Tuesday, January 23, 2024 6:00 p.m.
Siegel Center, Richmond, Va.

On the heels of yet another close game, a 65-61 win over Fordham in the Bronx, the Loyola Ramblers head south to Richmond Tuesday night to square off with the Rams of Virginia Commonwealth University. Loyola is 3-0 in conference road games and VCU is 1-2 in conference at home.

Last year, Loyola played VCU for the first time and got throttled at Gentile Arena, 78-64. The second half was a bloodbath, with the Rams outscoring the Ramblers 43-32. But that was a very different VCU team—the coach and all but two of the 10 players in that game are elsewhere now. Former Utah State and UMBC Coach Ryan Odom is now running things, and he brought some of his most successful players from a Utah State team that went 26-9 and earned an at large NCAA bid with a 10 seed.

After being picked to finish 2nd in the A10 Preseason Poll (with three 1st Place votes) the Rams under Odom got off to a very uneven start. Losses to McNeese State and Norfolk State at home in the non-con and home losses to St. Bonaventure and George Washington to start the conference season were head-scratching. But that’s what happens when you have a lot of new players, a new coach, some injuries, and a complicated and evolving system. There is enormous talent and experience on this year’s VCU team. There are three top-100 prospects in Zeb Jackson, Joseph Bamisile, and Roosevelt Wheeler; there’s impressive depth with 10 players averaging over 15 minutes per game; 77% free throw shooting as a team is huge; and there’s not one, but two players averaging more than one block per game.

VCU will most likely start 6’5” senior wing/combo Max Shulga, 6’8” senior guard/forward Sean Bairstow, 5’10” sophomore point guard Jason Nelson, 6’9” senior forward Kuany Kuany, and 6’10” sophomore forward Christian Fermin. Zeb Jackson, a 6’5” guard usually starts, but Nelson started the last game because of Jackson’s recurring back spasms.

Shulga is the straw that stirs the drink, averaging 15.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, and 3.7 assists. On KenPom, the player with the 2nd most similar statistics and metrics to this year’s Shulga profile is Loyola’s Lucas Williamson in 2021-22. Bairstow missed much of the beginning of the season with a foot injury, but now averages 11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. At 6’8”, Bairstow’s mobility and ball handling is a huge matchup problem for opposing teams.

Key players off the bench are 6’4” guard Joseph Bamisile, 6’8” sophomore forward/center Toibu Lawal, 6’7” freshman guard Alphonzo Billups, and 6’7” freshman forward Michael Belle. Bamisile is a local high school star who played at Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, and George Washington before making it home to Richmond as a multiple-transfer eligible with a legal decision last month (the same one that made Ezewiro eligible at Saint Louis). Bamisile has averaged 12.8 ppg off the bench since the decision. Lawal is a very long Brit who averages 7.8 ppg and 5.9 rebounds. Billups is an impressive freshman averaging 5.8 points per game in just over 15 minutes a game.

VCU is known for recruiting and attracting players that are able to play multiple roles on the court—for instance Shulga and Zeb Jackson off the bench can play all the spots from the 1 to the 3; Bairstow and Alphonzo Billups off the bench can play the 3 and the 4, and there are some players who specialize in individual positions like Nelson at point, Kuany at power forward, and Fermin (with Toibu Lawal off the bench) in a rim protection role at forward/center. The versatility at most positions allows for mixing, matching, and maximizing the various team roles and skill sets as game situations or matchups dictate. It’s an interesting strategy that’s had great success at VCU under Shaka Smart and Mike Rhodes; Coach Odom has brought more offensive-minded players into the mix.

The Ramblers this year have become a team more similar to the VCU teams of the recent past, with top defense and a mid-level offense. No havoc, but really solid, energetic on-ball defense and a skill set lacking at Loyola for a couple of decades—a really good rim protector. There aren’t as many 10+ point or blowout wins, and the high level of turnovers and fouls hurt efficiency numbers. It’s a formula that doesn’t go over well in the metrics, because offensive/defensive efficiency and point differential are bigger parts of the NET, KenPom, and other evaluation tools. Ironically, this year’s Loyola’s team would probably do pretty well in the old RPI formula (better conference overall, several road wins, upsets over teams with good non-con wins, etc.).


Loyola game notes: https://loyolaramblers.com/documents/20 ... _-_VCU.pdf

VCU game notes: Pending

TV/Streaming video: CBS Sports Net https://www.cbssports.com/cbssports

Radio/Streaming audio: https://loyolaramblers.com/watch/?Live=168&type=Live

Live stats: https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/st ... &theme=vcu

Vegas odds: VCU by 4.5

Looking at our remaining schedule, this is probably our 2nd (or 3rd) most difficult game remaining, with vs Dayton being 1st and then this one and @GMU being a toss-up. @GW and @SBU also up there. This is going to be a big test, especially coming only two days after a really physical win. I saw the team hit up Top Golf today. Hopefully they are feeling loose, relaxed and recovered from Saturday's game. This is a "prove you're for real" type of game.

That's a great preview in just 10 words.

Yup. Kenpom has this game and Dayton almost equally difficult with ~24% chance of winning. @GMU at 25%, then the rest of the games being pretty winnable for the most part. Agree with everything, this would be huge for our standings.

VCU is definitely not same this year. Composure will be the key for us. We need to handle pressure, rebound defensively, share the ball, limit TOs and make FTs. This game, despite our fast start, would be huge for us and would cement us as a legit top 4 squad. It's a big ask, but need to leave it all on the floor. We get a week off after this and no excuse not to go hard.

Go 'Blers!

JCT mentioned it in the preview, but Zeb Jackson's availability will be really important for VCU.

Per Jon Rothstein he is not playing tonight.

We have another winnable game here, except for a legit tough venue due to the crazy fans of theirs. This one will be the toughest one yet for the road dawgs. I think we go balls out with a 1 week break coming up.

I like the matchup a lot. Two older teams and both with deep'ish benches. All 5 starters of ours need to be contributors, and we cannot afford having 1-2 guys with off nights like we've seen past few games. Be on the watch for some Sheldon minutes over JQ for quick offense and timely 3's when needed.

This is not a game for Trey Lewis to be playing first half minutes in

Dame and Miles are hungry. Keep feeding them and protect the 3 point line…. This game is ours.