Who else but the Bonnies?
In the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 tournament on Friday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., top-seeded VCU (25-6, 15-3 A-10) will meet a St. Bonaventure outfit that has in recent years been a thorn in its side.
Prior to the Rams’ come-from-behind 75-61 win over the Bonnies (22-10, 9-9 A-10) on Jan. 24 at the Siegel Center, Mark Schmidt’s men had won four straight over VCU, including a 77-75 victory in Olean, N.Y. on Dec. 31 to open conference play.
No. 8-seed Bonaventure trailed No. 9 Duquesne for 37 minutes in Thursday’s second round, but used a late 13-1 run spearheaded by third-team all-conference honoree Melvin Council Jr. (18 points, four steals) to upend the Dukes and advance to Friday’s quarterfinal.
Bonaventure turned 18 Duquesne turnovers into 24 points. So ball security will be essential on Friday if the Rams, consensus favorites to host the A-10 tournament trophy on Sunday, are to survive and advance.
Rams second-year coach Ryan Odom said this week that his staff was preparing for both Duquesne and St. Bonaventure. He added their scouting, to a limited extend, extended beyond Friday to which team VCU could meet in Saturday’s semifinals, either No. 4 Loyola Chicago or No. 5 Saint Louis.
The Billikens advanced past No. 12 Davidson 83-75 on Thursday.
“Each provide a very stiff challenge in that first game. No matter who gets through, we know it’s going to be a battle,” Odom said on Tuesday.
“We’ve got to be ready. Our guys understand the situation, the fight that you’re going to have to have in order to be successful … you can’t get too far ahead though, or you’ll be out. You have to focus on the game you’re getting ready to play.”
VCU basketball coach Ryan Odom on preparation, scouting ahead of Atlantic 10 tournament
Tuning out the noise amid Odom reports
It would, for many college basketball teams, be easy to get distracted amid the noise surrounding Odom right now.
Links to head coaching vacancies at Virginia and NC State have intensified this week. It’s assumed that Villanova will move on from coach Kyle Neptune when the Wildcats’ season ends, and that Odom will be a leading candidate for that position.
A March 5 story by ESPN’s Jeff Borzello ranked Odom as the No. 1 mid-major coach in the country primed to take on a power-conference job.
“This was a fairly unanimous pick for the top spot. (Odom) checks nearly every box,” Borzello wrote, noting UVa and Villanova as possible destinations for the 50-year-old Hampden-Sydney graduate.
“He has the name, the pedigree and the track record.”
But this VCU team is, perhaps, uniquely equipped to take such distractions in stride. The Rams are one of the more experienced teams in the country.
They’re built around five graduate players — Max Shulga, Zeb Jackson, Phillip Russell, Joe Bamisile and Jack Clark — who surely won’t pay much mind to where their coach will be next season, with only a handful of games remaining in their own college hoops careers.
“They’ve seen a lot, certainly, during their careers,” Odom said of his graduate core.
“It has certainly benefited us this season, the poise and confidence that these guys have, the dominating mentality, the hunger to succeed and do it together, because that’s ultimately what it is. This group has really competed together. They take up for one another.
“Moving into this tournament, we realize anything can happen in conference tournaments. Everyone has a new lease on life, are playing for that same thing with that automatic berth. Everyone wants to cut the nets down.”
VCU basketball coach Ryan Odom on how experience helps Rams in March
Shulga, Bamgboye finalists for national awards
Shulga and standout freshman forward Luke Bamgboye were this week announced as finalists for national awards.
Shulga, the A-10 player of the year, is a finalist for the Nolan Richardson Award, presented annually to a Division I player “who is the heart and soul of his team and a leader on and off the court.”
VCU guard Max Shulga (11) drives with the ball past Dayton forward Zed Key (23) during a basketball game, Friday, March 7, 2025.
MIKE KROPF, TIMES-DISPATCH
The award is named after the Hall of Fame Arkansas coach who led the Razorbacks to 13 NCAA appearances and the 1994 National Championship.
The Ukrainian combo guard led the Rams in scoring (15.5 ppg), assists (3.8 apg) and steals (1.9 spg) this season, and was second in rebounding (5.9 rpg).
Bamgboye, a member of the A-10 all-rookie and all-defensive teams, is a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award, honoring the top defensive player in D-I basketball.
It’s named after the legendary coach who won nearly 800 games at James Madison, Davidson, Maryland and Georgia State.
VCU forward Luke Bamgboye (9) dunks the ball past Fordham forward Abdou Tsimbila (30) during a basketball game at the Siegel Center, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025.
MIKE KROPF, TIMES-DISPATCH
Despite playing just 16 minutes per game over the course of the season, the 6-foot-10 London native ranks second nationally in block percentage (15.0) and averaged 2.1 per game, 23rd nationally.
Bamgboye’s seven blocks in a Feb. 19 win over UMass was the most in a game by a VCU player in 16 years. Sitting at 65 blocks on the season, he needs three more to break into the program’s top-10 list for rejections in a season.
George Mason’s Jared Billups, the A-10 defensive player of the year, and Penn State’s Ace Baldwin, a former VCU star, are also finalists.
Both awards will be presented at the national championship in San Antonio, Texas.
Zach Joachim (804) 649-6555
