Virginia Commonwealth and Akron will fight for their tournament lives in one of the upset specials, otherwise known as a No. 5 vs. No. 12 battle in the NCAA tournament.
Admittedly, this five vs. 12 battle has a bit of a different feel. After all, VCU is the kind of small school we usually find in the role of the 12 seed.
However, after their run to the Final Four as an 11 seed and advancing to the round of 32 last year, the Rams have raised their profile and won't be sneaking up on anyone.
The Rams finished the regular season with a 26-8 record. They made it to the finals of the Atlantic 10 tournament before falling to an outstanding Saint Louis team, 62-56.
Meanwhile, Akron won the MAC tournament and finished the regular season 26-6. This is the second time in the last three years that the Zips have made the tournament, but just the fourth time overall. They have yet to advance past the first round.
These two are battling in the South bracket with the winner advancing to take on the winner of the No. 4 Michigan vs. No. 13 South Dakota State game.
For VCU, this is a chance for head coach Shaka Smart to continue to build on the amazing success he has found with the Rams.
As for the Zips, this is a golden opportunity to take the program to new heights. It is impressive that this team is back in the tournament after appearing in 2011, but it is time for this program to take the next step and advance past the first round.
Junior forward Juvonte Reddic has been outstanding this season. He is second on the Rams in points at 14.4 per contest.
Reddic is a nice inside presence. The kind a team can lean on in the tournament to help prevent prolonged stretches of ineffectiveness.
At 7'0", senior center Zeke Marshall has a big inside presence. He is an adept shot-blocker who averages 3.7 blocks per game. He also hauls in 7.1 rebounds per game.
Marshall certainly isn't only a presence on the defensive end. He is the Zips' leading scorer at 13.0 points per game, and he tallied that mark with a 65.4 field goal percentage.
Akron needs to make taking care of the rock a top priority in this game, and if the Zips don't have some success in that regard, they are in for a long night.
Akron is 214th in the nation at 13.7 turnovers per game. That's not a good stat for any matchup, but particularly this one.
If the Rams can consistently force Akron into turnovers, they will create easy buckets and steal the will to win from the Zips.
VCU is going to wear Akron down. This game may be close at the end of the first half, but the Rams' defense will prove to be too much.
The Rams have plenty of tournament experience, a sound team, a great coach and they are ready to once again advance past the first round, and have a legitimate shot of going beyond that.
Help yourself to a printable bracket and follow along with the live bracket. Make your picks for the 2013 NCAA tournament here with the Bracket Challenge Game.
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