2023–24 VCU Rams men's basketball team

The 2023–24 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rams, led by first-year head coach Ryan Odom, played their home games at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

2023–24 VCU Rams men's basketball
NIT, Quarterfinals
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Record24–14 (11–7 A-10)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaStuart C. Siegel Center
Seasons
2023–24 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Richmond153 .8332310 .697
Loyola Chicago153 .8332310 .697
No. 24 Dayton144 .778258 .758
UMass117 .6112011 .645
VCU117 .6112414 .632
Duquesne108 .5562512 .676
St. Bonaventure99 .5002013 .606
George Mason99 .5002012 .625
Saint Joseph's99 .5002114 .600
La Salle612 .3331617 .485
Rhode Island612 .3331220 .375
Fordham612 .3331320 .394
Davidson513 .2781517 .469
Saint Louis513 .2781320 .394
George Washington414 .2221517 .469
2024 A-10 tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Rams finished the 2022–23 season 27–8, 15–3 in A-10 play to win the regular season championship. They defeated Davidson, Saint Louis, and Dayton to win the A-10 tournament championship, their first since 2015.[1] As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 12 seed in the West region. There they lost to Saint Mary's in the first round. VCU guard, Ace Baldwin Jr., was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year.[2]

On March 29, 2023, head coach Mike Rhoades left the school to take the head coaching position at Penn State. That same day, the school named Utah State head coach Ryan Odom the team's new coach.[3] On April 8, Odom announced former VCU player, Darius Theus as an assistant coach to his staff.[4]

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Jamir Watkins0F6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210RS SophomoreTrenton, New JerseyTransferred to Florida State
Ace Baldwin Jr.1G6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)190JuniorBaltimore, MarylandTransferred to Penn State
Jalen DeLoach4F6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)215JuniorSavannah, GeorgiaTransferred to Georgia
Arnold Henderson VI15G5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)180SeniorMechanicsville, VirginiaGraduated
Jarren McAllister21G6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)205RS JuniorWake Forest, North CarolinaTransferred to TBD
Jayden Nunn23F6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190JuniorFlint, MichiganTransferred to Baylor
Nick Kern Jr.24F6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)190JuniorSt. Louis, MissouriTransferred to Penn State
Brandon Johns Jr.30F6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)240GraduateLansing, MichiganGraduated
Josh Banks33G6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)175JuniorCharlotte, North CarolinaTransferred to UNC Asheville
David Shriver35F6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220RS SeniorPhilippi, West VirginiaGraduated

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious school
Sean Bairstow7G6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)205GraduateBrisbane, AustraliaTransferred from Utah State
Joe Bamisile22G6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195SeniorRichmond, VirginiaTransferred from Oklahoma
Jason Nelson1G5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)175RS SophomoreRichmond, VirginiaTransferred from Richmond
Max Shulga11G6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)197SeniorKyiv, UkraineTransferred from Utah State
Roosevelt Wheeler4F/C6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)240JuniorRichmond, VirginiaTransferred from Louisville

2023 recruits

No players have officially committed to VCU.[5]

