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Record: 26-9
Region – Seed: No. 7 in West
RPI: 16
BPI: 27
Conference: Atlantic 10
How They Qualified: Automatic
Head coach Shaka Smart and the VCU Rams first made a name for themselves in the 2011 NCAA Tournament when they “Shaka’d” the world and advanced all the way to the Final Four as an 11 seed. With three straight tournament appearances since that improbable Cinderella run, VCU shouldn’t sneak up on anyone anymore.
The Rams won the Atlantic 10 postseason tournament by defeating Dayton 71-65 on Sunday. 2015 marks the fifth straight year VCU has earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
What You Need to Know:
Leading Scorer: Treveon Graham (16.2)
Leading Rebounder: Treveon Graham (6.8)
Leading Passer: Briante Weber (4.3)
Bad Losses: St. Bonaventure, Richmond
Good Wins: Northern Iowa, Cincinnati
VCU had the toughest non-conference strength of schedule in the country, so they should be well prepared for the tough competition they’ll face each round in the tournament. The Rams excelled for the most part against quality competition, other than blowout losses to Villanova and Virginia. Luckily for VCU, these games don’t mean anything anymore and happened over three months ago, so they’ve had ample time to improve.
Like most mid-majors, VCU is a smaller team. 6-foot-6 is about as tall as the starters get, and 6-foot-8 225-pound Jarred Guest is the biggest player that sees any regular time on the floor, and even that’s just seven minutes per game. The team ranks second in the country in steals per game, and relies heavily on the three point shot. Speed, outside shooting, and guard play are what will carry VCU. In a tournament historically dominated by guards, don’t be surprised if the Rams make a deep run once again.
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