VCU Hoops Buzz: Rams Make AP Top 25 Votes and Local Star Bacot Shines in Recruiting Updates!

VCU men’s basketball earned six votes in the AP Top 25 preseason poll released on Monday morning. The Rams were one of two teams from the Atlantic 10 to receive votes, alongside Saint Louis, which garnered nine.

The last time VCU appeared in the AP Poll was at the end of the 2022-23 season, when they received 26 points. Their most recent ranking in the AP Top 25 was on November 25, 2019.

Also released on Monday were KenPom.com’s preseason rankings, where VCU came in at No. 41 nationally, making them the second-highest-rated A-10 team, just behind Dayton at No. 27. KenPom’s stats indicate that the Rams have an adjusted offensive efficiency of 107.7, ranking 54th in the country, and an adjusted defensive efficiency of 91.9, placing them 32nd.

According to KenPom, VCU is expected to play at a slower pace this season, with an adjusted tempo set at 70 possessions per 40 minutes, which puts them at 267th nationally. Last season, VCU finished 75th overall in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin, ranking 121st in offensive efficiency and 40th in defensive efficiency, and played at a tempo of 65.6 possessions per 40 minutes.

Overall, KenPom projects that VCU will have another strong defensive season similar to last year’s, focusing on a slower play style and wearing teams down in the half-court. The major difference anticipated this year is a notable improvement in the Rams’ offensive efficiency.

With a lack of experience and talent in the backcourt, the expectation is for VCU, under second-year head coach Ryan Odom, to utilize more small-ball lineups and excel in three-point shooting.

Mike Kropf reports that according to KenPom’s preseason metrics, the Flyers are the highest-rated mid-major program in the country, with Saint Mary’s following at No. 34 and VCU next. The only other A-10 team in KenPom’s Top 100 is Loyola Chicago at No. 79, while Saint Joseph’s ranks 86th, and George Mason is at No. 98.

Bacot Highlights Rams Recruiting Updates

Armando Bacot’s family, including the 2018 All-Metro Player of the Year from Trinity Episcopal who later excelled at North Carolina, attended VCU’s Black and Gold Game scrimmage at the Siegel Center on Saturday.

Among them was King Bacot, a local talent in the Richmond area and a standout for Team Loaded AAU. Rated as a five-star recruit by Top25Scouts, he is the top prospect in the Class of 2029 nationally.

King Bacot, a rising eighth-grader, announced on September 18 via X that he had received his first Division I offer from VCU’s coach Odom.

Jeff Goodman, a national basketball analyst and co-founder of the Field of 68, reported on September 18 that Odom had extended the offer to Bacot.

“King is a 6-3 point guard who Armando believes possesses the athleticism he wished he had,” Goodman said.

In other Rams recruiting updates, Jaiden Hunter, a 6-foot-7 wing in the Class of 2029 who plays for Boo Williams AAU and Miller School, announced on X that he received his first Division I offer from VCU on Sunday.

Isaiah Carter, a 6-foot-7 player from Team Loaded AAU and John Marshall, also shared on X that he received his third Division I offer from VCU. His X account lists additional offers from Old Dominion and Texas A&M.

It’s important to note that offers for young prospects like Bacot, Hunter, and Carter are not official scholarship offers yet. However, college coaches are increasingly showing verbal interest in players at this early stage in the recruiting process.

Additionally, Jake West, a 6-foot-3 combo guard and four-star recruit from William Penn Charter in Philadelphia, will announce his college decision on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. West is considering VCU along with four other schools: Florida, Northwestern, Charlotte, and Coastal Carolina.