Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early preseason mid-major top-25 for 2019-20 season

By Tristan Freeman

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 16: The Utah State Aggies celebrate their victory over the San Diego State Aztecs in the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Utah State won 64-57. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 16: The Utah State Aggies celebrate their victory over the San Diego State Aztecs in the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Utah State won 64-57. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 15: De’Riante Jenkins #0 of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams celebrates a basket against the Rhode Island Ramsduring their Atlantic 10 basketball tournament quarterfinal game at Barclays Center on March 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 15: De’Riante Jenkins #0 of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams celebrates a basket against the Rhode Island Ramsduring their Atlantic 10 basketball tournament quarterfinal game at Barclays Center on March 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

2. VCU Rams

2018-19 season record: 25-8 (16-2)

The Rams weren’t down for long after recovering from a rare struggle in the A-10, finishing 1st in the A-10 last season. They were the lone at-large candidate from the league after winning 11 straight games to end the regular season. Coach Mike Rhoades brought back the “havoc” in VCU’s defense, ranking in the top-5 in efficiency.

After dealing with multiple leg injuries, Rice transfer Marcus Evans was as good as advertised, leading the Rams with 13.6 ppg and 3.2 apg. Fellow juniors De’Riante Jenkins and Issac Vann provided enough scoring for the team when it was needed, along with forward Marcus Santos-Silva from in the paint. Despite being one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country at just 31%, VCU was 2nd nationally in three-point defense (29%) to make up for it. They’re top-10 overall in defending opponent’s shots in general.

Outside of the little-used Michael Gilmore, VCU will return the entire roster, including five key rising seniors. This isn’t a big team by any means but they play physical defense to make up for it. It doesn’t seem to impact them on the boards, although the Rams did tend to give up offensive rebounds. In what should be a quality-filled A-10 season, VCU will start as the preseason favorite, with a defense that opponents will need to find a way to crack.

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