(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
The VCU fans were on their feet, and the Wildcats still left around joined in. The arena had shifted from a slight-VCU advantage to the Siegel Center. It was like home court. The 'Nova faithful joined in with the VCU chants and had clearly picked a side.
Collison and TJ Gwynn traded lay-ups in the next minute, leaving the game 63-60 in favor of UCLA with two minutes left. Holliday then fouled Bradford Burgess, putting his team over the limit and sending Burgess to the line for two.
WHOOSH! V-C-U GO RAMS GO!
WHOOSH! V-C-U GO RAMS GO!
The pair of free-throws had pushed the UCLA lead, which was 11 points only a few minutes ago, to a single-point margin.
UCLA went the other way, and Aboya drew a foul on T.J. Gwynn. Aboya nailed both of his shots. The game was three points again.
A UCLA fan waved to "bye-bye" to me from across the arena.
Maynor streaked with the ball the other way and drew a foul.
He sank his first shot.
WOOSH! V-C-U GO RAMS GO!
The chant was still there after he drained the second, but it wasn't audible above the roar of Villanova fans, as the game was once again a one-point difference with 48 seconds remaining.
UCLA trusted the ball to their senior point guard, Darren Collison. The Bruins drew out the shot clock. Collison sent one up with 0:22 left.
And 6'10" Larry Sanders sent it right back down with his fourth, and most critical, block of the game for the Rams.
The arena was deafening.
Nikola Dragovic tried to send up a shot before the shot clock expired, but couldn't get it off.
VCU had the ball back and called a time out with 13 seconds left.
Everyone in the arena thought the same thing. Two seasons ago, 11-seeded VCU knocked off six-seeded Duke on a last-second jump shot by Maynor.
And to the surprise of absolutely nobody, Maynor got the ball.
Collison pressured him the length of the court, keeping his feet moving and Maynor off-balance.
Maynor never got an open-look, throwing up a last-ditch, off-balance jumper as the clock ticked down.
It grazed off the front of the rim and fell short. UCLA survived 65-64.
Eric Maynor, who had beat so many buzzers and pulled the Rams through so many second halves in his career, couldn't land the last shot of his college career.
The next stop for VCU all-time leader in points and assists is likely the first round of the NBA draft. Maynor is projected to go as high as 19th in next season's draft.
All hope is not lost for the VCU Rams next seasons. Coach Anthony Grant is just the latest in a long line of quality VCU coaches.
The VCU coaching staff has included Tubby Smith (Minnesota), David Hobbs (ex-Alabama), and Jeff Capel (Oklahoma) over the years.
Grant has already been rumored to be linked to multiple SEC jobs, but has refused to comment. Many NCAA, CAA, and VCU followers feel that he'll remain with the school at least until many of his current players graduate.
Maynor is not their only NBA-talent either. Sophomore Larry Sanders is projected to be a future first-rounder as well, though not until after at least his junior season. Guards Joey Rodriguez and Bradford Burgess also have solid CAA-potential, and VCU has signed Ben Eblen (an 88-rated prospect) to ultimately replace Maynor.
UCLA will face Villanova next on Saturday. Both teams are physical and the game should be a tight, physical contest. 'Nova has home-field advantage, playing in Philadelphia, which could sway the outcome of the match.
But UCLA managed to survive a hostile crowd against VCU.
5 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete