JUNKIES: Ryan Odom previews VCU-BYU, how Rams will handle Denver altitude
One of the wild parts of the NCAA Tournament is the way the regional bracket system works, which can often have teams from two separate sides of the country playing in a wildly unfamiliar neutral territory – or, in the case of VCU, heading two time zones west to Denver to face a BYU squad that’s traveling from 500 miles east from Utah, a virtual home game when it comes to the tourney.
Oh, and BYU also is used to playing at altitude, being in Utah and having been in the WAC, Mountain West, and West Coast Conferences prior to joining the Big 12 – so how is a team from Richmond going to handle both the elements and a team familiar with them?
Perhaps Odom and VCU have a secret weapon: Max Shulga, who spent three years at Utah State (the last two with Odom) before following his coach across the country.
“He’s a great player, the classic four-year guy that doesn’t really exist that much anymore, but he had to earn it – his first year with me, he didn’t play very much, but by the end of the season, we had some injuries and he was forced into the starting lineup and earned some minutes down the stretch,” Odom said. “This year he’s elevated it to another level, A-10 Player of the Year, and I thought should have been on the All-Defensive team. He can guard full court on the other team’s best guard, and also get 20-plus or 10 assists when you need it. He’s an all-around performer, and one that I think will have a chance at the NBA.”
Listen to Odom’s entire visit with The Junkies above!
