| VCU Rams men's basketball | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| University | Virginia Commonwealth University | ||||||||||
| First season | 1968–69; 57 years ago | ||||||||||
| All-time record | 1,039–565 (.648) | ||||||||||
| Head coach | Phil Martelli Jr. (1st season) | ||||||||||
| Conference | Atlantic 10 | ||||||||||
| Location | Richmond, Virginia | ||||||||||
| Arena | E. J. Wade Arena at the Siegel Center The Stu (capacity: 7,637, expandable to 8,000) | ||||||||||
| Nickname | Rams | ||||||||||
| Student section | The Rowdy Rams | ||||||||||
| Colors | Black and gold[1] | ||||||||||
| Uniforms | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| NCAA tournament Final Four | |||||||||||
| 2011 | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Conference tournament champions | |||||||||||
| 1980, 1981, 1985, 1996, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2023, 2025 | |||||||||||
| Conference regular-season champions | |||||||||||
| 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1996, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2019, 2023, 2025 | |||||||||||
* Forfeit due to positive COVID-19 tests | |||||||||||
TheVCU Rams men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball team that representsVirginia Commonwealth University. The Rams joined theAtlantic 10 Conference in the 2012–13 season after previously competing in theColonial Athletic Association (CAA). In 2017, VCU was ranked the 40th most valuable men's basketball program in the country byThe Wall Street Journal. With a valuation of $56.9 million, VCU ranked second in theCommonwealth of Virginia, and second in the A-10 Conference.[2] The team is currently coached byPhil Martelli Jr.
Since 1999, the team has played home basketball games at the E.J. Wade Arena at theStuart C. Siegel Center inRichmond, Virginia on the university's Monroe Park campus. Virginia Commonwealth has made it to the NCAA Final Four once in its program's history, in 2011. Additionally, the Rams won the2010CBI tournament and have ten conference tournaments; three being in theSun Belt Conference, five being in theColonial Athletic Association, and two in theAtlantic 10 Conference. The Rams have also won twelve regular season championships; four from the Sun Belt, five from the CAA, and three in the Atlantic 10. The official student supporter group is known as the Rowdy Rams.[3][4]
The team is known for its Final Four run in the2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[5] While the team had made nine NCAA tournament appearances beforehand, never had the Rams made it beyond the second round of the tournament. In 2011, the Rams' journey to the Final Four began in one of the four opening round games, commonly called "play-in" games, intended to narrow the field from 68 to 64 teams. Thus, VCU became the first team to advance from the "First Four" to the Final Four.
In another NCAA tournament-first, VCU became the first team ever to forfeit a game in the NCAA tournament[6] when their First Round game in the2021 NCAA tournament was declared a no-contest due to several positiveCOVID-19 tests in the VCU program.[7]
VCU reached the NCAA tournament a state record seven consecutive times from 2011 to 2017.[a]
The VCU Rams men's basketball program was founded in 1968, at the same time as the merger of theRichmond Professional Institute and theMedical College of Virginia. In the1968–69 season as anindependent team, the program played its first ever season. Coached byBenny Dees and assisted byLandy Watson and Vann Brackin for their first two seasons,[8] Dees led the team to two winning records, before being replaced by Chuck Noe.[9] It would take 10 more seasons before the Rams appeared in a postseason tournament, earning a berth into the1978 National Invitation tournament being eliminated in the first round by theUniversity of Detroit.[10]
Under the coaching ofJ.D. Barnett, the Rams earned fourth berths into theNCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, each being their first four berths, the first coming in1980. During Barnett's six years coaching the team, only twice did the Rams not win theSun Belt Conference.[11]
The Rams became the first team to sweep the best of 3 championship series in the CBI post-season tournament on their way to becoming the 2010 CBI Champions. It is the first post-season tournament championship, excluding conference tournaments, in the history of the program.
