2021–22 VCU Rams men's basketball team

2021–22 VCU Rams men's basketball
NIT, Second Round
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Record22–10 (14–4 A-10)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaStuart C. Siegel Center
Seasons
2021–22 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Davidson 15 – 3   .833 27 – 7   .794
Dayton 14 – 4   .778 24 – 11   .686
VCU 14 – 4   .778 22 – 10   .688
St. Bonaventure 12 – 5   .706 23 – 10   .697
Saint Louis 12 – 6   .667 23 – 12   .657
Richmond † 10 – 8   .556 24 – 13   .649
George Washington 8 – 9   .471 12 – 18   .400
Fordham 8 – 10   .444 16 – 16   .500
George Mason 7 – 9   .438 14 – 16   .467
UMass 7 – 11   .389 15 – 17   .469
Rhode Island 5 – 12   .294 15 – 16   .484
La Salle 5 – 13   .278 11 – 19   .367
Saint Joseph's 5 – 13   .278 11 – 19   .367
Duquesne 1 – 16   .059 6 – 24   .200
† 2022 A-10 tournament winner

The 2021–22 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They are led by fifth-year head coach is Mike Rhoades and played their home games at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 22–10, 14–4 in A-10 play to finish in a tie for second place. As the No. 3 seed in the A-10 tournament, they lost in the quarterfinals to Richmond. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Princeton in the first round before losing to Wake Forest.

Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Rams finished the 2020–21 season 19–7, 10–4 in A-10 play to finish in second place. In the A-10 tournament, they defeated Dayton[1] and Davidson[2] to advance to the championship game where they lost to St. Bonaventure.[3] VCU received an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament as the No. 10 seed in the West region.[4] Due to several positive COVID-19 tests in the VCU program prior to their First Round game against Oregon, the game was declared a no-contest and Oregon advanced to the second round,[5] making VCU the first team ever to forfeit a game in the NCAA tournament.[6]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Bones Hyland 5 G 6'3" 173 Sophomore Wilmington, Delaware Declared for NBA draft; selected 26th overall by the Denver Nuggets[7]
Corey Douglas Jr. 13 F 6'8" 210 RS Senior Louisville, Kentucky Graduated
Brendan Medley-Bacon 34 C 7'1" 240 Junior Baltimore, Maryland Transferred to McNeese State

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Marcus Tsohonis 5 G 6'3" 190 Junior Portland, Oregon Transferred from Washington
Jimmy Nichols Jr. 55 F 6'8" 225 RS Junior Conway, South Carolina Transferred from Providence

2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jalen DeLoach
PF 		Savannah, GA The Skill Factory 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Nov 11, 2020 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 77
Nick Kern Jr.
SF 		St. Louis, MO Vashon High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Nov 11, 2020 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 86
Jayden Nunn
PG 		Flint, MI Dream City Christian 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Apr 18, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "VCU 2021 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.

Preseason

A-10 media poll

The Atlantic 10 men's basketball media poll will be released in October or November 2021.

