by Jason Boleman
The first season at the helm was a success for new VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr., as
VCU secured a double-bye in the Atlantic 10 Tournament for the second straight year.
The #2 seeded Rams only lost three games during the conference slate, two to Saint
Louis, which split regular-season champion honors with the Rams, and once to George
Mason early in the slate.
Regular Season Recap
The key to VCU’s success has been a team effort all the way around. No player for VCU
appears in the top five in conference in points, rebounds or assists, but VCU frequently
puts up gaudy offensive performances. Seven players had scoring averages of seven
points or better during the conference schedule, led by juniors Lazar Djokovic and
Terrence Hill Jr., who each notched roughly 15 points a contest.
All told, the success for VCU has placed them firmly on the bubble, notably after closing
the season with a 68-62 road win at Dayton last Friday. Many bracketologists projected
that with that win, VCU has placed itself on the right side of the bubble heading to
championship week – perhaps meaning a return to UD Arena for the First Four next
week.
Tournament Path
VCU’s conference tournament play opens on Friday at 5 p.m. against the winner of
Thursday’s game between Duquesne and Rhode Island. Both teams have shown
flashes of success, notably with Rhode Island halting Saint Louis’ perfect A-10
performance earlier this season, but found trouble defeating VCU. Rhode Island lost to
VCU in Kingston 84-75 on Jan. 14 in a game that saw Hill, Jadrian Tracey, Ahmad
Nowell and Michael Belle score in double figures. While Rhode Island has historically
been a thorn in the side of VCU’s tournament hopes, this version of the blue-and-white
Rams feels more beatable than prior years.
Duquesne also lost to VCU at its home arena, to the tune of a 93-80 loss on Jan. 3. Five
Rams scored in double figures, led by Hill’s 21 points off the bench. Notably, the teams
last met in the A-10 Tournament in 2024, with the Rams falling to the Dukes in the
conference title game.
The potential path for VCU, if things go chalky, would likely lead the Rams to a Saturday
matchup against a surging St. Joseph’s team and fellow first year coach Steve
Donohue. The Hawks have not died this year, claiming its best season since Martelli
Jr.’s father, legendary head coach Phil Martelli, was dismissed by the university. VCU
defeated the Hawks 79-72 during the regular season, but would face a tough task to get
through Derek Simpson and the Hawks should the matchup come to fruition.
Ultimately, VCU’s ceiling in the 50th Atlantic 10 tournament is cutting the nets down in
Pittsburgh, just as the Rams did in Washington, D.C. last season. Funny enough, the
Rams cannot face a team they lost to in the regular season until Sunday because of
what turned out to be a fairly favorable draw for VCU. Aside from St. Joe’s, the Rams
look to be heavy favorites over every team on their side of the bracket.
As for broader hopes, VCU will likely secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament if
it can avoid an upset loss in the A-10 quarterfinals. From there, look for a hard-fought
tournament as the Rams aim to once again take home the conference title. While Saint
Louis is certainly the favorite entering the week, I would not be surprised if this squad
goes back-to-back.
Key players to watch aside from Djokovic, who is also the team’s leading rebounder,
and Hill are Brandon Jennings (leads VCU with 52 steals) and Jadrian Tracey (10.1
points per game). But, VCU rolls deep offensively, so look for large contributions
throughout the lineup and scores in the low 80s this week at PPG Paints Arena.
