ABOUT VCU
• VCU is coming off a nail-biting loss to Purdue in their Friday matchup at the Emerald Coast Classic, 59-56.
• Before heading south to the Emerald Coast Classic, VCU opened its season with six straight home games, most notably defeating nationally ranked LSU 84-82 inside the Siegel Center.
• Under second-year head coach Mike Rhoades, the Rams are fresh off their first outright Atlantic 10 regular-season title in 2018-19. They did so using a stifling defense that ranked seventh in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency (89.5), holding opponents to 28.5 percent shooting from 3-point range and a 43.8 percent mark from two-point range while forcing turnovers on more than 23 percent of their total defensive possessions.
• While the Rams excelled on the defensive side of the ball, they will look to improve upon a rough year shooting the ball from behind the 3-point line. VCU ranked 332nd in shooting the ball from behind the arc last season, with a 3-point percentage of .305.
• The Rams will look to rely on senior guard Marcus Evans. Evans is coming off an injury-plagued past two seasons that saw him tear both of his achilles since transferring to VCU from Rice prior to the 2017-18 season. He currently leads the Rams in both scoring (13.8 ppg) and assists (2.7 apg) through six games.
• Junior forward Marcus Santos-Silva is currently 20th in the country in rebounding, averaging 10.5 rebounds per game.
• VCU's hospital performed the state of Virginia's first-ever liver, kidney and heart transplants, while also becoming the first hospital on the east coast to conduct an artificial heart transplant. #DonateLife