Press Box: The year of the Rams
Photo collage by Zach Montgomery. CT file photos by Arrick Wilson, Jason Gallardo Gonzalez and Anthony Duong. Illustration(bottom) by Killian Goodale-Porter.
Drew Thompson, Staff Writer
“Could this be the year?”
This is the question on the mind of VCU men’s basketball fans as they pass the halfway point of the season.
VCU men’s basketball currently sits in the top 40 of the Kenpom National Ranking and is second in the Atlantic 10 conference at 7-2 and 17-5 overall.
The Rams have been a strong team on both sides of the ball, placing second in points scored and in points allowed, while also boasting the highest margin between the two in the conference, according to the Atlantic 10.
VCU’s defense specifically plays a large part in their success this year. They force the most turnovers in the A-10, allow the second lowest field goal percentage and rank in the top three in steals and blocks per game, according to the Atlantic 10.
Additionally, the black and gold boast an experienced team with a deep bench unit, with nine players averaging out to 13 minutes or more per game.
VCU has four players that average more than 10 points a game, with a few others not sitting too far behind this mark, according to VCU Athletics.
I believe that VCU will go on to win the A-10 conference championship and will secure an automatic spot in March Madness. The goal for the season should at the very least be conference champions or bust.
Out of the remaining 10 games on VCU’s schedule, there are three key ones to keep an eye on. Back-to-back away games against the University of Dayton and George Washington University on Friday, Feb. 7 and Wednesday, Feb. 12 respectively could be problematic for VCU.
GWU and UD are below VCU in the conference standings, however both teams only have one loss at home this season.
VCU is an even 3-3 when playing on the road, meaning this will likely be a tough two-game stretch for them. If they lose again this season it will almost certainly be one of these two games.
George Mason University is the last game VCU could find issues with. GMU sits first in the conference at 8-1, putting them half a game ahead of VCU. Looks can be deceiving however, as GMU is 4-4 when playing away from home, with their one conference loss coming against a University of Rhode Island team that VCU handled thoroughly.
GMU will likely come out the gate strong and keep it close until halftime, but I think VCU’s aggressive defense will wear them out and give them a convincing win, propelling them to first in the conference.
VCU is undefeated at home this season and plays a majority of their remaining games at the Siegel Center. I think they continue this undefeated streak at home to end the year.
The Rams should end the season first in the A-10 conference after a strong finish. From there, I believe VCU will go on to win the conference, avenge their loss from last year and earn an automatic bid into March Madness.
I think VCU will surprise some people and get their first March Madness win since 2016. The momentum from winning their conference should play a large part in this feat.
VCU head coach Ryan Odom has already proven his abilities when March has rolled around before, specifically with his historic upset over one seed University of Virginia in 2016 when he was coaching for No. 16 seed University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
The Rams aggressive playstyle coupled with the team’s experience should lift them to one or two wins in the March Madness tournament.
