Richmond.
VCU.
Round 93.
Need we say more?
The crosstown rivals will tip off at 6 p.m. on Saturday in a nationally-televised contest from the Robins Center on the campus of the University of Richmond.
Led by longtime head coach Chris Mooney, the Richmond Spiders (21-7, 13-2 Atlantic 10) are having one of their best seasons in program history and have already clinched a double-bye in the A-10 Tournament later this month.
The VCU Rams (19-9, 11-4 A-10) are in the driver’s seat for a top four seed, as head coach Ryan Odom has his Rams on a hot streak, winning six of their last seven games.
All told, the late-season renewal of one of Virginia’s most potent basketball rivalries carries a significant amount of weight for a pair of teams jockeying for the inside track to an A-10 title in Brooklyn and the accompanying automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.
Last meeting: VCU 63, Richmond 52
The last time these two teams met on Feb. 3, it was the Rams who came away victorious, handing the Spiders their first loss in A-10 play.
VCU remained in control in a game that started slow offensively, with 38 total points at the half. VCU, lifted by a 43-point second half onslaught, cruised to a double-digit victory.
Max Shulga and Kuany Kuany each scored 15 points, with 11 of Shulga’s coming in the second half. Kuany’s points came on 5-for-7 shooting, and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
As a team, VCU shot 90% (18-for-20) from the free throw line, bolstering a team that ranks among the best in the country from the charity stripe.
Star Richmond guard Jordan King was bottled up for much of the game, but ended up co-leading the Spiders with 12 points. Delonnie Hunt joined King with 12 points, his coming in a game-high 37 minutes on the floor.
Way-to-go, Joe!
A federal court in West Virginia may have unleashed VCU’s biggest weapon down the stretch.
An injunction by a federal judge that granted multi-time transfers immediate eligibility allowed Joe Bamisile to make his VCU debut in December, and the senior has not looked back since.
Bamisile has broken double figures in each of the last four games, including a 27-point outing on the road against Saint Louis and a 24-point game last time out against Rhode Island.
During the stretch, Bamisile has shot 8-for-20 from 3-point range, a 40% clip that puts him among the best shooters on VCU’s team. Many of his shots, with unorthodox follow-through and all, have been heavily contested or in “heat check” moments.
Bamisile is nearing a career milestone as well – his next made 3-pointer will be No. 200 for his collegiate career, spanning stints at Oklahoma, George Washington and Virginia Tech.
Nelson’s return
Today’s game marks the return to the Robins Center for Jason Nelson, the sophomore VCU guard who spent his freshman season at Richmond.
Nelson, a native of Richmond and a John Marshall High School, is the only player to ever play on both sides of the Capital City Classic.
In the first meeting against Richmond, Nelson scored six points, to pair with three rebounds and three assists in the winning effort. He was a starter on that night, as VCU battled through injuries to Zeb Jackson and Sean Bairstow during the heart of the conference schedule.
Nelson is expected to come off the bench in Saturday’s contest. The guard has proven to be a 3-point shooting threat that can give VCU’s second unit a lift off the bench.
Max 1K
In VCU’s last game against Rhode Island, senior guard Max Shulga scored his 1,000th collegiate point in the 88-67 victory.
Shulga secured the mark on a corner 3-pointer, assisted by longtime teammate Sean Bairstow, who made the trek from Utah State to VCU with Shulga when head coach Ryan Odom was signed by the Rams last offseason.
In his lone season at VCU, Shulga has scored 417 points – tying last season at Utah State for the most points of his career. The Ukrainian is a shoo-in to set a new career-high with his next game appearance.
Shulga leads the Rams in points per game with 14.9 and trails only Bairstow in assists per game. His 4.9 rebounds per game mark place the guard third amongst Rams, behind Tobi Lawal and Bairstow.
In the preseason, Shulga was selected to the A-10 Preseason All-Conference Second Team, joining Bairstow in preseason honors. While unlikely to supplant Richmond’s Jordan King or Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II in A-10 Player of the Year honors, the guard is anticipated to be a member of the A-10 All-Conference First Team when it is announced later this month.
Quick game facts
- VCU leads the all-time series against Richmond 60-32 and enters Saturday on a three-game win streak in the rivalry. Head coach Ryan Odom is 1-0 in his VCU career against the Spiders.
- Since former head coach Shaka Smart’s departure in 2015, the Rams are 5-2 at the Robins Center. The last VCU loss at the Robins Center was a 77-59 loss in February 2020. The game was also the last regular-season victory Richmond has against VCU.
- Sportsbooks generally list Richmond as three-point home favorites Saturday, boosted by a 13-1 home record on the season. The Spiders’ only home loss came in a 69-59 loss to UMass on Valentine’s Day.
- VCU enters the game on a two-game win streak; Richmond on a four-game streak. Coincidentally, both teams suffered their last loss at the hands of a surging UMass team.
- Speaking of UMass, the Minutemen made their pending move to the MAC official on Feb. 29. UMass, a charter member of the A-10, will play one more season in the conference before leaving following the 2024-25 season.
- Star Richmond guard Jordan King enters the game Saturday having broken double figures in every A-10 game. King, a grad transfer from ETSU, has scored over 20 points in three of the last four games, including 27 points on Feb. 28 against Saint Louis.