VCU received their first bid to the NCAA tournament in the 1979–1980 season with an 18–12 overall record andSun Belt Conference tournament championship led by then first-year VCU Head CoachJ.D. Barnett in VCU's first season in theSun Belt. They entered the tournament as a No. 12 seed in the East Region and were eliminated in the first round by No. 5 Iowa.
It would not be long before the Rams returned to the tournament. The following year the Rams posted a 24–5 record on their way to the Sun Belt Conference regular season and Conference tournament championships. The Rams entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed in the East region and defeated No. 12 Long Island before being eliminated by No. 4 Tennessee in overtime in the second round 58–56.
The Rams would return to the tournament in 1983. The Rams, the No. 5 seed in the East region, defeated No. 12 seed La Salle in the first round and were eliminated in the second round by No. 4 seed Georgia 56–54. The Rams lost their second-round game by the same margin to No. 4 Tennessee in 1981. The 1984 tournament held similar results for the Rams squad. They entered the tournament as a No. 6 seed in the East Region and defeated No. 11 Northeastern before being eliminated by No. 3 Syracuse. The second-round losses in the NCAA tournament by VCU in 1981, 1983, and 1984 were to teams with first-round byes before the tournament expanded to 64 teams for the 1984–1985 season and byes were eliminated.
In the 1984–85 season the Rams once again made it to the newly expanded 1985 NCAA tournament. The Rams entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the West region, the highest seeding they have ever received in the tournament. The Rams defeated No. 15 Marshall in the first round, but unfortunately their luck had not changed in the second-round and they were upset by No. 7 Alabama 63–59.
During his tenure, Head Coach J.D Barnett (1979–1985) led VCU and the Rams to five NCAA tournament appearances (1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985) while capturing four Sun Belt regular season conference championships (1981, 1983, 1984, 1985) and three Sun Belt Conference tournament championships (1980, 1981, 1985). He was 132–48 overall and 59–19 in conference play during his time at VCU.
The Rams next stint in the post-season came under Head Coach Mike Pollio in the 1988 NIT Tournament where they would reach the quarter-finals before ultimately falling to UConn 69–60. The Rams posted wins over Marshall and Southern Mississippi in the first and second rounds, respectively.
The Rams remained in the Sun Belt Conference until 1991 when they joined theMetro Conference. VCU was left out of the 1995 merger of the Metro andGreat Midwest Conference that createdConference USA. They instead joined the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) for the 1995–1996 season.
In their first season as members of the CAA, the Rams posted a 24–9 overall record, going 14–2 in conference play en route to the CAA regular season and conference tournament championships. The Rams earned the right to go dancing in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1985, but fell in the first round as the No. 12 seed in the Southeast region to No. 5 Mississippi State.
The VCU men's basketball team would return to prominence in the 2003–2004 season under then second-year Head CoachJeff Capel. Following a 2nd place conference finish in his debut season, Capel led the Rams to a 23–8 overall record, going 14–4 in conference play and capturing the CAA regular season and conference tournament championships. In the 2004 NCAA tournament, the Rams were awarded the No. 13 seed in the East region and faced No. 4Wake Forest in the first round. VCU led for much of the second half and had a chance to win towards the end despite the Wake Forest comeback, but ultimately fell 79–78.
Jeff Capel originally joined VCU as an assistant in 2001 and at the time of his promotion to the head coaching position in 2002 was the youngest head coach in Division I NCAA basketball at 27 years old. During his time as the head coach with VCU, Capel compiled a 79–41 record. In April 2006, Capel resigned as head coach to accept the same position with theUniversity of Oklahoma Sooners. He was replaced byAnthony Grant, formerly an assistant and associate head coach for several years toBilly Donovan, including the2006 NCAA champions, theUniversity of Florida Gators.
