What a silly, silly game we love. The world can try to kill it, but college basketball’s beautiful flaws and ebbs and flows and bourbon-inducing sequences is unmatched.

This (lack of) defense is hard to watch.

It is not Big Monday without an 11pm Big West game. I’ll die on that hill.

VCU 75-69 over Davidson. A 20/8 from Djokovic. Not close enough to comment on starting five but 33 mins for Belle and 31 mins for Hill feels right. Always said VCU can finish 2-31 any year, if the two wins were over that Saltines Factory.

Also even though Jadrian Tracy makes mistakes, he is needed on the floor.

Weird it’s late January and cannot figure out this VCU team. Feels like smoother offense with Hill facilitating. Djokovic has skills we have not seen in a big man. Belle’s emergence critical. Still feels like the “coming together” has not yet come together.

University of Excuses.

LaSalle having the same conference record as richmond is, quite frankly, hilarious.

My wife just engaged a conversation comparing Danil Medvedev to Will Wade. I married better than you did.

Magic, indeed. Sad that someone is going to point to a Va. Tech/Miami (FL) game and talk at large. Phonies. Boring. We know better.

Tuned in to see SLU/VCU and I got Fordham/LaSalle. SLU 19-16 at the under four. What’s worse than a rock fight?

Fun 1-AA championship game. Worth noting: in 10 years traveling with the VCU basketball team, the very worst road game was at Illinois State. Second-worst wasn’t particularly close.

I don’t even think that was a foul on the Loyola guy.

Good. Bad. Love. Hate. Fun. Infuriating. Offense. Defense. This VCU team is everything except boring.

VCU 93, Duquesne 80 (F). THill with 21 pts. Djokovic with an 18/11 dub-dub. Two huge buckets from Nowell when things got tight. A 46-foul game from the officials. That’s always enjoyable.

VCU 46, Duquesne 34 (H). Great call by analyst Tim McCormick. VCU was up 39-34 and he noted Dukes were shooting 55% and down five and that was dangerous. Rams scored last seven points. VCU is shooting 75% in regular offense, and 10% on wild ass drives.

After a largely quiet noncon season, Brandon Jennings ripped a stereotypical point-guard-takeover game. Martelli only went seven deep and I’m all for it. Always been a “depth is overrated” guy. Probably need an eighth, but don’t need to play 10.

VCU 89-82 over Bonnies. Rams give up only a garbage three in the last six minutes, miss all seven 2H threes, and make 26-28 from the line...which is the opposite of how you think VCU wins games. VCU now 43-46 (93.4%) from the line in the last two games.

Duquesne beats Davidson in 2OT to open the #ZeroBidLeague season. Wonder if they are still chanting “Fun-Da-Mentals” in the Davidson locker room.

Truth.

Also worth noting: there’s NIL money but I’m pushing Ed to rename The Stu as Nyk Lewis Court. This kid is beyond a special player and I will vomit if he’s in a UConn jersey next year.

VCU 35-24 over American at the 5:24 mark. AU is 6-13 from three and 2-10 from two. At some point the good guys are going to have to play better defense than four dead guys propped up and my dog.

VCU 65-63 at the under 12. Jake Hall had four fouls for NM. Rams will shoot free throws the rest of the way.

Rams give up 14 points in the first two and one-half minutes of 2H. Martelli calls time to ostensibly channel his anger into his players.

VCU 46, New Mexico 41 (H). High level offensive half. Fun watch. Rams can get to you in multiple ways. Need to remember to guard someone. NMs Jake Hall will play in the B1G next season. Kid is a walking bucket.

Let’s check in on Penn State visiting India…and holy hell I’m transported to Dayton and a very memorable game.

Worth noting: we are halfway through the second region if this is basketball. Holy hell, how many people are going to say the same thing?

Ryan Odom coaching UVA in a jacket with a pocket square. Holy hell am I glad VCU has Phil Martelli Jr. and every bit of his Philly-ness. Culture fit.

Earl Grant called time out to draw up that? Great gravy that was bad.

Jeff Eisenberg is an under appreciated voice of our game. Has been for more than 20 years. Example: sports.yahoo.com/mens-college...

Leave it to Mark Schmidt. Two of his best players didn’t play high school basketball. One grew up a hockey player and the other quit basketball and lived out of a truck. Bonnies are 6-1 and battling Fla. Atlantic on the road.

This is a ton of fun. Old school great read. Selfish idea: the We Don’t Play D1 Football Classic. All games at MSG.

It’s almost like when you shoot 60% you look good, and when you shoot 30% you look bad. Worth noting: in the last 46 minutes of basketball play, VCU has outscored Va Tech by 48 points. I’m tired of scheduling these crap teams.

Meaning, it’s not like VCU has bombed in nine threes to cover up poor play. Going toe to toe and fought their way back.

VCU trails by two, 43-41, at the half. Given Rams are 2-16 from three, that shows some grit.

Rams down 11-2 at the under 16. Looks more like a food fight.

Lazar Djokovic is a load. Believe it was a 16/8 second half. A coach once told me guys like that “move the floor.” Meaning, no matter where he is or what he’s doing, you have to adapt and account for him. Have to consult historical rosters to see if VCU has had this kind of big man weapon.

VCU 36, South Fla 33 (H) Back-to-back dunks by Barry Evans closes the scoring. Rams make 5-7 field goals down the stretch. Walling up at the rim slowed Bulls, but need to slow the dribble-drive. 22 of 36 FGA were layups or dunks.

South Fla 22, VCU 19 at the under 8. Game resembles a Tuesday night Henrico County rec league game, only with bigger players. Very rock fighty. Terrence Hill with nine points to lead VCU. Hill is 3-5 from the field. Everyone else is 2-19.

Wait, Bennet Stirtz is still eligible? Andrey Semenov is impressed.

Saw Drexel beat ODU and both teams scored more than 70 points. Such an affront to #CAAHoops salad days. Also that Pecora and Quinnipiac beat Capel/Pitt. Remember Antoine Agudio dropping 34 on VCU in 2006. Pecora has Capel’s number.

Fun half in Vegas, other than excessive trips to the monitor for obvious things. Graham Ike is a dude. Can’t take Bama’s candy cane sideline look seriously.

Top moment of the half: Ed Nixon when a Coppin player tried to do too much and turned the ball over. “What did I say about tea? If it’s not your cup of tea, don’t put it in your mug.” The Chef is cooking.

VCU 54, Coppin 28 (H). It’s a no-analysis buy game. Couple notes: If Keyshawn Mitchell doesn’t have the green light, he’s running red lights like his wife is in labor. Nyk Lewis is that guy.

Deep cut: Wil Famemi.

Look at AG. Going 1-3-1 on the last possession. Marquette doesn’t get a shot before the buzzer. Fun game, especially if you love ex-VCU coaches.

A lot to love in a 2-2 start. VCU needs a great MTE performance. Go figure. This just in: fire is hot.

Don’t hand me stats. VCU shot 26% in 1H and was down four. Shot 58% in the first 10 minutes of 2H. And was down four. Rams had about five shots in the air in the last four minutes that would put “holy shit” in the minds of NCSU. None went in. It is a frustratingly beautiful game we love.

State 39, VCU 35 (H). Unsure what to make of Rams 6-24 from three and 5-12 from two. Nine offensive rebounds. Pretty sure Will Wade is going to talk about Terrence Hill for the entire halftime break.

State 33, VCU 28 at the under four. Rams shooting 25.8% and weathered an early NCSU fireworks show early. Loving the grit.