If VCU head coach Will Wade hasn’t bought a Powerball ticket, it may be a good time for him to do so.
On Wednesday night, the Rams picked up a win on one of the oldest and most basic plays in college basketball. Let me set the stage for you: VCU and Georgetown Washington are locked in a barn-burner. With 10 seconds left, VCU’s JeQuan Lewis misses a free throw that sets up a possession that ends with GW’s Yuta Watanabe hitting what should have been a game-winning three:
Yuta Watanabe beats VCU at the buzzer. pic.twitter.com/To8O69kcGg
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) February 9, 2017
Time expired, but 0.4 seconds were put back on the block, which means that VCU basically needed a miracle in order to survive their road trip to Foggy Bottom, and a miracle is exactly what they got. On the ensuing inbounds, Lewis redeemed himself for the missed free throw drawing a foul - it’s technically not a charge because Lewis is on offense, but he took a charge - on the man defending the inbounder.
Check this out:
VCU wins on a charge on an inbounds pass. pic.twitter.com/vZ6ubgmYDl
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) February 9, 2017
Here’s another angle of the play:
How @vcu_hoops set up the foul on GW with .4 seconds left to send Lewis to the line where he converted the game winning free throws. pic.twitter.com/ePlGiMDPT7
— Finest Magazine (@FinestMagazine) February 9, 2017
Lewis hit two free throws at the other end of the floor and GW’s prayers weren’t answered.
What this means is that, for the second straight game, VCU has won on the road despite falling behind when their opponent hit a three with 0.4 seconds left on the clock. On Saturday, they earned a free throw after St. Bonaventure was whistled for a technical foul for interference after a would-be game-winner.
VCU is right on the bubble. The only reason they are still in tournament contention - and in first place in the Atlantic 10 - is because of those two wins.
