Busting Brackets
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VCU Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for the Rams

By Lukas Harkins

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 15: De'Riante Jenkins #0 of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams celebrates a basket against the Rhode Island Rams during 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 Rams during their Atlantic 10 basketball tournament quarterfinal game at Barclays Center on March 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 22: Santos-Silva of VCU attempts. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 22: Santos-Silva of VCU attempts. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Key storylines to watch

1. Will there be enough perimeter shooting?

This is definitely my biggest concern surrounding the Rams this season. While VCU projects as an elite defensive unit, the squad will need to find ways to consistently score in order to take the next leap. The Rams ranked just 177th in adjusted offensive efficiency last season and that needs to improve. Most notably, VCU needs to make massive strides with regard to its halfcourt efficiency.

In my opinion, the biggest key for development in that facet of the game will be a resurgence in 3-point shooting. Boasting multiple perimeter threats is essential to success in the modern game and the Rams simply did not shoot well from distance last season.

Over the course of the campaign, VCU ranked just 336th in the nation in 3-point efficiency as the squad shot just 235-for-771 (30.5%) from beyond the arc. Considering 41.2% of their total field goal attempts came from three last season, they need to improve in this area as it is a focal point of their offensive scheme.

Thankfully, the roster is full of capable shooters who somehow all suffered slumps from distance last season, especially with Evans and Jenkins. Here is a look at how VCU’s primary shooters performed last season relative to their previous career averages (not including 2018-19) from 3-point range:

  • Marcus Evans: 41-for-150, 27.3% (Career: 34.6%)
  • De’Riante Jenkins: 63-for-185, 34.1% (Career: 42.3%)
  • Issac Vann: 32-for-105, 30.5% (Career: 31.4%)
  • Mike’l Simms: 28-for-106, 26.4% (Career: 32.7%)
  • Malik Crowfield was the only volume 3-point shooter to exceed his previous career percentage as he shot 37.6% from deep last season. He is the team’s best and most specialized perimeter threat.

Additionally, some of the incoming freshmen are strong perimeter threats as well. On the whole, it seems likely that the Rams will be better 3-point shooting team this season even with a deeper line. That could greatly open up the offense for driving lanes and post feeds. VCU will still look to thrive on transition buckets but improved perimeter shooting will greatly impact the team’s efficiency in half-court sets.

2. Will Marcus Evans stay healthy?

VCU is definitely one of the deepest teams in the nation and they feature several All-Atlantic 10 caliber players. With that said, though, everyone knows that this squad relies on senior guard Marcus Evans to lead the way on both ends of the floor. And while he is very clearly a collegiate superstar capable of handling that load, he is also somewhat injury-prone. In order for the Rams to reach their ceiling this season, Evans needs to be at close to 100% for the entire campaign.

He is an elite defender at the point guard position, a vocal leader, and dictates how the entire offense operates. While the addition of Bones Hyland will hopefully help in this department, VCU’s offense struggled mightily in minutes without Evans last season. With Evans poised for a potential shooting resurgence this season, he could take his personal scoring to the next level and that would also improve VCU’s complete offensive profile.

Evans is also the type of player that can take over a game at any given moment as a scorer or defender. He creates for himself so incredibly well and is a constant threat to come away with a game-breaking steal. Guard play is pivotal when March arrives and Evans will need to be at his best in order to carry the Rams to a deep run. There is a strong supporting cast around Evans but the team would simply not even be close to the same without him. He needs to stay healthy.

3. How can the Rams improve defensively?

It is no secret that VCU was one of the best defensive teams in the nation last season. The Rams finished the campaign ranked at No. 7 in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency as they shut down just about every opponent they faced. Diving a bit deeper into the numbers and film, it is obvious that “havoc” is once again the primary defensive scheme on display in the Siegel Center.

Behind the sensational opportunistic play of guards Marcus Evans and De’Riante Jenkins, among others, the Rams were as pesky as they come on the perimeter. VCU ranked 8th in the country in defensive turnover rate forced and opponents also only shot 28.5% from three against them. That rate ranked 2nd-lowest forced by any defense in the country.

Furthermore, the Rams held their own in the paint as well. As alluded to earlier, MSS is the unheralded anchor to VCU’s defense as an intelligent big man. Although he only stands at 6-foot-8, MSS is physical, mobile, and makes tremendous reads with regards to his duties down low. VCU ranked 40th nationally in block rate and 9th in 2-point percentage allowed. MSS’s presence was a major factor in both of those numbers.

With all of this said, though, where does VCU go from here? With so much returning talent, it is reasonable to expect that the Rams will once again be elite defensively but can they step things up a notch? There is a very legitimate possibility that VCU will be the best defensive unit in the entire country this season and it will be intriguing to see if they can make that next leap as a team.

Integrating some new pieces into the rotation might take a bit of time but the potential is there for the Rams to usurp the No. 1 spot in adjusted defensive efficiency in the country this season. The top-ranked defense has landed at worst a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament in all but five seasons in the KenPom era (since 2002).