In his first year as head coach, Anthony Grant led the Rams to a school-record 28 wins. The Rams finished the season 28–7, also setting a school and CAA conference record with 16 wins in conference play. Grant, who also set a school record for most wins by a first-year head coach, was named the CAA Coach of the Year. The Rams were 16–2 in conference play and captured the CAA Regular season Championship before capturing the CAA Conference tournament Championship in thrilling fashion asEric Maynor burst onto the national scene by scoring 9 points in the final 1:55 to bury theGeorge Mason Patriots, finishing with 14 of his 20 points in the second half. Maynor also had 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in the victory.
The Rams entered the2007 NCAA tournament as the No. 11 seed in the West region and upset the No. 6 seedDuke Blue Devils 79–77 on a game-winning bucket from just beyond the free-throw line by Eric Maynor in the final seconds of the game.
The Rams good fortune did not continue into the next round, however, where they were eliminated by the No. 3 seedPittsburgh Panthers. The Rams squad showed outstanding poise in the second-half by forcing overtime after trailing 41–26 at halftime. They would go on to lose by a score of 84–79.
The next year the Rams would win their second straight CAA regular season championship, posting a 24–8 overall record, 15–3 in conference play, but fall short in the conference tournament in a heartbreaking upset toWilliam & Mary in the semi-finals. The Rams missed an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament but instead received an invitation to play in the NIT. The Rams heartbreak continued as they were upset on their home court in the first round by old-time Sun Belt Conference rival, theUAB Blazers 80–77 as a late comeback fell just short.
The2008–2009 season was another successful one for the VCU program. The Rams finished the season with a mark of 24–10 overall, going 14–4 in a hotly contested CAA and sealing the deal on a three-peat as CAA regular season champions for only the second time in CAA conference history and the second time in school history, the first coming during the Rams time in the Sun Belt Conference. The Rams would not fall short again and captured theCAA Conference tournament championship for the fourth time since joining the conference capped by a 71–50 rout of rivalGeorge Mason in the final. The 21-point margin is the largest margin of victory in a CAA Conference tournament Championship Game. Larry Sanders set CAA Conference tournament Championship Game records for the Rams with 20 rebounds and 7 blocks in the victory.
So once again, the Rams headed to the NCAA tournament as a No. 11 seed in the East region. The Rams were eliminated by the No. 6 seedUCLA Bruins in a hard-fought game 65–64.
Anthony Grant posted an impressive 76–25 record in his three seasons as the head men's basketball coach at VCU. He was an outright dominating 52–10 versus CAA opponents, including conference tournaments, capturing three straight CAA Regular season Conference Championships and two CAA Conference tournament championships. He led VCU to two NCAA tournament berths and one NIT berth before departing the program to take over the head coaching position at the University of Alabama. Eric Maynor would go on to be drafted No. 20 in the2009 NBA draft by theUtah Jazz.
From 2009 to 2015, the Rams were led byShaka Smart, who had been previously an assistant coach for theFlorida Gators men's basketball team. Prior to Florida, Smart served as an assistant coach at Clemson, Akron and California (Pa.) and a director of operations at Dayton. During his introductory press conference, he promised that his teams would "wreak havoc on our opponents [sic] psyche and their plan of attack."[citation needed] Smart's teams have employed a basketball philosophy nicknamed Havoc since that point.
In Smart'sfirst year as the Rams head coach, the team posted a 27–9 record, going 11–7 in the CAA, finishing fifth in the conference. As fifth seeds, the Rams made it to the semi-finals of the2010 CAA men's basketball tournament before falling totheir conference rivals,Old Dominion, who would go on to win the CAA Championship. Despite reaching the semifinals of the CAA Tournament, the Rams did not earn a berth into either theNCAA orNIT tournaments. However, the Rams earned a berth into the2010 College Basketball Invitational, where they would finish as the eventual champions, defeatingSaint Louis 2–0 in the series final. Their sweep of Saint Louis made it the first time inCBI history a team won the best two-out-of-three championship series in two games. Additionally, it was VCU's first postseason tournament, other than the Sun Belt and CAA tournaments, that the program won.
