VCU stuns Purdue to score another for Richmond, Va.

• Reprints

Purdue coach Matt Painter had seen enough tape of Virginia Commonwealth to know the Rams could be an average team some nights — or one that could ‘‘beat any team in the country on a neutral floor.’’

‘‘I was hoping that [winning] team wouldn’t show up,’’ Painter said Sunday, moments after his premonition came true at the United Center in a third-round Southwest Regional game of the NCAA tournament.

The No. 11 seed Rams (26-11) joined the Cinderella ranks with a dominating 94-76 victory over No. 3 seed Purdue (26-8) that locked up their first Sweet 16 trip. Richmond, Va., now has two teams heading for the next round in the Southwest; the 12th-seeded Richmond Spiders advanced Saturday with a win over 13th-seeded Morehead State.

‘‘Richmond is a great town,’’ VCU coach Shaka Smart said. ‘‘It’ll be buzzing.’’

The Rams won games against No. 11 seed USC and No. 6 seed Georgetown before a start-to-finish chokehold on the Boilermakers. VCU had 10 players in the scoring column, including six in double figures, led by junior guard Bradford Burgess (23 points, eight rebounds) and point guard Joey Rodriguez (12 points, 11 assists), who provided key floor leadership.

‘‘I thought Joey Rodriguez was the difference in the game,’’ Painter said. ‘‘He was persistent and determined. We had a hard time containing him.

‘‘They have a great coach, athletic ability, and they’re a championship-caliber team. I think you saw a glimpse of a team that can make a deeper run in the tournament.’’

The Boilermakers had four players in double figures, led by senior star JaJuan Johnson (25 points, 14 rebounds) and Ryne Smith (20 points). But they failed to execute ‘‘the basics’’ defensively, Johnson said, and trailed 42-32 at the half.

‘‘We attacked them,’’ Rod­riguez said. ‘‘Coach said attack and play loose. You don’t want to play on your heels. Early in the first half, we started to get the game in our tempo. We missed some shots, but once we got our tempo, you could see in the second half they got winded, and it helped us.’’

Smart, 33, is in his second year as coach. The protègè of DePaul coach Oliver Purnell, who gave him his first job when Purnell was at Dayton, and then brought him in for two seasons at Clemson, said he wasn’t able to speak to Purnell over the weekend.

‘‘But he came to both the games [Friday and Sunday], and I waved to him across the court,’’ Smart said. ‘‘He’s such a huge influence on me. The thing I take from him is his positivity and optimism.’’

Smart said he gave his team a motto before the season: ‘‘Our time, right now.’’

‘‘It was for the seniors,’’ Smart said. ‘‘It’s now or never for them.’’

For Purdue seniors Johnson and E’Twaun Moore (10 points, eight rebounds, six assists), the loss ends their four-year careers.

‘‘You want those guys to go out with a bang because they deserve better,’’ Painter said, ‘‘but so do a lot of seniors across the country. They’ve given Purdue a gauge of how you’re supposed to handle your business on and off the court.’’