.
• Defense has been the calling card for the Rams this season as the Black & Gold rank second in the country in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com, ranking as the nation's best in terms of turnover percentage (25.6) and steal percentage (15.7).
• HAVOC continues to fluster its opponents. VCU is leading the country in turnovers forced per game (18.3) and steals per game (11.2), categories in which they led the country in each of the past two years.
• The Rams have not allowed more than 67 points in their past seven games, holding four of those opponents under 60. Over that stretch, the opposition is averaging 58.9 ppg and shooting just 40.1-percent from the field.
• The Rams held 13 of their 34 opponents to 25-percent or lower from beyond the arc. In Atlantic 10 play, VCU limited the opposition to 27.2-percent from long range, a number which led the league. On the year, the Rams' are now ranked in the top-10 in the country in three-point field-goal percentage (10th - 30.1%).
• VCU's Round of 64 matchup with Stephen F. Austin is the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Rams have played only one other member of the Southland Conference, Oral Roberts, which took place during 1976-77 season, before Head Coach Shaka Smart was even born.
