Bubble Watch: VCU Rams looking to keep streak alive

VCU Rams

Record: 18-7, 10-2
RPI: 57
KenPom: 39

VCU is looking to get to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth year in a row.  Right now the Rams are sitting in Joe Lunardi's Bracketology with a ten seed, but there are plenty of challenges upcoming for first-year head coach Will Wade.

Non-Conference Resume

VCU squandered many opportunities to build an impressive out-of-conference profile. The Rams best win came at Middle Tennessee State, and they also beat a battered ODU squad, Radford, Buffalo, and North Florida.  Obviously, none of those wins or VCU's 8-5 mark are going to turn many committee members head. VCU missed chances in close games against Duke, Wisconsin, Florida State, and Cincinnati to bolster their argument come March.

Atlantic 10 Play

VCU is 10-2 in Atlantic 10 play and looked to be on cruise control until last week when they dropped back to back games against George Washington and UMass. The loss against the Minutemen was the worst of the year for the Rams, as UMass currently has a 148 RPI.

On the positive side, the Rams have two top 50 wins when they stole one in Philadelphia against St. Joe's and beat St. Bonaventure in Richmond.  The Rams performance in the A10 alone has gotten them back in the NCAA Tournament discussion.

The Road Ahead

VCU will be as dangerous as anyone in Brooklyn for the A10 Tournament, but the Rams will need to navigate some landmines before they can feel comfortable with their at-large possibilities. VCU has two tough home matchups this week against Rhode Island and rival Richmond before finishing three of their last four on the road against George Mason, a GW team that has already beat them, and Dayton. In short, the road games are an opportunity for Will Wade's team to make their case. They need to avoid losing tricky games at George Mason and against Davidson to weaken further their case.