Shaka Smart has now become the hottest coach in the small world of NCAA basketball, but he was all business in the post-game press conference following the Va. Commonwealth Rams' victory over the Kansas Jayhawks Sunday afternoon.
Once again we felt like nobody really thought we could win going into the game. But these guys believed we could win. They knew we could win ... Today they did their job to the tune of a 10-point victory over, I think, the team that was on paper, the best team left in the NCAA tournament. And I thought we were dominant in the first half.
Kansas didn't shoot very well in this game, but it wasn't just that the Jayhawks were off or that they chose their shots poorly, according to VCU point guard Joey Rodriguez.
I take all the credit for that, to tell you the truth. I think we wore them out. We came right at them in offensive end. If you go back and watch the game I think every time they shot the ball mostly somebody had a hand in their face. Our wings did a great job of contesting shots and running their shooters off of things.
Smart also emphasized this point.
That's why we play the way we play. That's part of our havoc style is getting people winded, getting people fatigued. And because of that they missed some shots. But I think it's also because we did a terrific job dedicating ourselves on the defensive end on getting a hand up, contesting outside shots.
But can that style work for another two games? Can VCU go all the way? Smart seems to think so.
We made history here, winning five games, going to the Final Four, and as I said out there on the floor, we're not done yet.