Richmond, VA– FGCU heads to Virginia to take on #21 VCU after a thrilling 72-70 overtime win over FAU. The Rams play in one of the toughest and rowdiest arenas in the NCAA, the Siegel Center, which seats 7,500. Their student section, the “Rowdy Rams” have won previous Naismith Student Section of the Year awards and the noise will be deafening.
We remember VCU in 2011 with Head Coach Shaka Smart, who as a #11 seed went all the way to the Final Four, before losing to Butler and put mid major teams on the map before leaving for the University of Texas.
VCU is ranked #21 and is currently 4-0 with wins over St. Francis, PA (72-58), North Texas (59-56), #23 LSU (84-82), and Jacksonville State (93-65). The Rams are led by Head Coach Mike Rhoades.
Players to watch for:
Marcus Santos-Silva 6’7 F 12.8 ppg
Marcus Evans 6’2 G 12.5 ppg
De’riante Jenkins 6’5 G 10.8 ppg
Possible Starters-FGCU:
Zach Scott 6’4 SO G
Caleb Catto 6’5 SO G
Jalen Warren 6’3 JR G
Dakota Rivers 6’8 FR F
Justus Rainwater 6’8 JR F/C
Possible Starters-VCU:
Marcus Evans 6’2 SR G
De’riante Jenkins 6’5 SR G
Mike’l Sims SR 6’5 G
Isaac Vann 6’6 SR F
Marcus Santos-Silva 6’7 JR F
Prediction:
Fgcu is gonna struggle against an upperclassman backcourt and a team full of upperclassmen overall. A premier ranked mid major on the road will most likely result in a loss but after Wednesday’s overtime win over FAU, we will hopefully see more double digit scorers including Warren and Rivers joining Catto and Scott on a regular basis.
#21 VCU 85 FGCU 65
Eagles Nest Cast 