OnSelection Sunday 2011, theVCU Rams received an at-large bid to the2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament to start off the newly created 68-team field. VCU found itself as one of the last teams in the tournament and was scheduled to play in the newly formed "First Four" againstUSC on March 16 for a spot as the 11th seed in the tournament. The inclusion of VCU in the tournament was widely criticized by pundits and theESPN network, in particularJay Bilas andDick Vitale. In the first round of the NCAA tournament, dubbed by many as "The First Four", The Rams succeeded in knocking off USC by the score of 59–46. The Rams blew outGeorgetown 74–56 in Chicago to reach the Round of 32 and followed this win up with a 94–76 rout of third-seededPurdue to advance to VCU's first-ever Sweet Sixteen appearance. VCU then beatFlorida State 72–71 in overtime on a last second shot by Bradford Burgess to advance to the school's first ever Elite Eight appearance.
The Rams upset the number one seededKansas Jayhawks 71–61 to reach theFinal Four for the first time ever. VCU, the Southwest Regional champions played in the National Semifinal against the Southeast Region championButler Bulldogs, losing 70–62. The VCU Rams finished sixth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll at the end of the season.[12] This was the highest ranking in VCU's history and the highest ranking of any team from theCAA.[13] The 2011 NCAA tournament run by VCU is regarded as one of the best Cinderella runs of all time.[14] Their First Four appearance, combined with their run to the Final Four, gave VCU the distinction of being the first team to win five games in the men's NCAA tournament without reaching the championship game.
Themajor conference realignment of the early 2010s eventually gave VCU the opportunity for a major basketball upgrade. After A10 mainstayTemple announced its departure for theBig East Conference[15] andCharlotte announced it would return toConference USA, the A10 reloaded by adding Butler[16] and VCU. The move placed VCU in a conference that regularly collected NCAA at-large bids—the A10 had 20 teams earn at-large bids from 2000 through 2012, including three in the 2012 tournament. By comparison, the CAA had only four at-large bids in the same period (one of them being VCU's 2011 Final Four team).[17]
On Sunday, March 15, 2015, VCU won its first Atlantic 10 conference tournament championship.
On April 2, 2015, Smart left VCU to go tothe University of Texas.
After two seasons at Chattanooga,Will Wade returned to VCU to take the open head coaching position vacated by Shaka Smart. In his first season returning to VCU, Wade guided the team to their first ever A10 Conference regular season championship and a 25–11 overall record. VCU made it to the championship game of the A10 conference tournament for the 4th straight season, falling to St. Joseph's. The team won at least 24 games, VCU and Kansas are the only NCAA schools to reach that feat the last 10 seasons. The Rams also made their 6th straight NCAA tournament, one of only 8 teams in the country to do so. VCU made it to the round of 32 where they fell to Oklahoma 85–81. Wade finished second in voting for A10 coach of the year.[18] Wade announced that he was leaving VCU after two years to accept the head coaching position atLouisiana State University inBaton Rouge.[19]
On March 21, 2017, VCU announced that the school had hired former associate head coach under Shaka Smart,Mike Rhoades, as the Rams' new head basketball coach. He was formerly the head coach atRice University inHouston. He is the 12th coach in program history.[20]On March 29, 2023,Mike Rhoades announced he was accepting an offer to coach atPenn State following 6 seasons at VCU and 0 NCAA tournament wins.[21] Hours after his announced departure all key VCU players declared for the transfer portal leaving VCU with just 5 active roster players.[22]
In March 2023, VCU namedUtah State coach Ryan Odom as the Rams new head coach.[23] In his two years at VCU he led the team to a 52–21 record. In Odom's first season, the Rams finished 24-14 and advanced to the2024 National Invitation Tournament Quarterfinals. In the Odom's second season, the Rams won both theAtlantic 10 Conference regular-season andAtlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament championships, winning 18 of their final 20 games en route to a No. 11 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they lost to No. 6 seedBrigham Young in the first round.[24] Odom was named the men's basketball coach for theVirginia Cavaliers on March 21, 2025.[24]
In the team's existence, the Rams have had 12 different head coaches.Benny Dees coached the team for the first two seasons of existence. During Dees' tenure, the team achieved winning records both seasons, but barely pulled ahead of .500, resulting in Dees being fired. The second coach,Chuck Noe, led the team for the next six seasons.[25]
Following Noe's departure as head coach in 1976,Dana Kirk became the third head coach in Rams basketball history. Kirk, formerly assistant toDenny Crum, was part of theUniversity of Louisville team that reached the Final Four in 1976. In Kirk's second season with the team, he led them to a 24–5 record, and a berth into theNational Invitational Tournament, making it the first time the team reached any major tournament. Although the team was eliminated in the first round, the success of the program Kirk built continued into the following season. Kirk's success with the Rams resulted in him being hired as the head coach atMemphis State (now Memphis) in 1979.
