Atlantic 10 tournament champion VCU will meet the Big 12’s BYU in the opening East Regional game Thursday in Denver.
VCU (28-6) will be making its 20th NCAA appearance and 14th since 2004. The Rams tied George Mason for the regular-season Atlantic 10 title, although VCU earned the top seed with its head-to-head win over the Patriots in the regular season.
The Rams earned the automatic bid by defeating George Mason, 66-63, in the Atlantic 10 tournament championship game.
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Jack Clark, a 6-foot-10 graduate student playing for his fourth college team, earned Most Outstanding Player honors after contributing 17 points and six rebounds in the championship game. Clark played for La Salle, North Carolina State, and Clemson before coming to VCU this season. He is averaging 9.6 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Rams.
Max Shulga, a 6-foot-5 senior who was the Atlantic 10’s Player of the Year, averages 15.1 points for VCU, as does 6-foot-4 graduate student Joe Bamisile. Shulga, who scored 18 points in the championship win over George Mason, is shooting .386 from three-point range and .787 from the foul line.
VCU receives great production off the bench from Michigan transfer Zeb Jackson, a 6-foot-5 graduate student who is averaging 10.4 points.
BYU (24-7) advanced to the semifinal of the Big 12 tournament before losing to Houston, 74-54. The Cougars are guided by first-year coach Kevin Young, who was an assistant with the Phoenix Suns the previous four years. BYU finished tied for third during the regular season with Arizona in the highly competitive Big 12, with a 14-6 mark.
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These teams have only met once, with BYU earning an 81-77 victory on Dec. 16, 1983, at the University of Kentucky Invitational. This is the second straight year that BYU is opening up against the Atlantic 10 tournament champion in the tournament. Last year, the Cougars lost to Duquesne, 71-67.
BYU’s leading scorer is 6-foot-5 junior Richie Saunders, who averages 16 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting a team-best .433 from three-point range.
The most highly-touted player is 6-foot-9 freshman point guard Egor Demin, who is a potential lottery pick.
The 19-year-old Demin, who hails from Moscow, has great talent, but he has been hurt by turnovers. He is averaging 5.4 assists but 3.0 turnovers. Plus, he shoots .271 from three-point range and just .675 from the foul line. Unless he has a big tournament, he might be better off staying in school.
Trevin Knell, a 6-foot-5 graduate student, is the third leading scorer, averaging 9.0 points, but he shoots .432 from three-point range.
This is a relatively balanced BYU team and that is because Young frequently goes to his bench. Nine players average at least 16 minutes per game.
VCU vs. BYU Odds
BYU is a 3.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite against VCU on BetMGM with the Over/Under at 146.5 points.
The moneyline for VCU is -170 while it is +140 for VCU.
VCU vs. BYU Channel
The game between VCU and BYU will be on TNT.
Tipoff on Thursday is expected to begin shortly after 4:05 p.m. ET.
VCU vs. BYU Prediction
I like VCU covering the points.
BYU likes to play at a fast pace and averages 81 points per game. VCU is known more for its defense, but the Rams average 77 points.
On the other end, VCU allows just 62.4 points per game, which is eighth nationally. BYU allows 70.9 points.
Entering the tournament, BYU was 25th in the NCAA’s NET Ranking, while VCU was 31st. So even though BYU played in a much tougher conference, the NET Ranking between the Cougars and VCU is in close range.
BYU is a solid three-point shooting team (.371). The key is how VCU defends the three. Second-year coach Ryan Odom has the Rams ranked 21st nationally in three-point percentage defense, holding teams to a .304 clip. BYU allows teams to shoot three at a .348 clip.
VCU has the edge in free throw percentage – .744 to .705.
The key is Demin. He shot just 2 for 10 from deep in BYU’s two Big 12 tournament games while scoring a total of just nine points. He had nine assists in the two games, but seven turnovers. Demin only played a total of 45 minutes in the two games. If he plays like a potential lottery pick, then BYU has the advantage. But he has been erratic lately.
If he reverses his recent form, that would give the Cougars a major advantage. But it won’t be easy, especially playing against such an accomplished VCU defense.
