Hayden Braun, Staff Writer
For the first time in 10 years, the Rams won an NCAA Tournament game. While the run was short-lived, ending in a second-round loss to the University of Illinois, it was still a relatively successful excursion into March Madness and put VCU back in the national spotlight.
However, that success brings back a familiar question surrounding the program: is VCU outgrowing the Atlantic 10 Conference?
VCU is one of the most consistent teams in the A-10 over the past decade.
The Rams have won the A-10 regular season title five times — three of those shared — and also won the conference tournament four times. The Rams are currently coming off back-to-back seasons winning both the regular season and tournament titles.
Despite that sustained success across two different head coaches, postseason success has been limited. No A-10 team since the 2013–2014 Dayton Flyers have advanced past the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
VCU has been stuck in a cycle of good, and sometimes great, regular seasons followed by early tournament exits, often needing to win the conference tournament just to secure a bid.
This reality the Rams are in has led to a rather interesting topic. Should VCU consider moving to a more prestigious conference, such as the Big East Conference?
The Big East presents a level of competition similar in structure to the A-10, but with more national exposure and historically successful programs like the University of Connecticut, Villanova University and St. John’s University.
A move to a conference like the Big East could elevate VCU’s national profile, improve recruiting and provide more consistent opportunities to face top-tier competition.
In today’s college basketball landscape where the transfer portal plays a major role in roster building, that exposure can be the difference between retaining talent and losing players to bigger programs.
The transfer portal combined with the rise of NIL money changed everything about the ways programs operate now. Mid-major programs like VCU are often tasked with developing players who eventually leave for bigger schools and bigger paydays.
But VCU could be the outlier in that trend. Head coach Phil Martelli Jr. has built a strong culture in just one season to pair alongside VCU’s history and recent success. This shift in the program could begin retaining key players while attracting new talent instead of serving as a stepping stone to bigger schools.
VCU’s recent tournament performance may also help its case. The Rams’ 19-point comeback win over the University of North Carolina in the first round not only brought national attention to the program, but also highlighted its ability to compete with high-level teams on the biggest stage.
However, moving to a new conference isn’t easy. Financial factors, conference alignment and institutional fit all play a role in realignment decisions.
Conferences like the Big 12 or Atlantic Coast Conference could offer even greater exposure, but they are larger and more competitive, making success less certain.
For now, VCU remains one of the top programs in the A-10, but the limitations the conference brings raise questions about how far the program can go. If the Rams want to move past early exits and become a team that can make real runs in March, a move to a bigger conference may be the next step.
With Martelli laying the foundation for a new era and national attention returning to Richmond, the question is no longer whether VCU can compete at a higher level, but rather will the program get the opportunity to prove it on the biggest of stages?