VCU vs UMass: 2024 Atlantic 10 Tournament game preview, TV schedule

UMass has been one of the biggest surprises in the Atlantic 10 this season. Can they keep it up with a win over VCU in the conference tournament?

TV schedule: Thursday, March 14th, 2:00 pm ET (approx), USA Network
Arena: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York

One of the biggest storylines in the Atlantic 10 a week ago was who was going to get the 4th seed and the last double-bye in the conference tournament. And after a couple of losses by VCU, it was UMass who earned it. That nearly proved costly for the Rams, who were in a dogfight with 12-seed Fordham for 40 minutes. They were able to hold on for the 69-62 hard-fought win, led by 14 points from guard Max Shulga.

In the regular-season, the Minutemen dominated VCU at home for a 74-52 victory. But are they really 22 points better? Here are the keys to this 4 vs 5 quarterfinal matchup.

1. Frontcourt edge for UMass

While DaRon Holmes might be the best frontcourt player in the A-10, the best duo is clearly Josh Cohen (16.0 ppg and 6.9 rpg) and Matt Cross (15.6 ppg and 8.3 rpg). Both were named to all-league teams for UMass and combined for 38 points in the previous win over VCU. The Rams don't have pure scorers like that in their frontcourt but they do have solid defenders in Kuany Kuany, Christian Fermin, and Toibu Lawal. If VCU can equalize the advantage somewhat, they'll have a great chance at winning.

2. Joe Bamisile impact

He comes off the bench but Bamisile is one of the top scorers in the league when on the court. He averages 13.9 ppg in 22 mpg while shooting 40% from deep. And he can get hot, with seven games of at least 18 points, good for a third of his games played. If he has another big game, VCU's chances of winning will go up.

3. Youth of the Minutemen

The biggest x-factor of the game might come down to the nerves of the young Minutemen. They're the youngest team in the A-10, with four true freshmen getting minutes in the rotation. It's their first postseason game with high stakes and VCU is one of the older teams. How poised they are will be very important.

Prediction: VCU had its scare but between what happened prior between these two teams and the youth factor, the more mature team should have an edge. Coach Frank Martin will look for a way to get the bigs involved but in the end, look for the lower-seeded team to win.

VCU 70, UMass 65