However, the difference is that St. Joseph's had to go through a grueling game in Thursday's 58-57 victory over No. 7 Xavier at the Barclays Center.
The last time the Hawks played back-to-backs at the Barclays Center, the second went much worse than the first. That was in November when the Hawks beat Notre Dame, 79-70, in overtime, which along with the victory over Temple probably ranks as their two best wins this season.
The night after beating Notre Dame, the Hawks played with little energy in a 73-66 loss to Florida State. VCU comes at teams with a relentless style, trying to force an up-tempo game.
St. Joseph's would be better playing a half-court game, running when there is a chance but not getting into a frenzied pace. Not only does a transition game lead to layups, but also to open threes.
In the game against St. Joseph's, VCU attempted 32 three-point field goals (making just seven). So in this instance, slower may be better, giving what could be a tired St. Joseph's team more time to catch its collective breath.
Atlantic 10 Tournament Quarterfinal: No. 10 St. Joseph's (18-12) vs. No. 2 Virginia Commonwealth (24-7)
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
TV: The Comcast Network
Storyline: VCU long ago secured a berth in the NCAA Tournament. It’s believed that St. Joseph's has to win the A-10 tourney to secure a bid.
Regular Season: VCU won, 92-86, at the Siegel Center in Richmond.
Head Coaches
St. Joseph's: Phil Martelli (18th season, 338-235)
Virginia Commonwealth: Shaka Smart, (fourth season, 108-35)
Projected Starters
St. Joseph's
Langston Galloway, 6-2 Jr., 13.3 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game
Carl Jones, 5-11 Sr., 14.0 points per game, 2.7 assists per game
C.J. Aiken 6-9, Jr., 10.8 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, 2.7 blocks per game
Halil Kanacevic, 6-8 Jr., 8.5 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game
Ronald Roberts Jr., 6-8 Jr., 11.4 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game
Virginia Commonwealth
Darius Theus, 6-3 Sr., 6.9 points per game, 4.9 assists per game
Rob Brandenberg, 6-2 Jr., 10.6 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game
Troy Daniels, 6-4 Sr., 12.2 ppg, 3.1 rebounds per game
Treveon Graham, 6-5 So., 15.7 ppg, 6.0 rebounds per game
Juvonte Reddic, 6-9 Jr., 14.5 ppg, 8.2 rebounds per game
Notes: Galloway’s two free throws with 1.4 seconds left gave the Hawks a 58-57 opening win over Xavier ... Against Xavier, Galloway had a team-high 14 points, while Kanacevic added 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists ... Jones had 11 points but shot just 1 for 10 from the field ...
VCU has been idle since Sunday’s 84-76 loss at Temple ... When St. Joe's and VCU met in the regular season, Galloway had 22 points, Jones scored 21 and Aiken contributed 15 points and nine rebounds. Graham had a team-high 25 points for VCU ...
A key for the Hawks will be handling VCU’s pressure. The Rams have forced an average of 19.9 turnovers a game with their renowned "Havoc" defense.
