Quote:It's two programs who have a history of going back and forth at one another," (Shaka) Smart said. "For the fans, it's become very, very heated. Probably the fans hate each other a lot more than the players or coaches. There's a respect there certainly among our players and coaches for them and their program."

Quote:"The personnel has changed, but the systems have not changed very much," Smart said. "Our preparation will be similar for what they do, and I'm sure for them what we do.

Quote:"For our freshmen, we'll talk about it and show tape. There's no substitute for being in the game."

Quote:"We've all got confidence," said Rams junior Darius Theus, whose spinning drive and lay-in with nine seconds left gave VCU a 69-68 win over the Tribe. "Offense will come."

Quote:"I had a call on a radio show a while back, and somebody was talking about starters," said (ODU coach Blaine) Taylor, who during the summer shaved off his trademark mustache, which has been a frequent target for the Rams' student section.

Quote:"I said, 'Well, to be honest with you, starters, I think there's way too much to it.' We all have these smoke-and-mirror presentations. And I made the comment that I want enders. I don't want starters. I want guys who can end games. That's who I'm tuned into to get the job done down the stretch."