Subsequently, the Rams earned an invitation to play in theSun Belt Conference and hiredJ. D. Barnett as their head coach. Barnett, who coached the team from 1979 through 1985, immediately brought NCAA success to the team, earning berths into theNCAA tournament five of the six seasons in his tenure, as well as being the four-time Sun Belt champions. Barnett’s success eventually led to him being offered a contract to coach atTulsa.
Mike Pollio became the fifth coach in Rams history. The head coach from 1985 until 1989, Pollio had a rather lackluster record with the team. During his four years as coach, Pollio had two seasons with losing records, the first in Rams history. During his four years, Pollio managed to get the team into the NIT quarterfinals.
Since the early 2000s, VCU has gained a reputation as the springboard for multiple successful coaches to be hired by a major program after achieving success with the Rams. The VCU administration has capitalized on this status by requiring schools who sign a VCU coach to play the Rams home and away as a condition of their compensation package.[26] The only team thus far who did not fulfill this clause isPenn State, which elected to pay a $250,000 buyout in lieu of scheduling the Rams after hiringMike Rhoades in 2023.[27]
| Years | Coach | Seasons | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025– | Phil Martelli Jr. | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 2023–2025 | Ryan Odom | 2 | 52-21 (0.712) | A-10: 26-10 (.722) |
| 2017–2023 | Mike Rhoades | 6 | 129-61 (0.679) | A-10: 72-32 (.692) |
| 2015–2017 | Will Wade | 2 | 51–20 (.718) | A-10: 28–8 (.778) |
| 2009–2015 | Shaka Smart | 6 | 163–56 (.744) | CAA/A-10: 74–30 (.712) |
| 2006–2009 | Anthony Grant | 3 | 76–25 (.752) | CAA: 45–9 (.833) |
| 2002–2006 | Jeff Capel | 4 | 79–41 (.658) | CAA: 50–22 (.694) |
| 1998–2002 | Mack McCarthy | 4 | 66–55 (.545) | CAA: 35–31 (.530) |
| 1989–1998 | Sonny Smith | 9 | 136–127 (.517) | Sun Belt/Metro/CAA: 59–65 (.476) |
| 1985–1989 | Mike Pollio | 4 | 65–57 (.533) | Sun Belt: 32–24 (.571) |
| 1979–1985 | J. D. Barnett | 6 | 132–48 (.733) | Sun Belt: 59–19 (.756) |
| 1976–1979 | Dana Kirk | 3 | 57–23 (.712) | |
| 1970–1976 | Chuck Noe | 6 | 95–42 (.693) | |
| 1968–1970 | Benny Dees | 2 | 25–21 (.543) | |
| Totals | 14 Coaches | 50 | 1074–576 (.651) | 454–240 (.694) |
The Rams play at the E.J. Wade Arena, formerly Verizon Wireless Arena, theStuart C. Siegel Center, located in the northwest corridor of theMonroe Park campus. University-owned, the Siegel Center broke ground for construction April 1996, and opened three years later, in May 1999.[28] Since the 1999–00 season, the venue has been the home arena for the Rams, as well as the women's basketball team and volleyball team.[29]
Prior to the opening of the Siegel Center, the Rams spent a majority of their history playing their home basketball games in theRichmond Coliseum, which housed the team from 1971 until 1999. Prior to the Rams' long-term occupation of the Coliseum, the team played their home games in the Franklin Street Gym.
