RICHMOND, Va. — VCU will meet Memphis on Friday, Nov. 27 at 9 p.m. est on the final day of the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic.
Last time out VCU was defeated by No.15 West Virginia 78-66 in the second round of the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Rams were led again by sophomore Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland, who finished with 13 points, and junior Vince Williams who scored 11 points coming off the bench.
The story of the game was WVU’s size down low. Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe proved to be too much to handle for the young Rams. The dynamic duo recorded 34 points and 31 rebounds between them. Overall the Mountaineers dominated the glass out-rebounding the Rams by 14. The Rams showed good fight throughout the game, forcing 20 turnovers and trimming the lead down to just 6 midway through the second half.
Memphis is coached by former NBA All-star, Penny Hardaway. Last season, Hardaway directed the Tigers to a 21-10 record that included wins over two nationally-ranked teams: No. 19 Tennessee at sold-out Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville and No. 22 Houston at home. During the season, the Tigers spent the first three months ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. They reached as high as No. 9 in late December following a 10-game winning streak that included the victory at No 19 Tennessee. On the floor, the Tigers are led by point guard Boogie Ellis. Ellis Started 27 of 31 games last season for the Tigers.
The players to watch for both teams are Boogie Ellis for the Tigers and Nah’Shon Hyland for the Rams.
Ellis is much like Hyland, in terms of size and style of play. They are both six-foot, three-inch point guards, who are wizards with the basketball and are elite shooters. Ellis from San Diego was originally going to take his talents to Durham, N.C. to play under Coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke but he later changed his mind and is now heading to his second season at Memphis. Ellis spent most of last season giving touches to now NBA draft picks James Wiseman and Precious Achiuwa but this season he has already taken up the role as the team’s leading scorer. So far this season the sophomore is averaging a team-best 19 ppg, on 50% FG and 61% from three.
Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland is coming off a tough game against WVU where he only scored 13 points. That has dropped his season average to 18 ppg which is still phenomenal. Hyland scored 23 points against the Aggies the other night, connecting on five three-pointers and making six out of seven free throws for the Rams. His averages took a dip as a result of yesterday’s game but don’t be surprised if they shoot back up tonight.
The game will be broadcasted on ESPN 2.