Roster

2021–22 VCU Rams men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Jamir Watkins Injured Current redshirt 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Trenton Catholic Trenton, New Jersey
G 1 Ace Baldwin Jr. 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So St. Frances Academy Baltimore, Maryland
F 2 Mikeal Brown-Jones 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So IMG Academy Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
F 4 Jalen DeLoach 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr The Skill Factory Savannah, Georgia
G 5 Marcus Tsohonis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Washington Portland, Oregon
F 10 Vince Williams Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr St. John's Jesuit Toledo, Ohio
G 11 KeShawn Curry 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Fork Union Military Academy Jacksonville, Florida
G 15 Arnold Henderson VI 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr St. Christopher's School Mechanicsville, Virginia
F 20 Hason Ward 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Springfield Central HS Saint Thomas, Barbados
G 21 Jarren McAllister Injured 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS So Massanutten Military Academy Wake Forest, North Carolina
G 23 Jayden Nunn 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Dream City Christian Flint, Michigan
F 24 Nick Kern Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Vashon HS St. Louis, Missouri
G 33 Josh Banks 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Olympic Charlotte, North Carolina
F 34 Levi Stockard III 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) GS Kansas State St. Louis, Missouri
F 55 Jimmy Nichols Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Jr Providence Conway, South Carolina
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# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2021*
7:00 p.m. 		Virginia State
Exhibition 		W 74–55 
 14 – Tied   9 – Stockard III   6 – Tsohonis  Siegel Center (5,573)
Richmond, VA
Non-conference regular season
November 9, 2021*
6:00 p.m., MASN2/ESPN+ 		Saint Peter's W 57–54  1–0
  12 – Tied   8 – Ward   4 – Williams Jr.  Siegel Center (7,017)
Richmond, VA
November 13, 2021*
7:00 p.m., MASN2/ESPN+ 		Wagner L 44–58  1–1
  12 – Curry   6 – Ward   5 – Tsohonis  Siegel Center (7,412)
Richmond, VA
November 17, 2021*
8:00 p.m., SECN+ 		at Vanderbilt W 48–37  2–1
  14 – Williams Jr.   8 – Ward   3 – Tsohonis  Memorial Gymnasium (5,768)
Nashville, TN
November 20, 2021*
4:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ 		Chattanooga L 54–56  2–2
  21 – Williams Jr.   6 – Williams Jr.   2 – Nunn  Siegel Center (7,202)
Richmond, VA
November 24, 2021*
5:00 p.m., ESPN2 		vs. Syracuse
Battle 4 Atlantis Quarterfinals 		W 67–55  3–2
  15 – Stockard III   5 – Tied   4 – Tied  Imperial Arena (1,281)
Paradise Island, BS
November 25, 2021*
5:00 p.m., ESPN 		vs. No. 6 Baylor
Battle 4 Atlantis Semifinals 		L 61–69  3–3
  17 – Williams Jr.   6 – Tied   5 – Williams Jr.  Imperial Arena (929)
Paradise Island, BS
November 26, 2021*
1:30 p.m., ESPN2 		vs. No. 22 UConn
Battle 4 Atlantis 3rd Place Game 		L 63–70 OT 3–4
  21 – Nunn   8 – Nunn   2 – Tied  Imperial Arena (673)
Paradise Island, BS
December 4, 2021*
4:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ 		Campbell W 65–61  4–4
  14 – Williams Jr.   8 – Williams Jr.   5 – Williams Jr.  Siegel Center (7,321)
Richmond, VA
December 8, 2021*
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ 		Jacksonville State W 66–52  5–4
  20 – Nunn   8 – Stockard III   3 – Williams Jr.  Siegel Center (6,621)
Richmond, VA
December 11, 2021*
8:00 p.m., Stadium 		at Old Dominion
ServPro Interstate Rivalry 		W 75–66  6–4
  16 – Tied   9 – Williams Jr.   5 – Baldwin Jr.  Chartway Arena (7,919)
Norfolk, VA
December 15, 2021*
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ 		Florida Atlantic W 66–46  7–4
  13 – Curry   8 – Williams Jr.   9 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (6,907)
Richmond, VA
December 18, 2021*
3:30 p.m., NBCSN 		Penn State Canceled due to COVID-19 issues Siegel Center 
Richmond, VA
December 22, 2021*
7:00 p.m., MASN2/ESPN+ 		New Hampshire Canceled due to COVID-19 issues Siegel Center 
Richmond, VA
Atlantic 10 regular season
January 5, 2022
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at Dayton W 53–52  8–4
(1–0) 		 13 – Williams Jr.   11 – Williams Jr.   7 – Baldwin Jr.  UD Arena (13,407)
Dayton, OH
January 8, 2022
2:00 p.m., USA 		at La Salle W 85–66  9–4
(2–0) 		 17 – Tsohonis   7 – DeLoach   6 – Baldwin Jr.  Tom Gola Arena (1,721)