Roster

As of 23 April 2023
2023–24 VCU Rams men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G1Jason Nelson5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)175 lb (79 kg)RS SoRichmondRichmond, VA
G2Zeb Jackson6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)180 lb (82 kg)SrMichiganToledo, OH
F/C4Roosevelt Wheeler6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)240 lb (109 kg)JrLouisvilleRichmond, VA
G/F5Alphonzo Billups III6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)180 lb (82 kg)SoVarinaRichmond, VA
G7Sean Bairstow6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)205 lb (93 kg)GSUtah StateBrisbane, QLD
G8Michael Belle6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)205 lb (93 kg)FrStrasbourgLondon, ENG
F10Tobi Lawal6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)200 lb (91 kg)SoLee AcademyLondon, ENG
G11Max Shulga6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)197 lb (89 kg)SrUtah StateKyiv, UKR
F13Kuany Kuany6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)200 lb (91 kg)GSCaliforniaMelbourne, VIC
G14Connor Odom5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)165 lb (75 kg)SrUtah StateAnnapolis, MD
F21Christian Fermin6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)215 lb (98 kg)SoPocono Mountain WestTobyhanna, PA
G22Joe Bamisile6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg)SrOklahomaRichmond, VA
F34Obinnaya Okafor (W)6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)216 lb (98 kg)SoBethelHampton, VA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsSite (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 28, 2023*
7:00 p.m.
Mars HillW 110–50 
 21  Nelson  8  Belle  10  Jackson Siegel Center (5,017)
Richmond, VA
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+
McNeeseL 65–76 0–1
 22  Shulga  7  Jackson  8  Jackson Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
November 10, 2023*
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+
SamfordW 75–65 1–1
 17  Shulga  10  Fermin  7  Jackson Siegel Center (7,114)
Richmond, VA
November 15, 2023*
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+
RadfordW 73–50 2–1
 19  Nelson  10  Lawal  5  Jackson Siegel Center (7,045)
Richmond, VA
November 18, 2023*
2:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+
SeattleW 60–56 3–1
 20  Jackson  9  Fermin  7  Shulga Siegel Center (6,421)
Richmond, VA
November 23, 2023*
5:30 p.m., ESPN2
vs. Iowa State
ESPN Events Invitational quarterfinals
L 64–68 3–2
 17  Shulga  5  Jackson  8  Shulga State Farm Field House 
Bay Lake, FL
November 24, 2023*
8:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU
vs. Boise State
ESPN Events Invitational consolation 2nd round
L 61–65 3–3
 24  Shulga  9  Lawal  3  Tied State Farm Field House (2,579)
Bay Lake, FL
November 26, 2023*
10:30 a.m., ESPNU
vs. Penn State
ESPN Events Invitational 7th place game
W 86–74 4–3
 22  Jackson  9  Belle  6  Jackson State Farm Field House 
Bay Lake, FL
December 1, 2023*
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+
Norfolk StateL 60–63 4–4
 15  Jackson  11  Belle  3  Tied Siegel Center 
Richmond, VA
December 6, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPNU
MemphisL 80–85 OT4–5
 14  Shulga  8  Tied  5  Shulga Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
December 10, 2023*
2:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+
Alcorn StateW 86–58 5–5
 18  Jackson  10  Lawal  7  Jackson Siegel Center (6,389)
Richmond, VA
December 16, 2023*
2:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+
TempleW 87–78 6–5
 19  Jackson  7  Lawal  7  Jackson Siegel Center (7,189)
Richmond, VA
December 22, 2023*
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+
Maryland Eastern ShoreW 75–51 7–5
 14  Shulga  7  Lawal  7  Nelson Siegel Center (7,098)
Richmond, VA
December 30, 2023*
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+
Gardner–WebbW 87–73 8–5
 22  Bairstow  10  Lawal  5  Tied Siegel Center (7,188)
Richmond, VA
Atlantic 10 regular season
January 3, 2024
9:00 p.m., CBSSN
St. BonaventureL 78–89 8–6
(0–1)