A $25 million practice facility located on the north side of Marshall Street adjacent to the Siegel Center was completed in November 2015. Replacing the decades-old Franklin Street Gym, it houses the Men's and Women's basketball teams. The building's size is about 62,000 square feet (5,800 m2) and features courts, players' lounges, dining areas, coaches' offices, retail spaces, and a hall of fame.[18][30]
The Rams have three major rivals:Old Dominion,[31]George Mason and their long-standingcrosstown rivalUniversity of Richmond.
In the 1970s, their first six games were decided at the buzzer. For the past 35 years, the two schools have competed annually in theCapital City Classic (formerly Black & Blue Classic).[32] The success of the two school's basketball programs washighlighted in the 2011 NCAA tournament, as Richmond and VCU respectively reached the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four.[33]
VCU has honored six players by retiring their jerseys, although the numbers remained active:
| VCU Rams retired numbers | ||||
| No. | Player | Position | Career | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Eric Maynor | PG | 2005–09 | |
| 2 | Brianté Weber | PG | 2011–15 | |
| 5 | Calvin Duncan | SG | 1981–85 | |
| 20 | Bradford Burgess | SF | 2008–12 | |
| 21 | Treveon Graham | SG | 2011-15 | |
| 22 | Gerald Henderson | PG | 1974–78 | |
| 23 | Kendrick Warren | PF | 1990–94 | |
Source:[1]
Source[34]
| VCU players in NBA | |||
| Name | VCU Year(s) | Drafted by | Pro Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jesse Dark | 1970–74 | New York Knicks | 1974–75 |
| Bernie Harris | 1970–74 | Buffalo Braves | 1974–75 |
| Gerald Henderson | 1974–78 | San Antonio Spurs | 1979–92 |
| Ed Sherod | 1978–82 | New Jersey Nets | 1982–83 |
| Marc Jackson | 1993–94 | Golden State Warriors | 2000–07 |
| Eric Maynor | 2005–09 | Utah Jazz | 2009–14 |
| Larry Sanders | 2007–10 | Milwaukee Bucks | 2010–15, 2016–17 |
| Troy Daniels | 2009–13 | Undrafted | 2013–20 |
| Brianté Weber | 2011–15 | Undrafted | 2015–18 |
| Treveon Graham | 2011–15 | Undrafted | 2016–20 |
| Bones Hyland | 2019–21 | Denver Nuggets | 2021– |
| Vince Williams Jr. | 2018–22 | Memphis Grizzlies | 2022– |
Most recent:
| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Anthony Grant | 24–10 | 14–4 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 2009–10 | Shaka Smart | 27–9 | 11–7 | 5th | CBI Champions | ||||
| 2010–11 | Shaka Smart | 28–12 | 12–6 | 4th | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 2011–12 | Shaka Smart | 29–7 | 15–3 | 2nd | NCAA Third Round | ||||
| 2012–13 | Shaka Smart | 27–9 | 12–4 | 2nd | NCAA Third Round | ||||
| 2013–14 | Shaka Smart | 26–9 | 12–4 | 2nd | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2014–15 | Shaka Smart | 26–10 | 12–6 | T-4th | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 2015–16 | Will Wade | 25–11 | 14–4 | T-1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2016–17 | Will Wade | 26–9 | 14–4 | 2nd | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 2017–18 | Mike Rhoades | 17–14 | 9–9 | 5th | None | ||||
| 2018–19 | Mike Rhoades | 25–8 | 16–2 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 2019–20 | Mike Rhoades | 18-13 | 8–10 | 7th | —[b] | ||||
| 2020–21 | Mike Rhoades | 19–7 | 10–4 | 4th | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 2021–22 | Mike Rhoades | 22–10 | 14–4 | 2nd | NIT Second Round | ||||
| 2022–23 | Mike Rhoades | 27–8 | 15–3 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 2023–24 | Ryan Odom | 24–14 | 11–7 | T-4th | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||
| 2024–25 | Ryan Odom | 28–6 | 15–3 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 2025–26 | Phil Martelli Jr. | ||||||||
| Total: | 1,047–568 | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
The Rams have appeared in 19NCAA tournaments. VCU's combined record is 13–20.
