Atlantic 10 Basketball: 4 biggest takeaways from opening night

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 13: A detailed view of a Spalding basketball during a quarterfinal game between the Davidson Wildcats and La Salle Explorers in the 2015 Men's Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at the Barclays Center on March 13, 2015 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /

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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – MARCH 16: The Virginia Commonwealth Rams mascot performs during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament against the St. Mary’s Gaels at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 16, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /

Marcus Evans is ready to make an impact

There was a lot of talk in the offseason that Marcus Evans, VCU’s highlight reel guard who injured his achilles last season (a sit-out year as a transfer from Rice), might not be ready to roll until A-10 play. Some people took their worries further and even questioned if we’d see him take the floor at all this season. Last night put any of those concerns to rest. Evans played and gave us a glimpse of what he’ll be able to do when coach Rhoades is confident enough to play him full-time. In only nine minutes of action, Evans had nine points and two steals. By no means did he take over the game, but for a guy that was assumed out until conference play to score nine points in as many minutes has to have fans salivating in Richmond.

I would expect Evans to keep hovering around that 10 minutes per game mark for the next couple of outings, especially since VCU should be able to roll with or without him over Hampton and Bowling Green. Hopefully he’ll be ready for a full work load by the time the Rams have to face off against Temple and then either Cal or St. John’s (depending who wins in each matchup) in the Legends Classic on November 19-20. Those two games will teach us a lot about Evans and VCU as a team. If Evans ends up starring en route to a couple of victories, or even tightly contested matchups, then VCU may have to be moved up a couple of spots in people’s A10 power-rankings.

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