Philadelphia, PA
January 11, 2022
7:00 p.m., MASN2/ESPN+ 		George Washington W 84–57  10–4
(3–0) 		 16 – Baldwin Jr.   10 – Lindo Jr.   3 – Freeman  Siegel Center (6,327)
Richmond, VA
January 14, 2022
7:30 p.m., ESPN2 		at St. Bonaventure L 53–73  10–5
(3–1) 		 14 – Tsohonis   4 – Williams Jr.   5 – Baldwin Jr.  Reilly Center (3,512)
Olean, NY
January 18, 2022
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		Davidson
Rescheduled from January 2 		L 61–63  10–6
(3–2) 		 16 – Williams Jr.   7 – Williams Jr.   7 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,091)
Richmond, VA
January 22, 2022
2:30 p.m., USA 		Saint Joseph's W 70–54  11–6
(4–2) 		 21 – Williams Jr.   7 – Williams Jr.   6 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,391)
Richmond, VA
January 26, 2022
8:30 p.m., CBSSN 		at No. 25 Davidson W 70–68  12–6
(5–2) 		 16 – Williams Jr.   6 – Williams Jr.   3 – Nunn  John M. Belk Arena (3,575)
Davidson, NC
January 29, 2022
4:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at Richmond
Capital City Classic 		W 64–62  13–6
(6–2) 		 22 – Williams Jr.   10 – Ward   8 – Williams Jr.  Robins Center (7,201)
Richmond, VA
February 2, 2022
9:00 p.m., CBSSN 		Dayton L 52–82  13–7
(6–3) 		 12 – Baldwin Jr.   8 – Ward   4 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (6,724)
Richmond, VA
February 5, 2022
4:00 p.m., MASN2/ESPN+ 		Duquesne W 71–62  14–7
(7–3) 		 13 – Ward   10 – Ward   7 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,293)
Richmond, VA
February 8, 2022
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		Rhode Island W 73–64  15–7
(8–3) 		 28 – Curry   10 – Ward   7 – Williams Jr.  Siegel Center (6,624)
Richmond, VA
February 12, 2022
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at George Mason
Rivalry 		W 85–70  16–7
(9–3) 		 18 – Baldwin Jr.   6 – Nunn   10 – Baldwin Jr.  EagleBank Arena (6,333)
Fairfax, VA
February 15, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Fordham W 66–61  17–7
(10–3) 		 21 – Curry   7 – Williams Jr.   7 – Baldwin Jr.  Rose Hill Gymnasium (876)
Bronx, NY
February 18, 2022
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		Richmond
Capital City Classic 		W 77–57  18–7
(11–3) 		 15 – Williams Jr.   7 – Brown-Jones   5 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
February 23, 2022
7:00 pm, MASN/CBS6/ESPN+ 		George Mason
Rivalry/Rescheduled from December 30 		W 72–66  19–7
(12–3) 		 18 – Baldwin Jr.   7 – Baldwin Jr.   4 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,411)
Richmond, VA
February 26, 2022
4:30 p.m., USA 		at UMass W 77–62  20–7
(13–3) 		 18 – Curry   6 – Ward   9 – Baldwin Jr.  Mullins Center (2,758)
Amherst, MA
March 1, 2022
8:30 p.m., CBSSN 		St. Bonaventure W 74–51  21–7
(14–3) 		 14 – Curry   7 – Williams Jr.   6 – Williams Jr.  Siegel Center (7,509)
Richmond, VA
March 5, 2022
4:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Saint Louis L 65–69  21–8
(14–4) 		 26 – Williams Jr.   6 – Baldwin Jr.   6 – Baldwin Jr.  Chaifetz Arena (9,125)
St. Louis, MO
Atlantic 10 tournament
March 11, 2022
8:30 pm, USA 		(3) vs. (6) Richmond
Quarterfinals/Capital City Classic 		L 64–75  21–9
  18 – Williams   9 – Williams   7 – Baldwin Jr.  Capital One Arena (7,420)
Washington, D.C.
NIT
March 15, 2022
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		(3) (6) Princeton
First Round – Texas A&M Bracket 		W 90–79  22–9
  23 – Curry   11 – Williams Jr.   6 – Williams Jr.  Siegel Center (2,743)
Richmond, VA
March 19, 2022
4:00 pm, ESPN+ 		(3) at (2) Wake Forest
Second Round – Texas A&M Bracket 		L 74–80  22–10
  27 – Williams Jr.   8 – 2 tied   4 – Baldwin Jr.  LJVM Coliseum (4,341)
Winston-Salem, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

References

  1. ^ "Dayton vs. VCU - Game Summary - March 5, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  2. ^ "Davidson vs. VCU - Game Summary - March 6, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  3. ^ "St. Bonaventure wins A-10 tourney beating VCU for NCAA bid". USA TODAY. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  4. ^ Davis, Marc. "VCU earns at-large NCAA Tournament bid". www.nbc12.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  5. ^ "Oregon-VCU declared no-contest as COVID-19 positive advances Ducks into second round of 2021 NCAA Tournament". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  6. ^ "March Madness Is Hit With Its First Covid Forfeit". Wall Street Journal.
  7. ^ "Nuggets select Nah'Shon "Bones" Hyland: How the national media graded Denver's NBA draft pick". The Denver Post. July 30, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.