| Year | Record | Seed | Region | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 18–12 | #12 | East | First Round | #5 Iowa | L 72–86 |
| 1981 | 24–5 | #5 | East | First Round Second Round | #12 Long Island #4 Tennessee | W 85–69 L 56–58OT |
| 1983 | 24–7 | #5 | East | First Round Second Round | #12 La Salle #4 Georgia | W 76–67 L 54–56 |
| 1984 | 23–7 | #6 | East | First Round Second Round | #11 Northeastern #3 Syracuse | W 70–69 L 63–78 |
| 1985 | 26–6 | #2 | West | First Round Second Round | #15 Marshall #7 Alabama | W 81–65 L 59–63 |
| 1996 | 24–9 | #12 | Southeast | First Round | #5 Mississippi State | L 51–58 |
| 2004 | 23–8 | #13 | East | First Round | #4 Wake Forest | L 78–79 |
| 2007 | 28–7 | #11 | West | First Round Second Round | #6 Duke #3 Pittsburgh | W 79–77 L 79–84OT |
| 2009 | 24–10 | #11 | East | First Round | #6 UCLA | L 64–65 |
| 2011 | 28–12 | #11 | Southwest | First Four Second Round Third Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | #11 USC #6 Georgetown #3 Purdue #10 Florida State #1 Kansas #8 Butler | W 59–46 W 74–56 W 94–76 W 72–71OT W 71–61 L 62–70 |
| 2012 | 29–7 | #12 | Midwest | Second Round Third Round | #5 Wichita State #4 Indiana | W 62–59 L 61–63 |
| 2013 | 27–9 | #5 | South | Second Round Third Round | #12 Akron #4 Michigan | W 88–42 L 53–78 |
| 2014 | 26–9 | #5 | South | Second Round | #12 Stephen F. Austin | L 75–77OT |
| 2015 | 26–9 | #7 | West | Second Round | #10 Ohio State | L 72–75OT |
| 2016 | 25–11 | #10 | West | First Round Second Round | #7 Oregon State #2 Oklahoma | W 75–67 L 81–85 |
| 2017 | 26–9 | #10 | West | First Round | #7 Saint Mary's | L 77–85 |
| 2019 | 25–7 | #8 | East | First Round | #9 UCF | L 58–73 |
| 2021 | 19–7 | #10 | West | First Round | #7 Oregon | No-contest^ |
| 2023 | 27–7 | #12 | West | First Round | #5 Saint Mary's | L 51–63 |
| 2025 | 28–6 | #11 | East | First Round | #6 BYU | L 71–80 |
^Oregon advanced due to positiveCOVID-19 tests in VCU's program
TheNCAA began seeding the tournament with the1979 edition.