 15  Fermin  9  Fermin  6  Bairstow Siegel Center (6,348)
Richmond, VA
January 6, 2024
4:00 p.m., USA
George WashingtonL 82–84 8–7
(0–2)
 20  Shulga  14  Fermin  4  Shulga Siegel Center (7,207)
Richmond, VA
January 9, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at George Mason
Rivalry
W 54–50 9–7
(1–2)
 13  Shulga  8  Bairstow  3  Shulga EagleBank Arena (4,000)
Fairfax, VA
January 13, 2024
12:30 p.m., USA
at La SalleW 71–65 10–7
(2–2)
 14  Bairstow  10  Lawal  12  Bairstow Tom Gola Arena (1,647)
Philadelphia, PA
January 19, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
Saint LouisW 85–61 11–7
(3–2)
 29  Bamisile  5  Tied  6  Bairstow Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
January 23, 2024
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
Loyola ChicagoW 74–67 12–7
(4–2)
 25  Bamisile  9  Fermin  6  Bairstow Siegel Center (7,204)
Richmond, VA
January 27, 2024
8:00 p.m., CBSSN
at DavidsonW 63–58 13–7
(5–2)
 18  Shulga  6  Lawal  4  Bairstow John M. Belk Arena (3,861)
Davidson, NC
January 30, 2024
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
at St. BonaventureL 62–67 13–8
(5–3)
 25  Shulga  6  Jackson  3  Tied Reilly Center (3,901)
Olean, NY
February 3, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPNU
Richmond
Capital City Classic
W 63–52 14–8
(6–3)
 15  Tied  8  Lawal  6  Jackson Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
February 6, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at FordhamW 75–60 15–8
(7–3)
 13  Shulga  10  Shulga  7  Shulga Rose Hill Gymnasium (1,627)
Bronx, NY
February 9, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 18 DaytonW 49–47 16–8
(8–3)
 11  Nelson  8  Bairstow  5  Shulga Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
February 16, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
at Saint LouisW 95–85 17–8
(9–3)
 27  Bamisile  10  Lawal  5  Bairstow Chaifetz Arena (5,382)
St. Louis, MO
February 20, 2024
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
at UMassL 52–74 17–9
(9–4)
 13  Bamisile  8  Bairstow  6  Bairstow Mullins Center (4,313)
Amherst, MA
February 25, 2024
4:00 p.m., CBSSN
Saint Joseph'sW 73–69 18–9
(10–4)
 16  Tied  10  Lawal  6  Bairstow Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
February 28, 2024
6:30 p.m., CBSSN
Rhode IslandW 88–67 19–9
(11–4)
 24  Bamisile  8  Lawal  5  Jackson Siegel Center (7,107)
Richmond, VA
March 2, 2024
6:00 p.m., CBSSN
at Richmond
Capital City Classic
L 76–79 19–10
(11–5)
 19  Shulga  6  Jackson  5  Bairstow Robins Center (7,201)
Richmond, VA
March 5, 2024
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+
DuquesneL 59–69 19–11
(11–6)
 18  Bamisile  5  Tied  5  Nelson Siegel Center (7,044)
Richmond, VA
March 8, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
at No. 25 DaytonL 86–91 OT19–12
(11–7)
 26  Jackson  6  Shulga  5  Shulga UD Arena (13,407)
Dayton, OH
A-10 tournament
March 13, 2024
2:00 p.m., USA
(5) vs. (12) Fordham
Second Round
W 69–62 20–12
 14  Shulga  7  Shulga  4  Shulga Barclays Center (7,725)
Brooklyn, NY
March 14, 2024
2:00 p.m., USA
(5) vs. (4) UMass
Quarterfinals
W 73–59 21–12
 18  Bamisile  6  Tied  7  Shulga Barclays Center (6,817)
Brooklyn, NY
March 16, 2024
1:00 p.m., CBSSN
(5) vs. (9) Saint Joseph's
Semifinals
W 66–60 22–12
 25  Shulga  8  Jackson  3  Shulga Barclays Center 
Brooklyn, NY
March 17, 2024
1:00 p.m., CBS
(5) vs. (6) Duquesne
Championship
L 51–57 22–13
 20  Bamisile  9  Lawal  2  Tied Barclays Center 
Brooklyn, NY
NIT
March 20, 2024*
9:00 p.m., ESPN2
at (1) Villanova
First Round - Villanova Bracket
W 70–61 23–13
 17  Bamisile  10  Lawal  6  Shulga Finneran Pavilion (1,763)
Villanova, PA
March 24, 2024*
7:30 p.m., ESPNU
at South Florida
Second Round - Villanova Bracket
W 70–65 24–13
 14  Jackson  6  Bairstow  4  Bairstow Yuengling Center (6,398)
Tampa, FL
March 27, 2024*
9:00 p.m., ESPN2
at (2) Utah
Quarterfinals - Villanova Bracket
L 54–74 24–14
 13  Bairstow  9  Fermin  2  Bamisile Jon M. Huntsman Center (6,008)
Salt Lake City, UT
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source:[6]

See also

References

External links