HOUSTON — Shaka Smart has taken this VCU program where it never has been before. But if the Rams have any intention of beating Butler in their Saturday night Final Four game, Smart will have to do some serious mind-adjustment work on his players.
They arrived at their team hotel Wednesday night looking like a gambler rolling into Vegas.
“I knew this was going to be crazy, and Coach kind of prepared us for how crazy it was going to be,” point guard Joey Rodriguez said. “I mean, I just shot a music video that was nuts. It was a deal for CBS and we were dancing and dribbling. It was fun — probably the best time that I have had.”
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Great. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming, Rams.
The Butler team you will face handled this Final Four hoopla with remarkable composure. It came up one half-court fling from winning it all last year.
It has proven last season was not a one-hit wonder, and the bright lights will not dazzle it.
Smart should be concerned when he hears comments such as this:
“I love it,” guard Brandon Rozzell said. “We are here having a good time. It’s a dream, but it’s a reality and we are still in it.”
Yep, but the Rams will not be in it for long unless they walk away from the table now and understand this is a business trip.
“To be honest, the confidence has been extremely high throughout the whole run,” Smart said. “It’s not as though we only felt we could win the first game, then we needed that win to build our confidence for the second game. Our guys, no matter who we go out there against, they believe we can win, they believe we’re going to win.”
It’s going to take more than belief at this point. There are four teams left standing — two more games to win. Everyone believes, just as the gambler believes, he’s going to take down the house.