| Years | '80 | '81 | '83 | '84 | '85 | '96 | '04 | '07 | '09 | '11 | '12 | '13 | '14 | '15 | '16 | '17 | '19 | '21 | '23 | '25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeds → | 12 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 11 |
The Rams have appeared in theNational Invitation Tournament (NIT) six times. Their combined record is 5–7.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | First Round | Detroit | L 86–94 |
| 1988 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Marshall Southern Miss Connecticut | W 81–80 W 93–89 L 60–69 |
| 1993 | First Round | Old Dominion | L 68–74 |
| 2005 | Opening Round | Davidson | L 62–77 |
| 2008 | First Round | UAB | L 77–80 |
| 2022 | First Round Second Round | Princeton Wake Forest | W 90–79 L 74–80 |
| 2024 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Villanova South Florida Utah | W 70–61 W 70–65 L 54–74 |
The Rams have appeared in theCollege Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 5–0 and they were CBI champions in 2010.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals Game 1 Finals Game 2 | George Washington College of Charleston Boston University Saint Louis Saint Louis | W 79–73 W 93–86 W 88–75 W 68–56 W 71–65 |
Since the 2009–10 season, VCU has played a total of 37 games against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll. VCU has a record of 12–25 against such teams. They have a record of 1–5 against teams in the Top 5 during this span, the lone win coming against #2 Kansas during the2011 NCAA tournament in which Kansas was a #1 seed. The Rams also hold a record of 5–4 against ranked teams at theSiegel Center since the arena first opened in 1999.
| Year | Opponent | Result | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | #17 Oklahoma | W 82–69 | Home |
| 2010–11 | #24 Tennessee #13 Purdue #2 Kansas | L 72–77 W 94–76 W 71–61 | Neutral NCAA NCAA |
| 2011–12 | #13 Alabama #18 Wichita State #16 Indiana | L 64–72 W 62–59 L 61–63 | Away NCAA NCAA |
| 2012–13 | #19 Memphis #5 Duke #13 Missouri #20 Butler #16 St. Louis #10 Michigan | W 78–65 L 58–67 L 65–68 W 84–52 L 56–62 L 53–78 | Neutral Neutral Neutral Home A-10 NCAA |
| 2013–14 | #25 Virginia #12 St. Louis #10 St. Louis | W 59–56 L 62–64 W 67–56 | Away Away Home |
| 2014–15 | #12 Villanova #7 Virginia #23 Northern Iowa #24 Davidson | L 77–53 L 74–57 W 93–82 W 93–73 | Neutral Home Home A-10 |
| 2015–16 | #5 Duke #23 Cincinnati #7 Oklahoma | L 79–71 L 69–63 L 85–81 | Neutral Home NCAA |
| 2016–17 | #20 Baylor #22 Saint Mary's | L 71–63 L 77–85 | Neutral NCAA |
| 2017–18 | #19 Seton Hall #22 Rhode Island #25 Rhode Island | L 67–90 L 68–81 L 67–76 | Away Home A-10 |
| 2018–19 | #4 Virginia | L 49–57 | Away |
| 2019–20 | #23 LSU #17 Tennessee #13 Dayton #5 Dayton | W 84–82 L 69–72 L 65–79 L 61–66 | Home Neutral Away Home |
| 2020–21 | #15 West Virginia | L 66–78 | Neutral |
| 2021–22 | #6 Baylor #22 Connecticut #25 Davidson | L 61–69 L 63–70 W 70–68 | Neutral Neutral Away |
From 2005 to 2012, VCU had participated in ESPN'sBracketBusters series, in which the Rams would play against another team from a mid-major conference. VCU's record during this series was 5–3, going 3–1 at home. Scores inbold represent games in which VCU was the home team.
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| February 19, 2005 | Charleston | L, 75–86 |
| February 17, 2006 | Albany | W, 70–67 |
| February 17, 2007 | Bradley | L, 64–73 |
| February 23, 2008 | Akron | W, 57–52 |
| February 20, 2009 | Nevada | L, 70–71 |
| February 20, 2010 | Akron | W, 70–53 |
| February 18, 2011 | Wichita State | W, 68–67 |
| February 17, 2012 | Northern Iowa | W, 77–68 |
espn2025 was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).
| Academics |
| ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics |
| ||||||||||
| Student life |
| ||||||||||
