Virginia Commonwealth Rams
2014-15 record: 26-10, 12-6 in the Atlantic 10 (Round of 64)
Head coach: Will Wade
Tenure at Virginia Commonwealth: 1st season
Career coaching record: 40-25
Home court: Siegel Center
Starters: F Justin Tillman, F Mo Alie-Cox, G Melvin Johnson, G JeQuan Lewis, G Doug Brooks
Bench: G Jonathan Williams, G Jordan Burgess
Overview: No longer led by Shaka Smart—the man who elevated the Rams' program into the yearly national discussion during his six seasons in Richmond—Virginia Commonwealth will look to stay among the top teams in the Atlantic 10 without team leaders Briante Weber and Treveon Graham, both lost to graduation. The good news for the Rams as they try to rebuild with a new head coach and new floor general without Weber is that Wade was an assistant to Smart from 2009-2013 and will run a similar system based on wreaking havoc with man-to-man pressure defense.
After leading Chattanooga for two seasons, expect Wade to rely on preseason All-Atlantic 10 selections Mo Alie-Cox and Melvin Johnson—both in their fourth years in the program—to get the Rams back to the NCAA tournament for the sixth straight year. As is usually the case, Virginia Commonwealth lacks size up front because of its up-tempo style, but the Rams could surprise some teams despite losing two incoming freshmen and sophomore Terry Larrier, who transferred after Smart left to become the head coach at Texas.
One thing that needs to go right: The Rams are among the nation's best in forcing turnovers as Brooks, Lewis and Johnson become the next in a long line of pesky Virginia Commonwealth backcourts.
One thing that could go wrong: Without Weber and Graham, the Rams can't generate enough offense off the dribble to make up for their lack of size.
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