Should VCU Be Your Final 4 Prediction?

With the NCAA Tournament set to start back up again Saturday night, we’ve got to ask the question everyone is wondering: Could VCU possibly be a smart Final 4 Prediction? After knocking five quality teams, from five major conferences to get here, the answer is yes.

Still, there’s a good percentage of fans who don’t know much about this team beyond the names of Shaka Smart, Jamie Skeen and Joey Rodriguez.

So here are a few other names to keep your eye on as the Rams get set to play Butler Saturday night:

Bradford Burgess, Jr., G: With so much of the focus on Skeen and Rodriguez heading into the weekend, it’s easy to forget that Burgess very well might be the most consistent Ram throughout this NCAA Tournament run.

The 6’6 junior has been nothing short of spectacular, as he’s quietly averaged 15.8 points per game, including back-to-back 20+ point affairs against Purdue and Florida State.

Beyond that you could also make the case that Burgess has been the best three-point shooter in this NCAA Tournament, knocking down an impressive 13 of 22 attempts. He had his best performance in the Sweet 16, where he hit 6 of 7 from downtown to beat the Seminoles.

So what’s the craziest part about Burgess’s NCAA Tournament run? He only had nine points against Kansas in the Rams shocking Elite Eight victory. If he can match his early tournament success, we have to image that our Final 4 Prediction of VCU should come true!

Brandon Rozzell, Sr., G: Much like Burgess, Rozzell has quietly been one of the steadying forces behind VCU’s run, despite not getting much publicity.

The senior from Richmond has provided offensive punch from the bench, scoring in double figures in each of the Rams last four NCAA Tournament wins. Included in that stretch was 26 points in a round two win over Georgetown, and 12 more in a shocking victory over Kansas, keying VCU’s run to where we are right now. Rozzell’s scoring prowess alone is enough to make VCU a smart Final 4 Prediction.

And like Burgess, Rozzell has done his best damage from downtown. He’s made 9 of 17 attempts from long range.

Toby Veal, Jr., F: Finally, we’re going to mention a guy who has seen little to no action in this NCAA Tournament, Toby Veal.

Veal’s minutes have dwindled with Skeen’s strong play up front, and he has scored just seven points this Rams tournament run.

However, at 6’8 he could play a big role against Butler’s strong front court on Saturday night. Veal is one of the biggest players off Shaka Smart’s bench, and came up big in the Elite Eight, with five rebounds against Kansas.

Veal will need to have another big performance for the Rams to beat Butler this weekend.

Still, after everything they’ve done, why wouldn’t you make VCU your Final 4 Prediction?