Skeen's 26 in Win over Kansas Worth the Wait

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 27, 2011

Virginia Commonwealth University? Not supposed to be in the Final Four, right?

Tell that to Jamie Skeen, VCU's 6'9" senior forward who took on the monstrous Morris twins of Kansas and sent them back to farm.

Skeen sat out a year (2008-09) when he transferred out of Wake Forest to VCU for an opportunity to play under the tutelage of head coach Shaka Smart. After scoring 26 points in the Rams' 71-61 victory over Kansas, his patience has been richly rewarded with a trip to the Final Four.

Skeen's 26 led all scorers and even though the Jayhawks outrebounded VCU, 45-35, Skeen battled in the lane all afternoon, hauling in 10 boards while helping get both Marcus and Markeif Morris in second half foul trouble.

Next up for the Rams is a trip to Houston, where they will take on the Butler Bulldogs, another small conference team with its sights set on winning the national championship. Tip time for the Saturday tilt is 6:09 pm EDT, followed by the other semi-final game, pitting Connecticut against Kentucky at 8:49 pm EDT.

Rams Defy Critics, Dump USC; UTSA wins, to Face Ohio State

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Widely criticized for entry into the NCAA field, considered not worthy of playing with the nation's best teams, the VCU Rams left no doubt that they belonged, smashing the USC Trojans with a stifling defense and a dominating second half.

After the first half ended with the score tied at 22-all, Jamie Skeen and his band of upperclassmen went to work, limiting the Trojans to 24 points, while scoring 37 of their own, mostly on the inside and at the free throw line for the 59-46 victory.

Skeen led all scorers with 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting with a pair of three-pointers. He also had nine rebounds and was the only Ram in double figures.

VCU, seeded 11th in the Southwest region, faces the Georgetown Hoyas on Friday with the opportunity to advance further into the field.

In the earlier "First Four" contest, UTSA dropped Alabama State, 70-61. The Roadrunners face the daunting task of taking on the tournament's top seed, Ohio State, in the next round on Friday.