As a way to relax prior to tonight's Sweet 16 game against Florida State, VCU players went to the movies Thursday night and saw "Limitless," a film about a man who takes a pharmaceutical drug that makes him realize his full potential. Of course, once he does this, greedy and wealthy adversaries begin to chase him to try and obtain the secret.
It's not too far-fetched to say that VCU is going through its own version of the movie.
The Rams found their full potential once the NCAA tournament started and now they have all the higher seeds chasing them, trying to knock them out of the tournament.
Taking in a movie prior to a big road game has become a staple of VCU's preparation. The tradition began during the Rams' Jan. 8 trip to UNC-Wilmington. Prior to that trip, VCU was 1-4 on the road and senior guard Joey Rodriguez decided his team needed to loosen up a little bit when it played away from home.
"It was just something that I thought would help mix things up," Rodriguez said. "We had been struggling away from the Siegel Center and I just thought it might help relax us and bring us closer together."
The Rams rattled off back-to-back 18-point road wins against UNC-Wilmington and William and Mary, so they decided to keep the tradition. VCU went 7-2 in road games for the rest of the regular season, lost just one game during the Colonial Athletic Association tournament and haven't lost on the road since.
"Let's face it, as coaches, we're always looking to continue things that are working well," coach Shaka Smart said. "When this thing started and we reeled off several road wins, it was pretty clear that we had to stick to that plan."
There's no rhyme or reason to the movies they choose. Sometimes the theatre is small and the choices are limited, and sometimes, as was the case during the regional in Chicago, the team splits up and sees two movies. That trip included "The Adjustment Bureau" and "Battle: Los Angeles."
Other movies the team has seen throughout the year: "The Green Hornet," "No Strings Attached," "Just Go With It," "I am Number Four," "Unknown," "Hall Pass," and "Brotherhood."
The Rams, who have now become movie buffs, have no doubt the tradition has been the key their success throughout the tournament and don't want the tradition to stop. After all, a whole new batch of movies just came out today.
"We're a veteran team that has a strong mix of young guys too, so it's a good thing to get them somewhere together when they aren't on the basketball court," Smart said. "It's definitely paid dividends as a bonding experience for us."
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