On the morning of March 12, I walked in the cold down a Brooklyn sidewalk from my hotel to the Barclays Center. The mood in the city was strange, like the beginning of an apocalypse movie, as the full scope of the COVID-19 pandemic was being unveiled. The night before, the NBA announced that their season was suspended indefinitely. As a student journalist covering my first Atlantic 10 tournament, I pushed any thoughts about COVID-19 to the back of my mind.
I watched the world, and college basketball, grind to a halt from press row at the Barclays Center. At the time, the idea that a 2020-21 season could happen seemed so far away.
As improbable as it may seem, the college basketball season tips off in less than two weeks. The VCU Rams will enter the year looking to rebound after going 1-7 to close last season. Year 4 of the Mike Rhoades era on Broad Street looks to be a make-or-break season for the head coach. Under Rhoades, VCU has only one NCAA tournament appearance (VCU would...
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